The North Carolina Department of Public Safety on Monday welcomed public health practitioner Siarra Scott as deputy director of the Office of Violence Prevention. Scott is the second hire in an office established by Governor Roy Cooper in 2023 to help the state reduce violence and firearm misuse.
“North Carolina is developing a public health approach to violence prevention that will complement public safety initiatives,” said Gerard Tate, executive director of the Office of Violence Prevention. “Siarra Scott has a public health background and deep experience working in violence prevention in North Carolina. I’m happy to have her join the leadership team as we advance our partnership with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the Community Violence Advisory Board.”
Scott most recently worked at the UNC-Chapel Hill Injury Prevention Research Center as a project manager, overseeing a portfolio of programs that included the Injury-Free N.C. Collaborative Learning Institute and the Building Trauma-Informed Courts in N.C. project.
The new deputy director holds a Master of Public Health from Emory University in Atlanta, as well as undergraduate degrees in Public Health and in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is a certified health education specialist.
Scott began her career in violence prevention as a student. She interned with the Injury Prevention Program at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she provided support for hospital-based violence intervention programs, as well as a child abuse-prevention training program. She also provided health training to juvenile offenders in Charlotte, N.C.
About the N. C. Office of Violence Prevention
The statewide Office of Violence Prevention supports a public-health approach to the reduction of violence and firearm misuse in North Carolina. Established within the Department of Public Safety by Governor Roy Cooper in 2023 and working in partnership with the N. C. Department of Health and Human Services, the office serves as a centralized resource for organizations working to reduce violence and address its impact on N.C. communities.