MEET OUR TEAM

Johnny Berryman serves as the Director of Data and Tech Operations at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, leveraging expertise in data analytics, operations, and technology. He brings several years of experience in managing data operations for nonprofit organizations, developing data-driven strategies for campaigns, and effectively utilizing technology tools. A lifelong Chicagoan, Johnny is deeply committed to driving positive change and fostering equitable outcomes through his work. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from DePaul University.

Samuel has been doing outreach work for well over ten years with a variety of organizations. He started with Nonviolence Chicago as an outreach worker, but his relationship building and crisis mediation skills quickly moved him into the Outreach Manger position and eventually Director of Community Violence Intervention (CVI). Sam now holds a senior leadership role as Director of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, overseeing all programs and services and acting as the main contact in Austin for the city's most comprehensive anti-violence plan, "Scaling CVI for a Safer Chicago" (SC2). In early 2024, Sam graduated from the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy. This group of 31 graduates from around the U.S. will help shape violence reduction, improve public safety, and save lives across the nation. Committed to professionalizing the CVI field, Sam earned his BA from College Unbound in May 2025. Sam is a motivated leader who believes in others and always pushes himself and his team to perform at a higher level. The last time Sam was incarcerated, he spent 12 years in custody. Upon release, he was motivated to turn his life and community around. He is close to his children and family and is truly an example of second chances, transformation, and restorative justice.

Marcus started with Nonviolence Chicago in 2018 as a READI Outreach Worker. He was then promoted to Lead READI Outreach, Workforce Development Specialist, Lead Workforce Development Specialist, and in 2023, he became the Workforce Development Supervisor. He is dedicated to helping participants find employment in the legal economy, stay employed and excel professionally, while instilling and promoting nonviolence. He is originally from the Cabrini Green Housing Projects, and he is committed to giving back because, as he says, he was once part of the disruption in the community. Now, he is part of the solution.

Tavares Harrington joined Nonviolence Chicago as an Outreach Worker in January 2023. Since joining the organization, he has advocated for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) funding in Springfield, IL as well as other speaking engagements promoting violence prevention. His tenacity and persistence accompanied with life experiences in this field have had a positive impact within the communities we serve. His accomplishments have earned him the role of Austin Outreach Supervisor.

Shay has lived in Back of the Yards her entire life. She has consistently worked in the community she is from to build up those who have experienced trauma and violence. Prior to becoming the Outreach Supervisor, Shay was an Outreach Worker for two years in Back of the Yards. As a parent raising teenage sons in the community, Shay knows first-hand how important it is to show love and bring opportunities to those around her. Prior to working for Nonviolence Chicago she was the Inventory Team Lead for RGIS Inventory for 16 years. Prior to this, she was incarcerated for over two years, during which she determined to turn her life around.

Brian Ng, a native of Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, began his career in investment banking research. He later transitioned into asset management, private equity, and venture capital, while also gaining experience in restructuring advisory across Asia, where he contributed to managing aspects of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. In recent years, Brian has been an executive and operational leader at several fast-growing organizations, including impact-driven ventures like New Story, which addresses global homelessness with innovative solutions, and Kidogo, an early childhood education provider in Kenya. He also helped scale Atomic Invest, a fintech startup dedicated to making wealth-building accessible to all. Additionally, Brian founded Community Creamery, a mission-driven ice cream business committed to serving and supporting the community through hospitality. With over a decade of involvement in economic development and community empowerment, Brian has served as Associate Director of Economic Development for Together Chicago and volunteered with organizations such as Windy City Habitat for Humanity and Pacific Garden Mission. He currently serves on the boards of Legacy Disciple and Baker Publishing Group. Brian earned a B.S. in Finance from NYU's Stern School of Business, an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, and an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Trinity International University, teaching courses in church financial management, international business, and economics. Brian is married to Rebecca, and they have two sons, Tyson and Ethan.

Jordan Whealdon, LCSW, initially joined the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in 2020 as a Victim Advocate and a year later she became a Reentry Specialist. In 2022, she transitioned to the newly established Behavioral Health & Wellness team, where she has made significant contributions to staff healing and training staff and participants in cognitive behavioral intervention—skills critical to creating sustainable peace. Most recently, in February 2024, she was elevated to Lead Behavioral Health Specialist. Jordan holds a BS in Social Work from Ohio State University and an MSW from the University of Chicago. She has extensive experience supporting justice-involved individuals, providing clinical services, facilitating groups, and engaging in mitigation efforts, with a particular focus on the intersection of community violence, criminal justice, and social work.

Travaris Brown was promoted to the Austin Outreach Supervisor in 2024. He joined the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in 2019 as an Outreach Worker with a real passion for helping rebuild Austin where he was born and raised. He has witnessed violence directly and indirectly. His mission as a leader in the organization is to instill the same passion that he has for community violence intervention (CVI) with his team so we can bring violence down in Chicago. Travaris is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI). He desires to make Chicago safe for the children to be able to play outside and the senior citizens to be comfortable in their neighborhoods.

Jeremy Clay has experience in several Nonviolence Chicago programs. He started as a FLIP Peacekeeper and took part in our Reentry 2.0 program. In 2022, he became a Victim Advocate and within the year was promoted to Supervisor of Victim Services for the Austin area. Jeremy is from and still lives in Austin. He says he was “part of the problem for so long and helped destroy the community.” Now he is committed to rebuilding it - for himself, his wife and children, and the entire community.

Teny Oded Gross founded the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in 2016. He now serves as Chief Executive Officer. Before 2016, Teny was the Executive Director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence in Providence, RI—a pioneering organization that teaches Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s principles and practices of Nonviolence locally, nationally, and internationally. Thirty years of street outreach and mediating conflicts among sworn enemies led him to this work here in Chicago. At the same time Teny was launching Nonviolence Chicago, he led efforts to build a comprehensive violence reduction strategy for the entire city—the Civilian Architecture. This group includes 15 neighborhood organizations, three major nonprofits, and City of Chicago representatives who now coordinate daily to respond to shootings and offer services that guide people into a safer, more productive life. Teny is the recipient of an Institute of Global Leadership Alumni Award from Tufts University where he earned his B.F.A. Teny has a M.T.S. degree from Harvard and a fellowship in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management from Harvard Business School. Earlier in his career, Teny was a Program Coordinator for the Ella J. Baker House Youth Focused Community Initiative, a participant in the National Ten-Point Coalition, and a Senior Streetworker for the City of Boston. He is also a veteran of the Israeli Defense Force and later volunteered with three different groups for peace between Israel and Palestine—often at considerable risk to his own safety. Teny has presented at University of Chicago, Brown, Harvard, Yale, Tufts, Boston University, Clark, Providence College, as well as the National Institute of Justice, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Department of Justice, The White House, as well as abroad on the topics of violence reduction, managing outreach teams, working with law enforcement, and Nonviolence. Teny serves as an advisor to The National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College and has advised many cities in the U.S. and abroad.

Les Jenkins is currently Associate Director of Reentry and Support Services for the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago. Previously he held positions including Victim Services Supervisor and then Program Manager. He is a trauma-informed care specialist and is certified in nonviolence and CBI training. In May 2025, Les earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Change from College Unbound. Previously Les worked in residential treatment for substance abuse. Now, he is also a business owner in the community. Les is a gun violence survivor. At 17, he was shot in both legs with his first-born daughter in his arms. It took him 9 months to walk again. This work is so important to Les because there were no supportive organizations, like Nonviolence Chicago, when he was dealing with his trauma and recovery. Les believes it is critical to meet people on the front lines when people feel hopeless and helpless.

Lydell Lofton joined the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in 2020 as a dedicated and compassionate Outreach Worker for the READI Chicago program. He has gained extensive experience in violence prevention, community engagement, and social services. Lydell earned his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and change from College Unbound. He's an ambitious person that loves the community and the possibilities of its future. He now offers his years of experience to help bring unity and love to Chicago in West Garfield Park as an Outreach Supervisor.

Frederick has been doing outreach work for over 14 years with a variety of organizations and was a victim advocate with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago prior to being promoted to his current position of Supervisor. As Supervisor, he has led the expansion of our coverage area in West Garfield Park. He is a motivated leader who believes in others and always pushes himself and his team to perform at a higher level. Fred is from the community and is working hard to rebuild it from within. As a single father raising four men, he knows the importance of a safe neighborhood. He also knows the value of education. In May 2025, Fred earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Change from College Unbound.

Birgetta has joined the Institute of Nonviolence Chicago as the Director of Human Resources.  She has over 30 years of human resources experience in the non-profit sector, including talent engagement strategy, people and organization development, total rewards, performance management, employee wellness, employee and labor relations, and diversity equity, inclusion and belonging.  She earned a MSHR from the Indiana Wesleyan University and a BBA degree from Loyola University Chicago.

Kelly Carroll, LCSW, earned her BA in Legal Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her MSW at the University of Southern California. Kelly has worked with survivors of trauma for over 13 years in various clinical settings focusing on issues such as homelessness, acute medical care, readjustment to civilian life from the military, reducing community violence, and PTSD related to combat trauma, sexual trauma, and community violence. After spending 10 years working with military veterans and their family members, she most recently worked as a trauma specialist at Chicago CRED where she trained staff in trauma-informed care practices and oversaw the development and implementation of a cognitive behavioral intervention designed to build resilience from trauma. She has a special interest in the intersection between trauma and public policy and addressing trauma exposure among violence intervention workers.

Shunda Collins is a Chicagoland native, graduating from Columbia College with a degree in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management. She has over 14 years of experience in fundraising, event planning and diversity, equity and inclusion work. After nearly 8 years at United Way growing their events and donor base, Shunda led development operations and donor relations at the Columbus Urban League (CUL) for two years. Shunda's career in development has always been connected to her passion for social justice, advocacy, and urban community development. She's served on and created several committees and auxiliary groups that focus on DEI, advocacy, and public policy reform. Above all, Shunda is a mom of 2 to Joshua & Joy.

Nekenya Hardy has been working in violence prevention for over 20 years, with a focus on the Austin community in Chicago. Since 2017, he’s grown with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, where he's been promoted five times and now serves as the Associate Director of Outreach and Intervention. His work centers on community organizing, violence intervention, and building relationships to create lasting change. In 2024, he graduated from the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) and in May 2025, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Change from College Unbound. Nekenya was introduced into violence prevention after he was shot. He chose not to retaliate. Now he's helping to reduce violence and promote peace by creating real opportunities off the streets. Nekenya discovered his passion and purpose in community violence intervention. This drives him to build the Beloved Community.

Marlena is a social justice advocate who is passionate about systems reform, equity initiatives, and improving outcomes for those involved in the justice system. For over nine years, she worked at the Cook County Jail and ultimately rose to the position of First Assistant Executive Director. During her tenure there, Marlena learned the principals of restorative justice and the power of leading with empathy, compassion, and a trauma-informed lens. Marlena also worked for former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn as Deputy Director of Communications. Marlena has a BA from Saint Louis University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Seb Moura has been dedicated to supporting nonprofits by ensuring their sustainability since 2015. He has supported causes that work to break the cycles of homelessness and improve access to affordable housing and healthcare on Chicago’s West side. He has a passion for uplifting disinvested communities as well as underserved and under-resourced populations. Seb began his work at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in 2020 as a Grants Manager securing revenue from foundation, organization, and corporate partners. In 2022 he was promoted to Deputy Director of Grants Managements where he oversees Nonviolence Chicago’s growing portfolio of public grants. Seb earned his BA in comparative literature from the University of Georgia and his MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago.

Lisa has spent much of her career fighting for justice throughout Illinois. She graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2000 and served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County’s criminal division from 2000–2007. Lisa then accepted the position of Chief of Medical Prosecutions for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Prior to joining the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in January 2016, Lisa served as Chief of Staff and General Counsel for the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority.

Outreach Supervisor, Maurice Williams started at Nonviolence Chicago in 2017 as an Outreach Worker in Austin, where he was born and raised. Maurice says when he grew up in Austin he fell into the same “pitfalls and miseducation” as most youth did living in a community where “gangs were a way of life.” He mimicked what he saw and lost many family and friends. Maurice was a victim of gun violence, but also a perpetrator. Living a life of violence landed him in prison for over 25 years. In jail, Maurice began to educate youth on the negative consequences of street life. When he was released, he was recruited to Nonviolence Chicago because he was a credible messenger in Austin with a “license to operate.” He had relationships with key violence-involved individuals and could engage them on finding a pathway to peace. Knowing that your environment is a key factor to a successful future, Maurice is dedicated to making Austin a safer neighborhood. He doesn’t want youth today making the same mistakes he once made or experiencing the tremendous amount of loss and grief he had to endure.