Event Description:
We’re proud to share that our Executive Director, Sam Williams, will serve as a moderator at the 5th Annual Race and Community Dialogue Series, hosted by the Center on Crime, Race, and Justice and its Community Advisory Board.

Public Safety Meets Public Health: Examining Public Safety, Substance Use, and Mental Health in the Mass & Cass Community will bring together practitioners, service providers, policymakers, and researchers for a solutions-focused conversation addressing the complex challenges facing the Mass & Cass and Downtown Boston communities.

This important dialogue explores how public safety, substance use, and mental health intersect, and what collaborative, community-centered strategies can help create lasting change.

Speakers include:

• Deputy John Brown – Zone Commander, Boston Police Department, Bureau of Field Services

• Dr. Abigail Judge – Clinical & Forensic Psychologist; Co-Founder & Director, Boston HEAT; Instructor in Psychology, Harvard Medical School

• Sandra Andrade – Senior Peer Advocate, Dee Kennedy Family Justice Center; Co-Director, Boston HEAT

• Dr. Bisola Ojikutu – Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director, Boston Public Health Commission

• Jada Y. Vaughan – PhD Student, Criminology and Justice Policy & Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Northeastern University

Moderators:

• Charlene D. Luma, LICSW – Chief of Staff, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; CRJ Community Advisory Board Member

• Sam Williams – Executive Director, Concord Prison Outreach; Co-Director, CRJ Community Advisory Board, Northeastern University

📅 Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
🕞 Time: 3:30 – 5:00 PM (ET)
💻 Location: Virtual Event, register here

Free and open to the public! Join this meaningful conversation on the intersection of justice, health, and community well-being.