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Michael Simmons has over ten years experience in community development and criminal justice policy. Prior to joining IRCT, Mr. Simmons served as director of the Augusta, Georgia, Weed and Seed Initiative, and later as a researcher for the University of New Orleans’s Center for Law and Justice. During his tenure with Weed and Seed, Mr. Simmons oversaw the creation of community development policies that led to a dramatic decline in crime rates in what was previously one of the most crime-ridden communities in the city of Augusta.
While serving as a researcher for the Center for Law and Justice, Mr. Simmons’ projects included assessments of the U.S. Attorney’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative to decrease gun violence in New Orleans and the implementation of a of community-based gunshot detection system. Mr. Simmons currently manages IRCT’s youth crime and delinquency programs. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina-Aiken and a Master of Urban Studies from Old Dominion University.
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