A National Violence Intervention & Reduction Practice

Public safety systems that outlast election cycles.

Shantay Jackson helps jurisdictions build public safety systems that survive leadership transitions, funding shifts, and election cycles.

For nearly a decade, mayors, county executives, city administrators, Office of Violence Prevention directors, community leaders, and national partners have trusted Shantay to strengthen violence reduction infrastructure, align cross-sector ecosystems, and help build systems designed to last.

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Shantay Jackson speaking at a Mayors Against Illegal Guns convening — Mayors Against Illegal Guns Summit

Jurisdictions Supported 90+ Years in Practice 30

01 — The Challenge

The four-year sprint isn't working.

Most cities approach violence reduction in election cycles. New administration, new initiative, new name on the office door. Plans are announced. Press conferences are held. New initiatives are launched.

But the infrastructure itself never gets built. Institutional memory walks out with each transition, and hard-won gains are erased by the same stubborn systemic problems.

Evolve to Lead approaches the challenge differently. With executive leadership experience across the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, the firm sees connections and systems where many consultants see pieces.

Shantay applies her cross-disciplinary perspective to help jurisdictions build durable public safety systems — staffed, funded, and structurally sound enough to survive a change in leadership. Whether establishing a new Office of Violence Prevention or strengthening existing infrastructure, the goal is the same: systems that continue reducing violence long after the headlines fade.

02 — Signature outcomes

What systems built to last can achieve.

Across public safety transformation and broader cross-sector organizational work, the discipline is the same: build systems designed to outlast their founders, funders, and political cycles. A few of our recent engagement below.

No. 1

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement

MONSE became the City's coordinating infrastructure for violence reduction, helping position Baltimore for sustained reductions in violent crime. The comprehensive violence reduction strategy established a shared roadmap across government and community partners, while a pilot launched under Shantay's leadership expanded citywide. Between 2021 and 2025, Baltimore experienced an approximately 60% reduction in homicides, demonstrating the power of coordinated systems built to produce results that outlast individual programs and political cycles.

60% Drop in Homicides (2021 to 2025)

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No. 2

NATIONAL

National Offices of Violence Prevention Network

Under Shantay's leadership, NOVPN membership nearly doubled from 45 jurisdictions to almost 90, expanding participation across city, county, and state offices in every region of the country. The Network evolved from an annual convening into the field's premier year-round peer-learning ecosystem for government violence prevention leaders, providing executive coaching, regional learning, practical tools, and trusted peer support that helped jurisdictions build, strengthen, and sustain their offices over time.

96% Increase in Member Jurisdictions Over Two Years

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No. 3

MICHIGAN

Statewide Violence Reduction Infrastructure

Michigan received three foundational resources to guide its violence reduction efforts: a comprehensive statewide gun violence assessment, community violence intervention landscape analyses across four high-violence jurisdictions, and the state's first multi-year violence reduction strategic plan. Together, these deliverables established a shared evidence base, identified opportunities to strengthen local CVI ecosystems, and provided government and community leaders with a practical roadmap for coordinated statewide investment and implementation.

4 Jurisdiction-level gun violence assessments delivered

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Shantay Jackson on a panel at the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention's 2024 National Convening — "Offices of Violence Prevention are critical to a jurisdiction's efforts to reduce gun violence — they create sustainable pathways to safety and healing." White House Convening

From the Field

Having Shantay there — a thought partner who really understands the nuanced things that we’re describing are going on in our cities — has been extremely helpful.

Holly Joshi, Ed.D Chief, Department of Violence Prevention—Oakland, CA

Working Across the Country

A national practice.

29 Jurisdictions served across the United States

Evolve to Lead does the work that comes long before the press conference.

The strategy decisions made in the first ninety days often determine whether an office reduces violence or just announces it will. Whether your jurisdiction is standing up a new office, strengthening an existing one, or figuring out what comes next — let's talk.

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