Take Office Panel Discussion: The Urgency of the Moment
On the eve of Election Day 2022, we welcomed guests to a morning of networking and discussion with leaders from the Take Office community to learn about how leaders are responding to the most pressing issues in NYC and beyond; and what steps we as community leaders can be taking to accelerate solutions.
Each of our panelists brought a range of professional and community leadership expertise on issues including criminal justice, good governance, housing insecurity, food insecurity and more. This panel discussed some of the most pressing concerns our communities face, giving us the information we need to be leaders in our communities.
Panelists Included:
Shawn Hill, Harlem Community Activist (co-founder of The Greater Harlem Coalition (GHC), Harlem Neighborhood Block Association) Shawn analyzes the FOIL data that GHC has requested from New York State and City agencies in order to help Harlem residents and small business owners see how decades of bureaucratic and political decision-making has resulted in health and quality-of-life disparities experienced daily. Shawn is also the Vice President of The Harlem Neighborhood Block Association and the Garden Coordinator for Lydia’s Magic Garden, an East Harlem community garden. He works for Fordham University as an Instructional Technologist for Digital Scholarship and Pedagogy. His background in visual culture (B.F.A., York University), education (B.Ed., York University), English (T.E.F.L., International House), and Liberal Studies (M.A., Wesleyan University) led him to live and teach in 7 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.
Lucy Lang, New York State Inspector General (Pathways to Politics Alumna) Prior to her appointment as New York’s Inspector General in October 2021, Lucy Lang served as Director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution (IIP), a national criminal justice reform think tank. She also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, where she prosecuted violent crimes, as well as Special Counsel for Policy and Projects. While at the DA’s Office, in collaboration with Columbia University’s Center for Justice, Lang created Inside Criminal Justice, a first-of-its-kind class for incarcerated students and prosecutors to study criminal justice together and develop policy proposals. Lang has been widely recognized for her work, receiving the Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award from the American Psychological Association in 2020. She is currently Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, a member of the Council on Criminal Justice, and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has been published in The New York Times, The Atlantic, the New York Daily News, and many others. Lang is also the author of March On!, a children's book about the 1915 Women's March for Suffrage in New York City.. Inspector General Lang is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia Law School. She was appointed to and served on the New York State Bar Association Task Forces on Racial Injustice and Police Reform in 2020-21, and on Racism, Social Equity, and the Law in 2021-22.
Chi Nguyen, Advocate and Recent Candidate, Ontario Liberal Party for Spadina-Fort York (Take Office April 2021 Alumna) Chi Nguyen is a community engagement expert, self-proclaimed public policy nerd and specialist for gender equality and inclusion. Recently, she was a provincial candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in the riding of Spadina-Fort York. She's worked for some of Canada's most respected institutions, charitable agencies and do-gooding organizations to develop public policy, engage citizens and end systemic and cultural inequality. In early 2020, she finished her year as the inaugural Director of Social Innovation Canada: a new national network encouraging social innovators to make sure that they help the planet and people reach their potential. She's served as Director of Social Innovation Canada, CEO of Parker P. Consulting, is co-author of the Little Black Book for Girls, founder of McGill University's Women in House program and Young Women Vote program, Founding Director of MASS LBP, Tower Neighbourhood Renewal, United Way Toronto. Among the recognitions for her contributions are the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons’ Case (2004) and YWCA Toronto’s Young Woman of Distinction Award (1999).
Janet Peguero, Deputy Bronx Borough President (Pathways to Politics Alumna) Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero made history by becoming the first Dominican immigrant to be appointed to the office. She previously served at the NYC Dept. of Small Business Services (SBS) as the Senior Rezoning Manager on citywide land use projects. Her tenure at SBS began in the Division of Business Services managing pro-bono services and leading the first-of-its-kind Commercial Lease Assistance program, offering free legal representation to commercial tenants. Most recently, she was an Associate at Constantinople & Vallone, where she secured substantial increases in city funding on behalf of her non-profit clients, during the FY`20 budget crisis. Janet also serves as the Bronx Borough Director for Amplify Her, an organization that works to increase the number of women in elected office. She started her public career in the non-profit sector with the Vance Center for International Justice, a division within the New York City Bar Association, where she organized a network of private law firms aimed at bridging access to free legal services for civil society and non-profit organizations in Latin America and Africa. Janet A. Peguero is an EOP Alumna of SUNY Binghamton. She is also a resident of the Bronx and is devoted to serving her community.
Solomon Acevedo, NYC Deputy Public Advocate for Justice, Health Equity, and Safety Edgardo “Solomon” Acevedo is the Deputy Public Advocate for Justice, Health Equity and Safety. In this role, Solomon works closely with grassroots organizations, individual constituents and representatives from city agencies in order to optimize the delivery of services to New York City residents. He provides policy recommendations and helps design legislation that impact issue areas such as gun violence, police accountability, criminal justice, eldercare, domestic violence and mental health. He is formerly the Civil Rights Campaign Coordinator at VOCAL-NY and has spent the last 20 years working to identify public health solutions for public safety issues. He also possesses a deep love of cheesecake.
A. T. Mitchell (New York City Gun Violence Prevention Czar & Co-Chair, Mayor's Gun Violence Prevention Task Force) A. T. Mitchell made history this year, when appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, as the first New York City Gun Violence Prevention Czar and Co-Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Mitchell is the Founder and CEO of Man Up! Inc. USA (MUSA), a social service agency that provides violence prevention/intervention; youth services; employment training; and other family-related services that encourage community empowerment. In 2009, MUSA became one of the first organizations in the State of NY to implement “Cure Violence”, the Chicago based violence intervention and reduction model. Mitchell was subsequently credited as the co-architect of the NYC Crisis Management System (CMS), a systematic service model created to reduce gun violence, established in 2010. For almost twenty years Mitchell civically served as an appointed member of Brooklyn, Community Board 5. In 2014, Mitchell was elected as the youngest Chairperson of the East New York planning board. Prior to founding MUSA, Mitchell worked for over 15 years in various non-profits like Directions for Our Youth and Imani Altisimo Inc., elevating to the rank of directorship. Mitchell has earned credentials from Cornell University and the University of Connecticut, in Family Development and Leadership (FDC & FDLC). He is also certified as an International Cure Violence Implementation Specialist and Trainer, National Gang Specialist, Recovery Coach, Restorative Justice Circle Keeper, and member of the National Anger Management Association.
