I am the proud CEO of Acclivus, Inc., a community health organization focused on violence prevention. My lived experiences serve as examples of growth and development for individuals from communities across the social landscape. 

During my 20 years of violence prevention work, I rose through the ranks of the Cure Violence/CeaseFire program - beginning as a volunteer, then consistently promoted from Violence Interrupter to Hospital Responder to Case Manager to Hospital Program Director, and finally holding the highest title possible, Program Director for the state of Illinois.  Read More

I am a certified health data analyst with expertise in public health interventions, specifically around violence prevention and with vulnerable populations. I have 10 years of direct experience analyzing population level health data for underserved populations in Chicago, the state of Illinois and across the nation. 

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My professional experience includes working with various government and medical institutions to improve understanding and analysis of inter-institutional trends, with the long-term goal of building cross-institutional data systems with trauma hospitals and healthcare systems on initiatives that improve care provider capacity and patient outcomes. I’ve served in multiple roles on various research projects, providing study design, development, data systems development, abstract/manuscript writing and data analysis.  Read More

Unity, organization, discipline and sacrifice are the core beliefs that shape my life’s journey. I have more than 25 years of expertise in community organizing - especially related to social, economic and political issues; as well as a vast understanding of Chicago’s culture, political history, and fundamental development. 

I was born and raised in Chicago public housing (Robert Taylor Homes); graduated from Chicago public schools (Tilden Technical HS); and studied Community Development at Northeastern University. Throughout my upbringing, I identified the gaps between different communities and formulated ideas on how to unify these differences to develop a better city.  Read More

With more than 20 years of public relations and media communications 

experience spanning agency, city government, non-profit, faith-based, corporate 

and community sectors, I have likely visited nearly all of Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods.  

In my current role as public education director for Acclivus, I work to amplify the voices of our indigenous leaders and highlight their successes in keeping the city peaceful and safe. Read More

As an Acclivus field director, I manage violence prevention programs in seven Chicago communities and Harvey, IL; and across 22 community partners, including the Illinois Department of Human Services Violence Prevention Conveners and the JAG project. I serve as a liaison between the Acclivus street outreach and leadership teams, assisting them with better understanding their respective roles and communicating how they accomplish them.

My role also includes encouraging professional development, supporting training and education to ensure our teams achieve agency-wide violence prevention and reduction goals. Read More

In my role as field director, I manage the Technical Training Assistance team that provides 40-hour violence prevention trainings that cover the core competencies of street outreach, case management and victim advocacy. 

Prior to this, I managed training and program operations for about 40 staff who provided violence prevention services to five level-one trauma centers and seven high-risk communities. Before joining Acclivus, I was senior program manager for CeaseFire/Cure Violence Chicago, and provided comparable programmatic oversight for program operations across 18 communities and five level-one trauma centers.  

I started my violence prevention career as a violence interrupter for the Latino team at CeaseFire, and was recommended by the Latino team supervisor for hospital response work. I then served as bilingual case manager for patients injured by violence and treated at Mount Sinai Hospital; and served for five years as a hospital responder for John H. Stroger Hospital, Cook County’s public trauma center. 

I received my bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from NEIU; and my master’s degree in social work from UIC. 

In my current role as the director of behavioral health at Acclivus, I manage the day-to-day operations of the department. I receive, review, and assign new client referrals; supervise a team of licensed clinicians; provide direct therapeutic services to clients and trauma-informed trainings to staff; as well as establish and maintain connections with outside agencies.  

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Prior to joining Acclivus, I worked as an inpatient behavioral health social worker, outpatient therapist and family advocate.  

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I am a proud Chicagoan, completing my graduate studies at Loyola University and my undergraduate studies at Roosevelt University. 

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