National Offices of Violence Prevention Network

The field of community violence intervention had no national infrastructure connecting the growing number of government offices of violence prevention. Directors were standing up new offices in isolation — navigating political dynamics, building teams, and defining operational models without peer support, shared tools, or a structured learning community. No national network existed to connect them.

As Director of the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network (2023–2026), Shantay built the Network into the field's leading peer-learning body for government OVP leaders. She established the first multi-day annual national convening — replacing what had been a half-day format — launched regional convenings, cultivated federal partner relationships, and created the first-ever Office of Violence Prevention Toolkit, a practical resource now used by mayors, governors, and directors to stand up new offices and strengthen existing ones.

Under Shantay's leadership, NOVPN membership grew from 45 jurisdictions to nearly 90, spanning cities, counties, and state offices in every region of the country. The Network became the primary peer-learning infrastructure for the field — giving OVP directors access to practice-grounded training, executive coaching, and a thought partner who had actually built and run a government office of violence prevention herself.