Dr. Coakley selected by DHEC to serve as a Strategic Planning Committee member

Dr. Shavonna Coakley was selected by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC), Community Violence Intervention and Prevention (CVIP) to serve as one of 16 Strategic Planning Committee members. Coakley is Charleston County School District’s Executive Director of School Support (DoSS) & Community Engagement.

DHEC’s CVIP program is tasked with awarding funds through mini-grants to nonprofit and community-based partnerships that serve communities disproportionately affected by violence.

The CVIP program was established by South Carolina’s General Assembly Proviso 34.66 during Fiscal Year 2023. The Strategic Planning Committee has a multi-disciplinary approach and is comprised of individuals with expertise in working with those who have been identified as victims and/or perpetrators of violence. Committee members are from a variety of different organizations at the local and state level. The committee’s mission is to prioritize work, goals, and strategies as well as leverage limited resources for a greater impact across our state.

The CVIP Strategic Plan will align with Proviso 34.66 and focus on four principals:

• Targeted Violence Interventions and Supports for Highest Needs Groups
• Community-centered and Equity-focused
• Integration with Public Safety/Public Health
• Strategic, Data-driven, and Performance-focused

The plan will develop a process to ensure that communities with high concentrations of violence are fairly supported, the development of community partners and stakeholders coincide with the broader public safety and public health environments, and community violence intervention strategies are regularly evaluated to guarantee their reduction of violence and sustainability.