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Speaker Bios

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Jillian Peterson, PhD

Executive Director, Violence Prevention Project Research Center

Dr. Jillian Peterson is a Professor of Criminology at Hamline University and Director of their Forensic Psychology Program. She is also Executive Director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center, a nonpartisan center focused on reducing violence through accessible and actionable data and research. Dr. Peterson started her career as a special investigator in New York City, researching the life histories of men facing the death penalty. She earned her PhD in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine, and has led large-scale research studies on mental illness and crime, mass shootings, crisis intervention, and school violence prevention. She was the Principal Investigator on a 3-year NIJ funded project studying the life histories of mass shooters, which resulted in an award-winning book, The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic. She is a regular contributor to outlets like CNN, the New York Times, and National Public Radio. 

James Densley, PhD

Deputy Director, Violence Prevention Project Research Center

Dr. James Densley is Professor and Department Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Metro State University and Co-Founder of The Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University. Known for pioneering studies on gang and gun violence, Densley has authored nine books and edited two others, including The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic—winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award. His research has been featured by global media and published in 70+ scientific journals and 100+ popular outlets, including The New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Densley earned his PhD in Sociology from the University of Oxford.

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Keynote Session

Holistic Violence Prevention in Schools

Dr. Jillian Peterson & Dr. James Densley

This workshop provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of school violence and practical tools to help create safe school environments. Participants will explore current data, trends, and risk factors associated with different forms of school violence. The session will introduce evidence-based prevention strategies that schools can implement to reduce the likelihood of violence, focusing on proactive and collaborative approaches. Participants will also examine how key strategies—such as crisis intervention practices, CARE teams, and reporting systems—can be adapted and applied within their own school settings. By the end of the workshop, attendees will be better equipped to evaluate and implement prevention efforts that support a safe and responsive school community.

 

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the data, trends, and risk factors for different forms of school violence,

  2. Discover tangible strategies for reducing violence in schools using evidence-based prevention,

  3. Evaluate how these strategies such as crisis intervention, CARE teams, or reporting systems can be applied to your school environment. 

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