Apr 2024
Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy Steering Committee and Curriculum Developers
The CVI Leadership Academy’s original program design and curriculum was developed by a powerful group of national CVI leaders who now serve as the CVILA’s Steering Committee. The Steering Committee includes leading researchers, organizers, activists, survivor advocates, faith leaders, and practitioners.
With the support of curriculum developers, this group drew from their expert knowledge and experience to craft a curriculum that prepares leaders for the unique challenge of sustaining an impactful CVI organization and fostering health and safety in Black and Brown communities.
Steering Committee
Dr. Shani Buggs
Dr. Shani Buggs is an Assistant Professor for the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California Davis and a health and public policy scholar with expertise in community-driven violence intervention and prevention efforts.
Dr. Antonio Cediel
Dr. Antonio Cediel is the Special Advisor for Live Free USA, where he leads community violence intervention efforts and supports the network’s Latino church organizing, and the CEO of First Revolution Consulting.
Erica Ford
Erica Ford is credited with reimagining effective pathways to public safety in inner-city communities. She is the Co-Founder and former CEO of LIFE Camp, Inc.; Lead Creator of NYC Crisis Management System; Co-Chair of the National Black & Brown Peace Coalition; and Co-Founder of Kush & Kemet.
Amber Goodwin
Amber is the Founder of the Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF) and the Community Justice Reform Coalition (CJRC). CJAF is a national gun violence prevention organization working on policy, education, leadership development, and building resources centered on communities of color.
Marcus McAllister
Marcus McAllister is a national violence prevention expert, speaker, and consultant. He is also the Dean of Students of the UChicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy.
Pastor Michael McBride
Pastor Michael McBride is the Executive Director of Live Free USA, a Square One Fellow at Columbia University Justice Policy Lab, the Co-Founder of Black Church PAC and the Black Brown Peace Consortium, and serves as the Lead Pastor of The Way Church in Berkeley, CA.
Oresa Napper-Williams
Oresa Napper-Williams is the Founder and Executive Director of Not Another Child, Inc., an organization that provides unconventional therapeutic support and advocates for families and communities directly impacted by gun violence.
Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith is the Executive Director of Cities United and is an organizer, a bridge builder, a believer in community, and a thought leader.
Dr. Chico Tillmon
Dr. Chico Tillmon is the Executive Director of the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy and a leading national consultant and training and technical assistance provider on violence prevention, reentry, and nonprofits.
Curriculum Developers
Dr. Kathryn Bocanegra
Dr. Kathryn Bocanegra is an Assistant Professor at Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker and also serves as Senior Advisor to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on crime victim and violence prevention issues.
Dr. Julian Thompson
Dr. Julian Thompson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His work spans several domains of research, including reentry, alternatives to incarceration and community mental health, criminalization of survivors, violence intervention, the politics of harm, and abolitionist praxis.
CVI Leadership Academy: Application Information Session
View and download materials from the CVI Leadership Academy’s application information session.
On My OHM™: A Reset for Real Ones
Kheperah Kearse, Chief Wellness Officer at LIFE Camp, Inc., penned a resource for CVI leaders focused on self-regulation and wellness practices.
Video: The CVI Leadership Academy’s Third Cohort
This video features insights from the third cohort of the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy, a violence reduction program created to enhance the leadership and management skills of senior CVI leaders, enabling them to effectively run community-based organizations.
Video: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois visits the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (Illinois) visited with the third cohort of the CVI Leadership Academy to discuss opportunities to invest in CVI at the state and local level.
Latest Updates
The Alumni Dispatch: How CVILA Alumni are Shaping Policy, Practice, and Narrative
Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) Program Managers Alesisia Cobb and Heather Bland sat down with alumni DeVita Briscoe from Seattle, WA and Nikesha Tilton from Selma, AL to discuss the progress of their capstone projects, their evolving leadership roles, and the systemic changes they’re pushing forward in their cities and states.
Shaping the Future of Policing Through Commander Training
Policing Leadership Academy (PLA) Executive Director Meredith Stricker and Director of Outreach and Engagement Kenneth Corey join the Brooks Bawden Moore, LLC podcast to discuss the academy’s focus on commanders and helping departments across the country reduce violence and strengthen public safety.
The federal help Chicago really needs
The Policing Leadership Academy’s Meredith Stricker and Kenneth Corey penned an op-ed discussing the recent spotlight on crime in the U.S. and the academy’s focus on building the capacity of police commanders managing jurisdictions with the highest rates of violence.
