Community Safety Forum

Join us for an engaging morning at the Paradox Hotel for the Community Safety Forum on Oct 3, 2024.

This year, we are honoured to host subject experts from Portland, who will share their experiences and insights on decriminalization and its impact on community safety. Their perspectives are particularly valuable given Portland’s similarities to Vancouver in the Cascadia region. 

This forum is a vital opportunity for you to participate in important discussions that will shape the future of our community. Your presence and active engagement are crucial to ensuring that the voices of our members are heard and that we are leading positive changes in community safety for our downtown. 

Schedule

SPEAKERS

Hank Smith – Policy & Communications Advisor, Office of Mayor Ted Wheeler, City of Portland

Hank Smith joined the staff of Portland’s Mayor in 2023 to as a Policy and Communications Advisor where he managed community outreach efforts to neighbourhoods grappling with unsanctioned camping, graffiti, garbage and fears about shelters in their neighbourhoods. Hank also helped to create a responsive outreach program focused on houseless individuals as well as helped stand up new shelter sites and met with business coalitions to address their urgent needs for cleaning up public spaces. Prior to this work, Hank served many years as a U.S. Air Force officer and a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State. More recently, Hank helped lead a healthcare tech startup called NurseGrid, where the team built a popular nurse scheduling app.

Steve Wytcherley – Director of Operations, Portland Clean & Safe

Steve Wytcherley became Director of Operations at Downtown Portland Clean & Safe in 2022, managing Public Safety, Janitorial, and Street Outreach. His career began in international humanitarian aid in Asia before moving to the U.S. in 2007. After transitioning to domestic work in 2015, he earned an M.B.A. and has held roles including co-establishing an eye care business, directing programs for an anti-hunger organization, and working as a Crime Prevention Program Administrator for Portland. Now as Director of Operations at Clean & Safe, Steve is eager to apply his diverse experience to improve Downtown’s safety and cleanliness.

Skylar Brocker-Knapp – Director of Portland Solutions, City of Portland

Skyler is the Director of Portland Solutions, which includes four innovative programs related to homelessness and public space management: City Shelter Services, the Street Services Coordination Center, the Public Environment Management Office, and the Impact Reduction Program. As a former Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Ted Wheeler, Skyler piloted much of this work under Emergency Declarations to address the most intractable problems in Portland. She is a Portland native, a lawyer, and has a Master’s Degree in Political Science. 

Moderator: Justin Goodrich – Founder & Managing Partner, Alliance Public Affairs Group Ltd.

Justin P. Goodrich has been a public affairs professional since 2008, starting as a sole practitioner before founding Alliance Public Affairs Group in 2016. Justin has advised government, private sector, non-profits, and indigenous organizations. Justin is also a columnist, radio and podcast host, and keynote speaker, with engagements across Canada and internationally. Academically, he holds credentials in social sciences and law and teaches courses in public policy, governance, leadership, and ethics at the university level.

Reminders

• A breakfast buffet including coffee and tea will be provided.
  • Gluten free and vegan options available.
• The Q&A will be conducted “panel-style,” with all speakers available to answer.
• We kindly ask that you keep your questions quick and on-topic to allow for all questions to be answered in a timely manner.
• A friendly reminder that this forum is for educational purposes. Please be respectful of the speakers and their efforts to share their experiences and insights.

Sponsors

Title Sponsor

Partner Sponsor

Community Sponsors

We expect this event to fill up fast, so please RSVP at your earliest convenience to confirm your attendance. For any questions or additional information, feel free to contact Tyshaya Smith at tyshaya@dtvan.ca.