Mark Holden, general counsel and senior vice president at Koch Industries, will be in Kansas City next week to talk about why his company has been a leader in the “ban the box” movement.

“Ban the box” asks employers to stop including a checkbox on their employment applications that asks if job seekers have a criminal record. Advocates say the practice prevents reformed convicts from finding work and, thus, making it more likely they’ll reoffend.

Koch has been the largest private corporation to “ban the box” on employment application forms that routinely ask about past criminal records. Holden will be speaking about why the practice should stop, over-incarceration in America and other information about the bipartisan effort to “ban the box.” Corporate executives, small business owners, policy makers and others interested in learning more are invited to attend.

“Banning the Box: A Corporate Perspective” will run from 4 to 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.

Attendees also will be able to view “Faces of Change,” a photography exhibit by local artist Nick Vedros that looks at a self-help program used in Kansas prisons. The organization behind the program, Courage to Change, is co-presenting the event with the Kemper.

You can register for the event at this website. Admission is free, but organizers do ask the audience to sign up in advance.