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Current Fellows
Environmental Challenges
Layman Lee
Bloomberg Fellow
Layman Lee serves as the Senior Director of the Neighborhood Safety Initiative (NSI) at the Center for Justice Innovation in New York, New York. She oversees a project focused on improving public safety in New York City through policy change, investment in resident networks, and the transformation of public spaces into equitable, vibrant, and safe environments. Layman leads a team of community organizers, changemakers, and designers who collaborate within communities across 32 public housing developments to enhance safety and community well-being. Since 2017, NSI has engaged over 50,000 public housing residents and executed more than 700 public meetings, community events, participatory design sessions, capacity-building training, workshops, and lace keeping projects.
The Center for Justice Innovation collaborates with communities and justice systems to advance equity, increase safety, and foster community prosperity. It prioritizes working with those most impacted by marginalization and structural oppression to design solutions for their communities. The Center aims to reduce involvement in the criminal legal system by strengthening the social and economic fabric of often under-resourced and over-policed communities. NSI enhances safety by empowering community stakeholders to develop transformative solutions for creating safe, vibrant neighborhoods. It supports the formation of resident stakeholder teams, provides training on effective community engagement, develops strategies for community-led initiatives, and facilitates the implementation of social programs or built environment projects with a lasting positive impact on the community.