Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement

Baltimore had persistent gun violence and a fragmented public safety response — programs scattered across multiple agencies, no central coordinator, and no infrastructure to sustain initiatives past individual administrations. The Mayor wanted to consolidate, but no playbook existed for what a modern Office of Violence Prevention should look like.

Shantay served as the founding director. Built the office from zero to a team of nearly fifty over two and a half years — designing the staffing structure, funding strategy, cross-sector partnerships, and political alignment needed to sustain the work past her tenure.

Built MONSE from the ground up to a team of nearly fifty — designing the staffing structure, funding strategy, cross-sector partnerships, and operational framework that helped position Baltimore for long-term violence reduction. A pilot launched under Shantay Jackson's leadership later expanded throughout the city as Baltimore experienced significant reductions in violent crime.