Professionalizing Peace: Chico Tillmon

In this episode of License to Operate, hosts Kanoya Ali and Peter Cunningham sit down with Dr. Chico Tillman, Executive Director of the Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago. Tillman's natural leadership skills and street credibility have made him uniquely effective at interrupting cycles of violence. He was instrumental in securing $3.7 billion in federal funding for Community Violence Intervention programs nationwide.

This conversation explores the professionalization of CVI work, the economic argument for violence prevention, and how Chicago's 40% reduction in violence correlates directly with increased CVI investment.