New Hanover County Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence

THE MISSION of the Blue Ribbon Commission is to provide leadership, foster collaboration and develop resources for addressing youth violence in New Hanover County by:

Providing a cohesive vision and comprehensive strategic plan
Overcoming current fragmented programs by consolidating, coordinating and streamlining communication and eliminating redundancy
Securing resources to sustain needed programs
Ensuring accountability by monitoring and evaluating progress
Advocating for programs
Educating the community about the issue of youth violence

To learn more

about the issues surrounding

youth violence in the Cape Fear community,

click here.

Blue Ribbon Commission Strategic Plan

Planning and Project Status Report

Youth Ambassador Program Application

Members of the Blue Ribbon Commission include the following:

Bill Saffo, Mayor of Wilmington
Bill Caster, Vice Chair, New Hanover County Commissioners
Dr. Al Lerch, New Hanover County School Superintendant
Ben David, District Attorney of the 5^th Prosecutorial Judicial District
Phyllis Gorham, Superior Court Judge
James Faison, District Court Judge
Pastor Robert Campbell
Pastor Mike Queen
Connie Majure-Rhett, CEO, Chamber of Commerce
MaryEllen Bonczek, New Hanover Regional Medical Center

Education Action Team

Co-chairs: Dr. Al Lerch and Dale Smith

Community Engagement Action Team

Co-chairs: Rev. Robert Campbell and Irene Silva Edwards

Youth Violence Action Team

Co-chairs: Ben David and Frankie Roberts

The commission is supported by Tufanna Thomas, Strategic Director for the Blue Ribbon Commission, who will be a conduit between the commission and a Technical Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from programs addressing youth violence in the community under the following categories:

Enforcement
Research
Prevention
Intervention

Members of the Technical Advisory Committee include the following:

Tufanna Thomas, United Way of the Cape Fear Area (Chair)
Travis Adams, City of Wilmington Community Centers
Annie Anthony, Cape Fear Volunteer Center
Lauren Arledge, Coastal Horizons
Iris Baker, New Hanover Health Network
Tom Barth, UNCW
Maria Black, New Hanover County Schools
Cynthia Brown, New Hanover County Community Action, Inc./Head Start
Lucy Crockett, Wilmington Police Department
Irene Silva Edwards, Voces Latinas
Nancy McCoy-Fennell, YWCA
Ben Griffin, Cape Fear Resource Center
Brandon Hickman, Coast 97.3/Teen Summit
Courtney Hickman, Brigade Boys & Girls Club
Louise Hicks, Communities in Schools
Rick Houston, Domestic Violence Prevention
Linda Huffman, Department of Social Services
Beau McCaffray, New Hanover County Schools
Catrecia McCoy-Bowman, Southeastern Center for Mental Health
Hattie McIver, Wilmington Housing Authority
Kelly Parrot, Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
April Pickett, The Carousel Center
Frankie Roberts, LINC Inc.
Evie Schulze, Child Advocacy and Parenting Place
Islah Speller, Burnett-Eaton Museum Foundation
Andrea Tarantino, Smart Start of New Hanover County
Charlon Turner, Outside the Walls
Geoff Zuckerman, Wilmington Health Access for Teens