Prior to joining NNSC, Ms. Charles was a human resources manager at OUIDAD, where she worked with the CFO, president, and directors to deliver core HR services. She was responsible for advising and leading the company on compensation, benefits, recruiting, organizational structure, employee engagement, employment law, and team-building for both NY/LA salons & the corporate office. Ms. Charles has extensive consultative HR experience in various industries that include corporate retail, non-profit, architecture, IT, substance abuse, and mental health disorders. With such diverse industry knowledge and experience, she believes that successful HR approaches can thrive in any organizational culture. Ms. Charles received her BS in Human Resources Management from SUNY Old Westbury and her MBA in Management from Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus.

Rory is an established journalist in the criminal justice field and has produced content for a multitude of media outlets including Slate, MinnPost, Shadow Proof, Filter, Yakima Herald-Republic, and The Crime Report. Rory has also worked as a Legal Fellow for the Harvard Law School Fair Punishment Project where he compiled its national criminal justice newsletter and provided research and analysis for various reports. Prior to joining NNSC, Rory worked as a campaign consultant for District Attorney candidates throughout the country, including Jefferson County, Alabama, District Attorney Danny Carr, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather, and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón. Rory holds a BA in English and Economics from the University of South Carolina and a Juris Doctor from University of North Carolina School of Law. Rory is an attorney licensed to practice in Minnesota. 

Prior to joining NNSC, Mr. Mantilla was a program manager with the International Organization for Migration responsible for humanitarian and migration management responses in Central and South America. He also designed, launched and managed geopolitical programming for post- conflict stabilization, open source intelligence and community engagement in complex settings, including the Colombian armed conflict and the unaccompanied minor crisis in Central America. Mr. Mantilla holds law degree from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and an LL.M. from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Ms. Roberson has approximately 10 years of experience and for the last year served as the executive assistant to the CEO of a real estate development firm. Ms. Roberson is presently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Manhattan College. 

Prior to joining NNSC, Mr. Acampora was a Special Investigator and Project Manager at the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD (OIG-NYPD), where he helped conduct wide scale, systemic investigations into the NYPD. He developed various investigative plans, served on OIG-NYPD’s strategic planning committee, and wrote and edited several of the office’s reports. He holds a B.A. in Political Science & Literary Arts from Brown University. 

Prior to joining the National Network for Safe Communities, Fatma Zahra worked as the Clinical Counseling Supervisor of the Witness Aid Services Unit at the New York County District Attorney’s Office.  She oversaw a department to provide trauma-informed therapy and criminal justice advocacy to all crime victims, including survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.  Previous to this, Ms. Zahra served as Deputy Director of the Victim Services Unit at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office where services to all crime victims were provided, including high risk domestic violence cases involving stalking and strangulation.  In addition, Ms. Zahra worked as a Domestic Violence Program Advocate at Sakhi for South Asian Women where she provided culturally-specific support, services, and referrals to South Asian domestic violence survivors residing in the New York metropolitan area.

Ms. Zahra received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Gender Studies from Coe College and her Masters in Social Work degree from New York University Silver School of Social Work.  She is also a licensed clinical social worker in the state of New York.

Prior to joining the NNSC, Mr. Thompson was an Administrative Support II at The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech). Assigned to the Office of the Customer Service Advocate, he played a key support role to senior management in creating an atmosphere which fosters Customer Service throughout the school population.

Mr. Thompson also attended the institution as a student of the College of Business Management. His agile participation led him to be responsible for spearheading a number of entrepreneurial projects which awarded him much recognition, one such recognition includes the Joan Duncan School of Entrepreneurship, Ethics and Leadership (JDSEEL) Entrepreneurial Award Trophy.

Mr. Thompson holds a BSc. in Entrepreneurship from the University of Technology.

Erin joins NNSC after serving as Assistant Counsel with the Public International Law & Policy Group, where she worked in Istanbul, Turkey to provide legal and technical negotiation support to Syrian opposition as they engaged in peace negotiations.

Prior to this role, she served in the United States Air Force as an Intelligence Analyst.  Erin earned her B.A. from Willamette University, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Atiya Raja is a Special Projects Associate joining NNSC’s Strategic Initiatives team. Prior to joining NNSC, Ms. Raja worked at the Center for Reproductive Rights as an Associate, where she managed Board logistics and related projects. She also worked at the New York City Bar Association, where she was the Events and Programs Coordinator. Ms. Raja is a graduate of Manhattan College, where she received a BA in International Studies. She is fluent in Urdu and Hindi.

Prior to joining the National Network, Mr. Hudson served as the Deputy Director of the Community Partnerships Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. He led a team charged with building relationships with the community to prevent crime and enhance public safety. He started as the Reentry Coordinator, focused on reducing violent recidivism. Previously, Mr. Hudson worked on community-based anti-violence initiatives with Street Corner Resources. He also has professional experience with legislative affairs and federal economic development policy.

Mr. Hudson is currently working on his doctorate in Public and Urban Policy at The New School, where he earned a master’s degree in Urban Policy Analysis and Management. He obtained a BA in American Studies with a minor in Africana Studies from The George Washington University.

Tristan is a Pratt alum and a recent graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, where he received his MSc in Creativity and Change Leadership. Before joining the NNSC, Tristan worked as a freelance graphic designer for clients such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Momentum.

His toolkit consists of branding, creative strategy, logo design, typography, and proficiency in creative problem solving tools and techniques. Tristan is a Parnes and Noller Creativity Award recipient, and his work also is published in the art and design textbook "Guide to Graphic Design" by Scott Santoro.

When he is not designing, he is busy coming up with ideas and solutions for how to solve any number of life's challenges.

Ms. Peters moved to Seattle from Portland, Oregon to attend college at Seattle University and study history. During university she interned at various non-profits, most notably the Council on American Islamic Relations. After graduating college, she took some time off to travel to South East Europe and the Caribbean. Her first job out of school was at workers compensation and Social Security law firm. Ms. Peters has also been volunteering at the Parole Preparation Project since moving to New York City in September 2017.

Ms. Peters holds a B.A. in History from Seattle University.

Isatou Bittaye-Jobe has a range of experience in community organizing and advocacy using research, communications and fundraising to promote human rights. Prior to moving to the U.S., Isatou served as the Senior Program Officer at the National Council for Civic Education of The Gambia where she acted as the organization's project grant writer and programs lead in educating Gambians about their human rights and promoting civic education in the country.

Isatou also serves as the Communications Manager of The Girls' Agenda - a young women's-led organization that empowers girls and young women, and advocate to end all forms of violence against girls and women and promote their human rights- where she produce communications materials to inspire donors and supporters. Additionally, she supported digital and social media strategy and event coordination.

Prior to joining the National Network for Safe Communities, she interned at various non-profits including Women Deliver, Ms. Foundation for Women and the YWCA of the City of New York where she worked on research projects; foundation and corporation grant proposal writing and fundraising efforts. Isatou earned her graduate degree in International Studies from National Chengchi University in Taiwan and her BSc. in Political Science from the University of The Gambia.

Prior to joining the National Network, Mr. Acevedo was an intern and a contract worker at the NNSC.

Mr. Acevedo holds a BA in Criminology and a MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Shariba Harris is an Operations Assistant joining NNSC's Operations & Finance team. Prior to joining NNSC, Ms. Harris was an Office Manager at Yodle in Scottsdale, Arizona where she facilitated day-to-day operations to maintain the working order of an office with 224 employees. She was additionally responsible for improving and implementing company-wide practices in the organization's 5 other offices. Ms. Harris has also worked as an English Teacher at LEE Academy in Budapest, Hungary, where she taught conversational English to elementary students ranging in ages from 3-14. Ms. Harris holds a B.A. in Communications from Morris Brown College.

Qiao Gao is a Finance Assistant joining NNSC’s Operations & Finance team on Tuesday, February 20th where she will be supporting reimbursements, budget reconciliations, and contracting. Prior to joining NNSC, Ms. Gao was a Media Buyer at OOH Pitch where she helped planned campaigns for clients including T-Mobile, Denny's, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Fossil. She’s worked on campaigns for nonprofit organizations and secured donated media space for GLSEN—which seeks to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in K-12 schools—and Volunteers of America's Operation Backpack—which gives new backpacks filled with grade-specific school supplies to homeless children throughout New York City--to secure donated media space. Ms. Gao has also previously served as a Business/Inside Sales Manager for Edison Properties and a Media Buyer for Starcom Mediaest. She has volunteered for GLSEN and Operation Backpack outside of her professional duties; and worked with WomanKind to setup emergency housing for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their children.

Sophie Lindberg is a Project Assistant for NNSC’s Intimate Partner Violence Intervention (IPVI) team. Ms. Lindberg supports day-to-day operations of the IPVI team including participating in and documenting strategic advising calls; conducting follow-ups; developing agendas; conducting discrete research projects and performing limited data analysis; participating in regular strategy sessions; and tracking deliverables. Prior to joining NNSC, Ms. Lindberg completed internships at organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance and Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform where she helped to research and support efforts to reform harmful aspects of the criminal justice system. While an undergraduate student, she was an administrative assistant in two university offices, managing the needs of staff and students alike. Ms. Lindberg holds a B.A. in International Development and Sociology from McGill University.

Veronica Dunlap is Director of Strategic Initiatives at the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. Dunlap previously served as Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). She was among the founding attorneys of DCA's “The Initiative” – a project aimed at restoring the civil rights of people with criminal convictions with the ultimate goal of allowing those people to sit on juries. Prior to DCA, Ms. Dunlap began her legal career as Associate General Counsel at the National Action Network, Inc. (NAN). While at NAN, she was involved with legal programming at NAN’s House of Justice including a community roundtable with community leaders, officers from the NYPD 32nd Precinct, and Deputy Commissioner Tracie Keesee that led to substantive changes in the NYPD cadet-training manual. Ms. Dunlap also founded Passion & Purpose Harlem, a community organization that promotes arts education for at-risk youth; mentored pre-law students at John Jay College of Criminal Justice; and mentored high school students through the National Black MBA Association’s “CASH” college prep program.

Prior to pursuing a career in public interest, Ms. Dunlap performed on stages throughout the US and in several countries as a classically trained dancer. She is a proud graduate of both George Washington University, where she was a Presidential Merit Scholar and received a B.A. in International Affairs, cum laude, and Fordham University School of Law where she received her Juris Doctor & M.B.A. in Finance. Ms. Dunlap is the recipient of the 2016 Heroine of Excellence Award for her work in community advocacy and was a 2017 Council of Urban Professionals Fellow. She is also a noted contributor to the New York City Bar Association 2016 publication “Street Smarts for Women Lawyers.”

Audrey Hatch is a Project Associate for the National Initiative for Building Community Trust & Justice—a project of the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC). Ms. Hatch provides project management and day-to-day operations support to the National Initiative team and its Project Director; coordinates communication and logistics with external stakeholders, law enforcement personnel, community leaders, and social services agencies in the National Initiative's six pilot sites; and tracks and reports on National Initiative grant deliverables.

Prior to joining the NNSC, Ms. Hatch was an Asset Manager at Nuestra Comunidad Development Corporation in Roxbury, MA where she helped neighborhood-based nonprofits in the Boston area manage their affordable housing portfolios to meet mission and financial goals. She was also responsible for improving environmental practices in all departments of the organization.

Ms. Hatch holds a B.A. in Math from Bowdoin College.

Renae Gray is a Data Analytics Associate with the National Network for Safe Communities. In addition to supporting the ongoing projects of the NNSC’s data team, Ms. Gray is responsible for using data to inform & support innovations and objectives across the National Network’s crime reduction portfolio.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Gray worked as an undergraduate Research Assistant at Smith College. Her work there, which  spanned several departments, included using computer-aided design and drafting software to hypothesize and model designs; additionally, she conducted statistical analyses on various interdisciplinary research projects. She also completed a data internship with the NNSC.

Ms. Gray holds a BA in Engineering Technology and English from Smith College.

Adrienne Klein is a Field Associate with the Group Violence Intervention and International Interventions teams at the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. Klein brings experience conducting research on resource allocation, access to justice, and related power dynamics. Ms. Klein supports the Group Violence Intervention team and the International Interventions team in providing technical assistance and support for National Network partner jurisdictions, and researching the feasibility and implementation strategy for partnership sites internationally.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Klein worked and researched on three continents. She worked with Action Against Hunger in northern Nigeria to provide humanitarian program management. In Sri Lanka she consulted to the Center for Policy Alternatives, compiling a series of recommendations relating to transitional justice mechanisms that were adopted into national legislation following their publication. Finally, she completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Argentina where she conducted research into the Impact of the Forensic Sciences on the Human Rights Movement.

Ms. Klein holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Smith College, as well as Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University with a concentration on human security and humanitarian affairs.

Alina Vikhnevich is an Operational Finance Assistant at the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. Vikhnevich assists the finance and operational team daily in the administration of grants and financial operations, which includes coordinating the reimbursement process, maintaining compliance with regulations, organization of fund disbursement and reimbursement and tracking and executing reporting requirements.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Vikhnevich worked for Elizabeth Arden, where she was responsible for assisting clients and supporting day-to-day functions of the business, which helped her improve her communication and problem solving skills.

Ms. Vikhnevich holds a BBA from Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Chelsea V. Ocon is a Field Associate for the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention (IPVI) for the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. Ocon provides hands-on strategic advising to project managers and law enforcement executives, manages the process of law enforcement data collection and analysis; and assists site leadership in organizing direct communication with survivors of domestic violence and individual offenders. 

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Ocon worked at the New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence.  She helped plan, coordinate, and facilitate the execution of multi-agency and independent outreach events in NYCHA housing developments throughout the five boroughs and their surrounding communities as part of a City-wide Mayoral initiative, and facilitated trainings for various community partners and city agencies regarding Intimate Partner Violence, Elder Abuse, and Human Sex Trafficking.  She also worked as an Intern at The Retreat, an organization that provides direct services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Eastern Long Island.

Ms. Ocon holds a B.A. in Psychology from Brooklyn College, and is currently an M.P.A candidate at Baruch College, focusing on Policy and Evaluation. Ms. Ocon is also a certified vinyasa yoga instructor, with her own practice informed by the Ashtanga lineage.

Maggie O'Donnell is a Field Associate at the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. O'Donnell is responsible for supporting GVI’s Field Advisors and supervisors by providing project management, data analysis, strategic planning, and research as needed to guide site partners in implementation of the Group Violence Intervention.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. O'Donnell worked as a Legal Assistant at Bromberg Kohler Maya & Maschler, PLLC where she managed cases of over 40 clients seeking protection, relief, or benefits under U.S. immigration law. She has also served as a Program Assistant on Militarism & Civil Liberties with the Friends Committee on National Legislation where she lobbied and maintained relationships with elected officials and their staffs.

Ms. O'Donnell holds a BA in Peace Studies from Goucher College where she graduated cum laude. 

Danneile Davis is a Field Advisor on the NNSC’s Field Innovations Team. She co-leads technical assistance on the design and development of police-community trust building strategies at six cities across the country, particularly on fostering police-community reconciliation, promoting procedural justice, and addressing implicit bias. Her specific portfolio focuses on supporting survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual violence, LGBTQIA persons, immigrants, the Latinx community, and Native Americans, as well as youth mentoring initiatives to support positive police-youth engagement.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Davis worked as an Associate Consultant at Bain and Company in Chicago, IL where she crafted an operational improvement strategy and key performance indicators at for a $7B industrial client, and developed a 10-year growth strategy for a national, education-based nonprofit. At Bain, she also led undergraduate minority consulting recruitment at Penn and advised on Bain minority retention strategy. Outside Bain, she volunteered as a rape crisis advocate for the YWCA in Chicago, where she still volunteers in an offsite capacity.

Ms. Davis holds a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated magna cum laude. 

Jefferson Pinerio is a Field Associate at the National Network for Safe Communities. Mr. Pinerio is responsible for generating regular data reports and supporting the day-to-day management of partner site data, both for the National Network’s partner jurisdictions and for use by the Group Violence Intervention team, in order to illuminate crime trends and support innovation to core strategies. 

Prior to joining the staff, Mr. Pinerio served as a data intern for the National Network.

Mr. Pinerio holds a BA in Sociology and a MA in Criminology, Law & Society both from Villanova University. 

Heather Conley is a Field Associate for the Field Innovations team at the National Network for Safe Communities.  

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Conley spent over 20 years working as a freelance photographer in Los Angeles and New York, specializing in portraits for editorial and advertising clients with a more recent emphasis on work that highlighted issues pertaining to social and criminal justice.  Her clients have included Time, Rolling Stone, W Magazine, Essence and the Innocence Project.

Ms. Conley is currently pursuing a BA in Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Laurie Grieco is a Group Violence Intervention Field Advisor for the National Network for Safe Communities. She is responsible for providing technical assistance and support for the National Network’s partner jurisdictions, providing strategic advising and data management to sites implementing strategies to reduce violence and community disorder.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Grieco worked as a Senior Training Technician at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. She served as a program representative for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Unit and worked with local law enforcement to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce gun violence. Ms. Grieco also served as a Certified Police Officer in Westport, Connecticut for four years. 

Ms. Grieco holds an AD in Liberal Arts and Humanities from Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York, a BS in Criminal Justice Counseling from Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska, and a MS in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Kyle Ott is a Data Analyst with the National Network for Safe Communities. He is responsible for conducting analysis and generating regular data reports—both for the National Network’s partner jurisdictions and for use by the strategic operations and policy team—to illuminate crime trends and support innovations to core strategies. He will also develop data management and analysis protocols that support the ongoing implementation of the National Network’s crime reduction strategies in partner sites.

Prior to joining the National Network, Kyle worked as a Research Assistant with the Hertie School of Governance and the German Institute for Economic Research, both in Berlin, Germany. His work included generating data visualizations to present simple stories, analysis of field experiments and longitudinal data sets, and building and testing new models. Kyle has also worked as an Associate in Research at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy where he focused on education and immigration policy.

Kyle holds a BA/BS in History and Economics from Duke University and an MPP with a concentration in Social Policy Analysis from the Hertie School of Governance.

Rachel Locke is the Director of International Interventions at the National Network for Safe Communities. She is responsible for assisting with the management and implementation of the strategic agenda of the National Network. In her role, Ms. Locke brings the National Network's expertise in violence reduction to the international space through practical applications as well as policy discussion and research development. Ms. Locke provides direct technical assistance and support for National Network partner jurisdictions, providing strategic advising to sites implementing strategies to reduce violence and community disorder.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Locke worked as a Senior Policy Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development where she was responsible for developing and representing Agency-wide policy on issues concerning conflict, violence and fragility. She also led USAID research and policy on crime, conflict, and fragility. Prior to joining USAID, Ms. Locke served as a Technical Advisor and Economic Development Coordinator with the International Rescue Committee where she was based in Kenya and Uganda. In her work with the IRC, Ms. Locke designed programs to support increased economic opportunity and developed guide material to aid strategic the implementation process.

Ms. Locke holds a BA in International Relations with a concentration in Africa and Latin America. She also holds a MA in International Affairs from Columbia University, Graduate School of International and Public Affairs with a concentration in political development and humanitarian intervention and a regional focus on Africa. She has also published a variety of articles and other works focusing on humanitarian aid, conflict and transnational organized crime. 

Ahmad Dowla is the Director of Operations & Finance for the National Network for Safe Communities where he provides leadership to the organization's operations and finance teams and works closely with senior management to provide operational and fiscal analysis and guidance on all organizational activities, plans, and targets.

Mr. Dowla is responsible for ensuring that the Network's financial and operational systems are robust, compliant, and support both current activities and future growth; allocating materials and human resources; evaluating overall fiscal performance; establishing internal policies; leading, developing, and implementing technology initiatives to support the National Network's mission; and regularly assessing the efficiency of the organization's procedures and systems.

Prior to joining the National Network, Mr. Dowla spent 10 years at the Center for an Urban Future, a nonprofit public policy think tank dedicated to reducing inequality, increasing economic mobility, and growing the economy in New York City. He served in various capacities including his most recent role as Deputy Director where he was responsible for the organization's strategic planning, project management, external relations, and overall operations. Since 2011, Mr. Dowla has also served as a business, technology, and design consultant for a variety of nonprofits and small businesses, helping clients realize their organizational visions through innovative and comprehensive operational solutions.

Rachel Teicher is the Director of the Intimate Partner Violence Intervention (IPVI) at the National Network for Safe Communities. She is responsible for assisting with the management and implementation of the IPVI work. In her role, Ms. Teicher provides direct technical assistance and support for the National Network’s partner jurisdictions, which includes strategic advising and data management to sites implementing IPVI and sites interested in reducing serious intimate partner violence. 

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Teicher worked as the Director of Strategic Coordination in the New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence. She helped develop new initiatives in concert with various community partners and was responsible for managing the agency’s four Self-Sufficiency programs focusing on a wide range of survivor concerns. While at the Mayor’s Office, Ms. Teicher was also part of the administrative team that oversaw the Brooklyn Family Justice Center. Ms. Teicher also served as the Outreach Director in the Office of External Affairs at the New York City Department of Social Services where she developed and managed a new community outreach initiative addressing issues of economic inequality, food insecurity, and emergency assistance. Ms. Teicher previously worked with STEPS to End Family Violence and Mt. Sinai Hospital’s Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program.

Teicher holds a law degree from Hofstra University, a master's degree in humanities and social thought from New York University, and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Haverford College.

Paul Smith is the Director of the Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy. The Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy seeks to dramatically reduce group and gang violence in the City of Chicago.  The Violence Reduction Strategy is a joint effort of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Westside Health Authority, the Safer Foundation, Teamwork Englewood and a variety of community and faith-based partners.

Prior to joining the National Network, Mr. Smith worked as the Public Safety Coordinator for the City of Chattanooga. He was responsible for managing Chattanooga’s Group Violence Reduction Strategy and coordinated with city officials, law enforcement, social service providers and community members to develop and implement the strategy. Mr. Smith was also the Executive Principal of Howard School where he supervised two deputy principals, a program director, four vice-principals, ninety-four teachers, and twenty-six support staff for approximately eleven-hundred students. During Mr. Smith’s tenure, Howard School increased the graduation rate from 46% to 88% and reduced truancy from 83% to 17%.

Mr. Smith holds a M.Ed. in Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University , a MA in Ethnic Studies from Covington Theological Seminary, and a BS in Secondary Education from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. 

Veronica N. Vera is a Finance Associate at the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. Vera assists in the administration of grant and financial operations, including coordinating the reimbursement process; maintaining compliance with regulations, contact with administrators, and organization of fund disbursement and reimbursement; and tracking and executing reporting requirements.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Vera worked as the Operations Manager at Dos Caminos Restaurant in New York City where she oversaw personnel administration and day-to-day management.

Ms. Vera holds an A.S. in Culinary Arts and a B.S. in Food Service Management, both from Johnson and Wales University. 

Meaghan McDonald is a Senior Advisor for the Group Violence Intervention team at the National Network for Safe Communities. She is responsible for supporting high-profile sites around the country in the implementation of the Group Violence Intervention and for providing high-level support to the GVI Director in the operational management of the portfolio, including budget and contract management.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. McDonald worked in the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Public Safety in Philadelphia as part of the Focused Deterrence Group Violence Intervention strategy. As the Community Outreach Coordinator, she worked to establish community and social service provider partners to increase knowledge of and support for the strategy. She also spent four years working at Saint Joseph’s University, most recently as the Senior Analyst in the Office of Enrollment Management.

Ms. McDonald received her MA in Criminal Justice and her BS in Sociology both from Saint Joseph’s University.

Debra Higens is the Project Manager of the Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy. The Violence Reduction Strategy is a joint effort of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Westside Health Authority, the Safer Foundation, Teamwork Englewood and a variety of community and faith-based partners.

Ms. Higens' experience in public safety includes 15 years as a Deputy Sheriff with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, a career she finished as an Investigator. Ms. Higens was the Chief of Operations for an Adult Transitional Center, where she worked closely with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Prior to working for Chicago VRS, Ms. Higens was the Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator for the U. S. Attorney's Office in Chicago. Ms. Higens is certified by the Department of Homeland Security as an Incident Commander (Single and Multiple), by the Illinois Department of Corrections as a Certified Investigator, and has participated in several major national conferences, including the Franklin Covey workshop. 

Ms. Higens is currently working toward her BA in Social Justice from De Paul University and received an AAS in Criminal Justice from Moraine Valley Community College. She is actively involved in her church as a Eucharist Minister. Ms. Higens is also a certified foster parent with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. She has four children, Christy Lynn, Amber Leigh, Patricia Pearl and Jonathan Richard, and has found great joy in taking three of her children from the system and giving them a loving home. Ms. Higens enjoys reading her favorite author James Patterson as well as spending time with her children and her three dogs.

Sue-Lin Wong is the Associate Project Director of the National Initiative for Building Commuity Trust and Justice, and the Managing Director of Field Innovations at the National Network for Safe Communities. Ms. Wong participated in the team that launched the National Network. She leads the strategic planning for direct technical assistance and support for the National Network's partner jurisdictions utilizing emerging interventions, and provides strategic advising and data management to those sites. 

During her tenure at the National Network, Ms. Wong also held a research fellow position at the US-Asia Law Institute of New York University, where she conducted policy analysis on the state of death penalty reforms in Taiwan, prepared written reports for the Ford Foundation, developed strategies for working in China, fostered partnerships between academic institutes in China and research institutes in the US, and developed empirical research approaches for future pilot projects. Prior to that, Ms. Wong was an adjunct professor in the Department of Anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice through the school's undergraduate honors program.

Ms. Wong received her MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and her BS in Psychology from State University of New York, Buffalo. 

Ying Chang is the Associate Director of Operations for the National Network for Safe Communities. She is responsible for organizing conferences and workshops, both in the New York office and across the country, supporting travel arrangements for staff and their partners, and managing the schedules of the National Network's senior staff. Additionally, Ms. Chang coordinates with departmental staff to ensure smooth daily operations of the office.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Chang was the Senior Director of Product Development for Chloe and Isabel Inc., which creates and sells costume jewelry. There, she established product development for the new start-up company, authored web content for the e-commerce site, and developed operational procedures that increased efficiency across the departments.

Ms. Chang received her BA in Business Administration, Market/Advertising from Touro College in New York, NY.

Louisa Aviles is the Director of the Group Violence Intervention at the National Network for Safe Communities. She is responsible for managing direct technical assistance and support for the National Network’s partner jurisdictions implementing strategies to reduce violence and community disorder.

Prior to joining the National Network, Ms. Aviles served as a policy advisor on NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Young Men’s Initiative (YMI). As a YMI advisor, Ms. Aviles helped manage citywide programming and policy reforms specifically in the areas of school discipline, mentoring and violence reduction. Prior to joining the Bloomberg administration, Ms. Aviles spent three years in the Office of Management Analysis and Planning in the New York City Police Department. While at NYPD, Ms. Aviles helped create and run a pilot program to begin video recording custodial interrogations in felony assault arrests.

Ms. Aviles received her BS in International Politics, magna cum laude, from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and her MA in Criminal Justice and Advanced Certificate in Crime Prevention and Analysis from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

David M. Kennedy is the Director of the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, NY.

He led the Boston Gun Project, whose "Operation Ceasefire" intervention was responsible for a 63 percent reduction in youth homicide victimization and has since been effectively implemented in numerous cities as the Group Violence Intervention (GVI). His work in Boston won the Ford Foundation Innovations in Government award; two Herman Goldstein International Awards for Problem-Oriented Policing, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police Webber Seavey Award. He developed the Drug Market Intervention (DMI) which also won an Innovations in Government Award. He helped design and field the Justice Department’s Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative, the Treasury Department’s Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Drug Market Intervention Program.

He co-founded the National Network for Safe Communities, an alliance of more than 50 jurisdictions committed to strategies that combine the best of law enforcement and community-driven approaches to improve public safety, minimize arrests and incarceration, enhance police legitimacy, and rebuild relationships between law enforcement and distressed communities.

He is the author of Deterrence and Crime Prevention: Reconsidering the Prospect of Sanction, co-author of Beyond 911: A New Era for Policing, and a wide range of articles on gang violence, drug markets, domestic violence, firearms trafficking, deterrence theory, and other public safety issues. His latest book, Don’t Shoot, One Man, a Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America, was published by Bloomsbury in 2011.