Violence in Chicago

Julia Stasch will become interim President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on July 1. Currently, as Vice President of U.S. Programs at MacArthur, she is responsible for U.S. grantmaking. Prior to joining the Foundation, she worked for the City of Chicago, first as Commissioner of the city's Department of Housing and then as Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Commissioner Evelyn Diaz is at the City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. Diaz runs a department tasked with administering $400 million in supportive services including programs to curb youth violence as well as provide opportunities for employment for many at-risk individuals.

Dr. Toni Irving is Executive Director of Chicago's Public Safety Action Committee (Get In Chicago). Irving is heading up Chicago's $50 million public-private partnership to invest in programs to help at-risk youth by developing innovative and evidence-based programming to provide alternatives to violence.

Professor Andrew Papachristos is a Yale University Professor. Papachristos focuses his research on the "social networks" of violence. He has participated in the city's Violence Reduction Strategy program and is partially responsible for its evaluation. Further, he recently authored a report regarding the last 48 years of violence levels in Chicago.

Professor Jens Ludwig is at the University of Chicago Professor and Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab. Ludwig focuses his work on developing scientific evidence for reducing violence.