Safer Schools Stronger Neighborhoods hires Cyrise Dixon

MEDIA (August 11) –

The Safer Schools Stronger Neighborhoods (SSSN) collaborative, which focuses on increasing local coordination and collaboration to more effectively prevent, intervene, and respond to gun and group violence among youth and young adults ages 11-24 in the City of Chester, has named its first Community Violence Intervention Coordinator: Cyrise Dixon.

Cyrise comes to SSSN, which is led by CASA Youth Advocates of Delaware & Chester Counties,
after a 42-year career in law enforcement. She began her career as a patrol officer for the Chester Police Department in 1978, where she worked alongside her father. She went on to hold various positions in law enforcement, including serving as a detective for the Delco Criminal Investigation Unit, a special agent for the PA Office of the Attorney General, and Chief of Staff for the Chester Police Department. In November 2020, Cyrise was named Interim Chief Operating Officer for the city of Chester. She held that title until November 2022, when she retired.

In her role, Cyrise will join the CASA Youth Advocates team, which strives to empower community volunteers to connect with and champion children and youth involved in the child welfare system, advocating for equity, resources, stability and permanency.

“With lifelong roots in Delaware County, I can’t think of anyone better suited to serve as the first Community Violence Intervention Coordinator than Cyrise,” says Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer. “Her knowledge, deep community connections, and strong commitment protecting young people from violence will help the Safe Schools Stronger Neighborhoods collaborative gain a foothold in the City of Chester.”

Cyrise says that Safer Schools Stronger Neighborhoods is about more than stopping gun violence. The program will help young people get on a better path by connecting them with services and people who want to help and empower them.

“I have a lot of concern for the youth and the things they go through,” said Dixon. “It is a completely different world today than when I was growing up. My personal goal is to inform people so they know about the opportunities the program will put in front of them. A lot of times people can’t get connected to the resources they need. My hope is that this program becomes a model for how a lot of things are done.”

“The hiring of Cyrise Dixon as the Safer Schools Stronger Neighborhoods Community
Violence Intervention Coordinator is an exciting step. With the addition of our first full-time employee, the critical work of SSSN can move forward, to the benefit of the Chester community,”
said Leigh Anne McKelvey, Executive Director of CASA Youth Advocates of Delaware and Chester Counties. “We are excited to work together to stop youth violence.”

The coalition, led by CASA Youth Advocates, brings together several Delaware County nonprofits with the common goal of reducing gun violence in the city of Chester. Along with CASA, the members of Safer Schools Stronger Neighborhoods include Chester Education Foundation, Chester Community Coalition, Boys and Girls Club of Chester, Crozer Health Trauma Program, Widener University, and the Making a Change Group.

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