Temple announces members of Wingard violence reduction task force

Updated 2/18 at 8:52 p.m.

Vice President for Public Affairs Valerie Harrison and Provost Gregory Mandel announced the members of President Jason Wingard’s Task Force on Violence Reduction in a message Friday afternoon. 

The task force will examine and make recommendations based on current violence reduction efforts at Temple and identify potential initiatives. They will also evaluate Temple’s role in reducing violence in the North Central community, the city and beyond. 

The task force will be chaired by Jennifer Ibrahim, associate dean for academic affairs at the College of Public Health, and include students, community members, faculty, staff and parents. 

Student Body President Bradley Smutek, Faculty Senate President Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon and Philadelphia Ceasefire member and program manager at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Marla Davis Bellamy are among the members. 

Other members of the task force include:

Faculty

• Quaiser Abdullah, communication and social influence professor, Klein College of Media and Communication
• Maia Cucchiara, teaching and learning professor, College of Education and Human Development
• Caterina Roman, criminal justice professor, College of Liberal Arts
• Krista Schroeder, nursing professor, College of Public Health
• Celeste Winston, geography and urban studies professor, College of Liberal Arts

Staff

• Scott Charles, trauma outreach coordinator at Temple University Health System
• Charlie Leone, director of Campus Safety Services
• Olan Garrett, associate vice president of Student Affairs
• Shawn Abbott, vice provost for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment Management
• Shirley Moy, executive director of North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative

Students

• Joju Somoye, health professions major
• Nash Baria, political science major
• Gabrielle Spence, criminal justice major

Parents

• Karla Brown
• Ken Giunta

Community members

• Jewell Williams
• John Athanasiadis
• Greg Bonaparte

Individuals received nominations from Temple Student Government, Community Affairs, Campus Safety Services, deans and faculty and parents from the Family Programs Office, wrote Deirdre Childress Hopkins, a university spokesperson, in a statement to The Temple News.

Wingard announced the creation of the task force in January, alongside other campus safety initiatives including former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey’s audit of Campus Safety Services. 

“We look forward to hearing the recommendations of the task force and are confident that their collective wisdom will benefit our university, our community, and our city,” wrote Harrison and Mandel.