BALTIMORE, MD (Wednesday, December 23, 2020) — Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott is announcing the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) and the appointment of Shantay Jackson to serve as its first director. The creation of this office firmly establishes public safety as a public health issue in Baltimore.
“Shantay is a lifelong Baltimorean who understands the impact of violence on our communities firsthand. As a certified mediator, facilitator, and leader, Shantay has a track record of inspiring transformational change,” said Mayor Scott. “I look forward to collaborating with her to effectively coordinate an all-hands-on-deck approach to building a safer Baltimore.”
The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement is tasked with coordinating city agencies and community partners in the fight against violence in Baltimore. The Office will also work to ensure accountability across Baltimore’s holistic violence reduction strategy. It replaces and expands the scope of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.
“Baltimoreans deserve to live in safe neighborhoods, where the public health of our communities comes first, and where our children can grow and thrive. As a city, we must embrace a more holistic strategy grounded in the immediate action we can take today while simultaneously addressing the root causes of violence — that’s the only way we will sustain reductions in crime” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement will be tasked with public safety coordination across city government and our neighborhoods. The office will be a key partner in my administration to ensure accountability across the board.”
The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement will work with law enforcement agencies, including BPD and the State’s Attorney’s Office, city agencies from the Health Department to Recreation and Parks, and community-based organizations to coordinate public safety efforts across Baltimore. The Office will be responsible for establishing and monitoring cross-agency goals, reimagining preventative, interventive, and rehabilitative policies and practices, and implementing the Mayor’s group violence reduction strategy.
The Office will employ a systems-design approach to holistically address the adaptive challenges of trauma and violence on young people, families, and neighborhoods to build community safety in Baltimore.
Shantay Jackson is the founder and CEO of EVOLVE to Lead, an organizational and leadership development consultancy. Most recently, she provided strategic consultation to the Healing City Baltimore Steering Committee and served as Project Manager for the Baltimore Neighbors Network, providing a community-driven mental health response to residents in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jackson was the Executive Director at the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, dedicated to reducing interpersonal conflict and community violence in Baltimore by increasing the use of non-violent conflict resolution strategies. There, she developed the Police & Community Program, introduced community listening tours, and developed strong partnerships with City government and grassroots organizations.
She also served as the Chief Operating Officer of Baltimore Leadership Development Organization, Inc. (The Leadership) and was the federal court-appointed Community Engagement Liaison for the BPD Consent Decree. Jackson previously worked in the private sector as an Assistant Vice President of Global Solutions & Technology at T. Rowe Price Associates and Principal at Brown Advisory.
Deeply involved in the Baltimore community, Jackson serves on the strategic advisory board of Youth Empowered Society (YES) and the board of Reconcile Baltimore. She has also served on the BCPSS Parent and Community Advisory Board and the board of the Baltimore Community Mediation Center.
“We must no longer subscribe to the thinking that police alone can stem the tide of violence. While MONSE will be part of holding our law enforcement agencies accountable, we must ask what every agency and institution that interacts with our residents can do to stop the violence.," continued Mayor Scott. "Under my leadership and in partnership with MONSE, Baltimore will embody what it means to treat violence as a public health epidemic.”
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Shantay Jackson Headshot
