National Offices of Violence Prevention Network

The National Offices of Violence Prevention Network had established an important foundation for connecting government offices of violence prevention, but the field continued to grow faster than its supporting infrastructure. New directors were launching offices in isolation, navigating political dynamics, building teams, and defining operating models with limited opportunities for sustained peer learning, practical resources, and cross-jurisdiction collaboration. The Network needed dedicated leadership to expand its reach, strengthen its value, and mature into a national resource for the field.

As the inaugural Director of the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network (2023–2026), Shantay transformed NOVPN from an emerging network into the nation's leading peer-learning and leadership infrastructure for government offices of violence prevention. She expanded membership nationwide, grew relationships with federal partners, created the field's first Office of Violence Prevention Toolkit, launched regional convenings, and redesigned the annual convening from a one-day meeting into a multi-day national learning experience that strengthened collaboration, leadership development, and systems alignment across jurisdictions.

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.