Phyllis Hildreth tapped to lead Nashville Office of Youth Safety
Phyllis Hildreth is set to lead Nashville's first-ever Office of Youth Safety.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell announced her appointment on April 25. Hildreth will start on May 12. A lawyer, community leader and longtime youth advocate, Hildreth most recently served as chief of staff at American Baptist College and as academic director of the Institute for Conflict Management at Lipscomb University.
"Phyllis's passion for supporting our youth goes all the way back to her childhood, where she watched her father support kids in her community as a high school guidance counselor and Sunday school teacher," O'Connell said in a news release. "Her background includes work in both education and juvenile justice — giving her a unique perspective on how we build a resilient ecosystem to support our youth."
Young people were key in advocating for the Office of Youth Safety. The Metro Council passed $1 million last year to start the office at the urging of Nashville youth who are part of nonprofit Southern Movement Committee. Dozens of young people from the organization lined up to speak before the council in June.
As director, Hildreth will lead the charge in establishing programs for youth violence prevention and conflict resolution. She will also work with other city leaders to make neighborhoods safer for youth and minimize their harmful interactions with the criminal justice system.
"The Office of Youth Safety will complement the work ongoing in the city to support young Nashvillians," the release stated. "As director, Hildreth will unite the efforts underway in the space of youth safety and programming."
Hildreth earned her Bachelor of Arts in biology from Harvard University before going on to attain a law degree at the University of Maryland. She also has a Master's degree in conflict management from Lipscomb University. She worked as chief counsel for administration at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, deputy secetary for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice and managing director for the Baltimore Juvenile Justice Center. The wife of Meharry Medical College President Dr. James Hildreth, she also served on the Community Oversight Board and Human Relations Commission in Nashville.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Phyllis Hildreth tapped to lead Nashville Office of Youth Safety
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