Elizabeth “E” Ruebman

E  has successfully stimulated a shift from an overreliance on law  enforcement for community safety to community based, community driven  public safety. Trained in trauma-informed practices and anti-racist  principles, E has developed and implemented innovative public policy  initiatives, built powerful community-based organizations and programs,  and designed effective advocacy campaigns.

​

Currently,  E is co-founder and Managing Director of the Community-Based Public  Safety Collective. She comes to CBPSC from the Office of The New Jersey  Attorney General, where for 2+ years, she served as Special Advisor for  Victim Services. Among her achievements for crime victims, E introduced 2  new trauma-based programs for victims of violent crime, Hospital Based  Violence Intervention (now 9 in NJ) and Trauma Recovery Centers (now 4  in NJ), national models for reducing retaliatory and repeat violence  working especially with black and brown men. She ensured more equity in  the allocation of $63 million in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds by  funding programs for gun violence victims and other victims of community  violence and creating capacity building programs.

​

E was  named Special Advisor based on her work as Co-Founder and Deputy  Director of the Newark Community Street Team. Collaborating with Aqeela  Sherrills, E raised millions of dollars from diverse sources. She played  a key role in propelling the organization to be survivor-driven,  especially supporting black and brown men and victims of law enforcement  and street violence. Among other advocacy successes, E got Newark PD to  adopt trauma-informed investigation policy and helped organize and  train the team of formerly incarcerated individuals who successfully  advocated for legislation that permits crime victims to receive  compensation even if they have an outstanding warrant. She co-led the  buildout of South Ward Public Safety Round Table, where the community  has equal footing with law enforcement to determine the approach to  community safety.

​

E’s work  on crime victim issues and public safety strategy crystallized during  her time as Executive Vice President at Amplify, Inc. There, she  facilitated the Mayor’s Safer Newark Council to design and implement a  public safety strategy to achieve a 20% reduction in violent crime in  Newark by 2020, in part by reducing retaliatory violence and lowering  levels of community trauma. E also built a new state-wide chapter of  Crime Survivors organized around policy change and advocating for new  programs for victims of violent crime.