The Exciting Days Ahead

NCPC can accomplish anything it sets out to do, and I am excited about the days ahead.

By Ann Harkins, President and CEO

I am honored to serve as NCPC’s new president and chief executive officer.

Three and a half years ago, Al Lenhardt, with whom I had worked in the office of the sergeant at arms of the U.S. Senate, asked me to join him as vice president for programs. I accepted immediately, knowing that the cause is great. After all, there is no more worthy endeavor than to help keep people of all ages safe from crime, especially under the watchful eye of our icon, McGruff the Crime Dog®.

My career has taken me down many paths, from law enforcement, administration, incident command, and planning in the office of the sergeant at arms and the U.S. Department of Justice to law and public policy in a number of Capitol Hill positions to extensive community and volunteer work in my home state, West Virginia. At NCPC, these paths seemed to meet.

Having served as Attorney General Janet Reno’s chief of staff and as chief counsel of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology and the Law, I believed my knowledge of criminal justice issues would be an asset to this organization. So would my experience as executive director of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and my service as the coordinator of West Virginia summits on homeland security in 2003 and 2006, where I helped make sure the state was prepared for any emergency. In addition, both my work and volunteer activities brought me in touch with abused children, disabled veterans, and their service providers, as well as the arts. That took me beyond public policy and Washington to the field where I learned first hand the way neighbors working with neighbors can accomplish great things. Indeed, in many places across our great country, it is the way communities work.

Over the years, NCPC has become the national center of excellence for crime prevention. We are sought out by leaders of communities across the nation and the world, government at all levels, and partners in the private sector for our expertise and assistance in developing community programs, providing training, and publishing important resources for use by crime prevention practitioners, civic leaders, and scholars.

I intend to build on the legacy of Jack Calhoun and Al Lenhardt with new programs that will emphasize our concerns about such issues as childhood safety, underserved teens, bullying and cyberbullying, gangs, and recidivism. My job, with the active support of our volunteer Board of Directors and our corporate partners, is to focus the energy of our expert staff on these issues and the many new programs and campaigns we have on our drawing board.

Let me add a few words about our new Circle of Respect campaign, which we will formally launch this month. This campaign seeks to promote respect for others and specifically brands childhood bullying as being “uncool.” Just as exciting, Circle of Respect will soon launch a book club, the purpose of which is to generate a national discussion about respectful behavior. Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees, will be featured as the first author in this online book club. Her publisher, Random House, will print information about Circle of Respect in all re-released copies of her book. In addition, we will soon appoint a Circle of Respect advisory board of distinguished citizens and two young people.

Circle of Respect only hints at the kind of things to come as we at NCPC pull out all the stops to generate the partnerships and funding to develop new activities and continue our existing programs. We will leave no stone unturned as we seek the support we need to bring our constituency—law enforcement, crime prevention practitioners, children, community leaders, volunteers, educators­­­—the kind of programs, training, and resources that will enable you to carry out your important work.

We have much to do. This organization succeeds at everything it sets out to do, and I am greatly looking forward to working with you and the exciting times ahead.