Shantay Jackson is the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement in Baltimore City. As director, Jackson is responsible for addressing violence as a public health issue, serving as the accountability partner for all city agencies and local, state, and federal partners, delivering public safety policy recommendations, and conducting meaningful engagement with Baltimore City’s neighborhoods in the work of co-producing public safety.

For over two decades, Jackson’s career has been preparing her for this role. Before becoming a member of Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Cabinet, she spent almost 20 years in the private sector as the Assistant Vice President of Global Solutions & Technology at T. Rowe Price Associates and a Principal at Brown Advisory.

After the Baltimore uprising in 2015, Jackson left corporate America and became the Executive Director at the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to reducing interpersonal conflict and community violence in Baltimore City by increasing the use of non-violent conflict resolution strategies. During her time there, she expanded the organization's reach by rolling out a three-component Police & Community Program, introduced community listening tours, and provided moderation and facilitation services to grassroots organizations and city agencies. This work led to her federal appointment as Community Engagement Liaison for the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Consent Decree. 

Jackson also worked as the Chief Operating Officer for The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) Leadership and is the Founder and CEO of EVOLVE to Lead, an organizational leadership development consultancy. Jackson’s background in the private sector, coupled with her non-profit experience and personal lived experiences, enable her ability to navigate authentically and seamlessly in political, corporate, and non-governmental arenas.

Jackson is often called upon by local, state, and national partners to share her philosophies associated with leadership, change, violence prevention, and police/community relations. Most notably of these include being asked to participate in the White House Briefing on Black and Brown Gun Violence, to provide funding recommendations for violence prevention to Baltimore City’s Delegation, meeting with members of Governor Hogan’s executive team, and speaking to members of the Maryland Judiciary on transformative change for organizations and strategies for data evaluation when serving the community. Jackson is passionate about advocating for social justice issues, including procedural justice, restorative practices, and education. She currently sits on various boards and commissions including Baltimore’s Local Control Advisory Board and Trauma Informed Care Task Force, the Justice Reinvestment Commission, and the Public Safety Policy Lab. She also acts as Baltimore’s representative for the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative.

Most recently, Jackson has been honored by Black Girls Vote and Radio One for her work as a woman in the political sphere.

Jackson attended Villa Julie College, majoring in Business Information Systems. She is a certified mediator and large-group facilitator, a licensed consultant through the Maryland Association of Non-Profit Organizations, a project management professional, and certified to conduct a host of organizational development trainings.