Webinar: Community Justice Partnerships

“There is no greater power than a community discovering what it cares about. Ask “what’s possible?” not “what’s wrong?” Notice what you care about, be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.” –Margaret Wheatley

Guest Bio

Officer Vanessa Westley is a twenty-five year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. She has served in various positions within the Department’s Patrol Division and other units. She began her service in Community Policing in 2004 under now-retired First Deputy Dana V. Starks, as project manager in the Department’s CAPS Project Office. She later served as project manager for the Mayor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships. Currently she is the program manager for the Chicago Police Department’s and the Metro YMCA’s “Bridging the Divide” program. She is the special projects coordinator for the CAPS Revitalization effort launched in 2013. She leads the community engagement training program for the Department through DePaul University’s Center for Urban Education. Vanessa is a Restorative Justice and Art of Hosting practitioner and trainer.