Lake County Gazette

Last week, Tierra Lemon, Director of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office Gun Violence Prevention Initiative (GVPI), along with 30 other Community Violence Intervention (CVI) leaders from 20 cities across America, graduated from the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA). The graduation ceremony took place in Los Angeles, California.

The CVILA is a five-month training program designed to provide CVI leaders like Director Lemon with skills to improve their organizations and support their mission of preventing and reducing gun violence. “Earlier this year, I was selected to join 30 extraordinary superheroes as part of CVILA’s second cohort and this experience has been one that goes far beyond what my expectations were,” GVPI Director Lemon said. “As the GVPI Director, my main goal is to prevent gun violence in Lake County and the CVILA has given me the right tools to strengthen our efforts in addressing trauma, lack of services, and other root causes of gun violence.”

The program is unique in its focus on management and leadership for CVI leaders. It offers hands-on training on staff management and retention, data use, violence prevention and reduction, and community engagement. This ensures that CVI programs can turn new funding into tangible impacts on the ground.

Participants engaged in immersive learning labs in Oakland, New York, and Washington D.C., integrating classroom experiences with community-based experiences. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart praised Lemon's efforts: “Director Tierra Lemon is an amazing leader who is receiving training from experts across the country from Hawaii to Los Angeles to Washington D.C. She and the GVPI are saving lives. Gun violence is down in Lake County partially because of the comprehensive work of the GVPI and its members. Thank you, Tierra for all that you do.”

Dr. Chico Tillmon, Executive Director of the CVI Leadership Academy stated: “These CVI leaders live and work in the communities they serve, and they are often in the best position to disrupt cycles of violence. By investing in their skills, the CVI Leadership Academy will help communities across this country become safer and more resilient.”

A team of key community violence intervention leaders from across the country serves on the CVI Leadership Academy Steering Committee. Along with the Black and Brown Peace Consortium, these leaders helped develop a curriculum providing participants with transferable skills that support other organizations while fostering well-rounded leadership within their communities.

GVPI Director Lemon added: “The CVILA has helped me gain a holistic picture of the efforts being made nationwide to save people from gun violence.”

For more information about the CVI Leadership Academy visit https://crimelab.uchicago.edu/projects/community-violence-intervention-leadership-academy/