Shantay Jackson is the Director of the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network at NICJR. In this role, she is responsible for the strategic evolution of the Network’s support to offices of violence prevention, including growing its membership, cultivating a leadership pipeline, coordinating with national training and technical assistance (TTA) partners, and assisting with the jurisdictional institutionalization of offices. Shantay is passionate about advocating for social justice issues, including procedural justice, restorative practices, and education.
Prior to NICJR, Shantay served as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement in Baltimore City. As a member of Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Cabinet, she was responsible for addressing violence as a public health issue; serving as the accountability partner for all city agencies and local, state, and federal partners; delivering public safety policy recommendations; and conducting meaningful engagement with Baltimore City’s neighborhoods in the work of co-producing public safety.
Before dedicating her life to public service, Shantay spent almost 20 years in the private sector as the Assistant Vice President of Global Solutions and Technology at T. Rowe Price Associates and a Principal at Brown Advisory. After the Baltimore uprising in 2015, Shantay left corporate America and became Executive Director of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing interpersonal conflict and community violence in Baltimore City by increasing the use of non-violent conflict resolution strategies. During her time there, she expanded the organization’s reach by rolling out a Police and Community Program, introduced community listening tours, and provided moderation and facilitation services to grassroots organizations and city agencies. This work led to her federal appointment as Community Engagement Liaison for the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Consent Decree. Shantay also previously worked as Chief Operating Officer for the Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) Leadership and is the Founder and CEO of EVOLVE to Lead, an organizational leadership development consultancy.
Shantay’s background in the private sector, coupled with her nonprofit experience and personal lived experiences, enable her to authentically and seamlessly navigate political, private, and non-governmental arenas. She is often called upon by local, state, and national partners to share her philosophies associated with leadership, change, violence prevention, and police/community relations. Notably, this includes serving as Baltimore’s representative for the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, providing funding recommendations for violence prevention to Baltimore City’s Congressional Delegation, meeting with members of the Maryland Governor’s executive team, and speaking to members of the Maryland Judiciary on transformative change for organizations and strategies for data evaluation when serving the community. Most recently, Shantay was honored by Black Girls Vote and Radio One for her work as a woman in the political sphere.
Shantay attended Villa Julie College, majoring in Computer Information Systems. She is a certified mediator and large-group facilitator, licensed consultant through the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, certified scrum master, and project management professional. She is also certified to conduct a host of organizational development trainings.