LaVonas Troupe

Born and raised on the West Side of Chicago in the Henry Horner Homes (now Westhaven Park), LaVonas grew up under the influence of James “Major” Adams, and played the drums at the Henry Horner Boys & Girls Club. After Suder Elementary, LaVonas was accepted at the prestigious Von Steuben High School, where he was, ironically, expelled for fighting. He graduated from Flower Vocational High School (now Al Raby HS) in East Garfield Park and went on to attend Southern Illinois University – Carbondale.

Before Together Chicago, LaVonas served as an Operations Manager for Chicago Area Projects for 20 years under the leadership of Howard Lathan and Geneva Peterson Castleberry, helping lead community-focused work of Youth Services, Violence Prevention, and Community Advocacy.

LaVonas joined the Together Chicago team in 2021 as a West Side Street Outreach Worker. His diligence and perseverance enabled him to become a Certified Youth Developer and a Certified Professional Street Outreach Worker through the Metropolitan Peace Academy. His innate leadership qualities and dedication to help others resolve conflicts without violence led to LaVonas’ advancement: as the Director of TC’s Violence Reduction Initiatives, he oversees the entire Street Outreach Team, Case Managers, Victim Services Advocates, and Crisis Response Specialists.

Ed Brown

Marlon Buggs

Victoria Burgess

Laprentiss Flowers

Kutina Freeman

Tramaine Jones

James Luckes

Alexis Luckett

Christopher Mallette

Christopher Mallette is a renowned community safety strategist and management consultant. 

Christopher Mallette has devoted his life to advocating for social justice and serving residents and children in the city of Chicago and other U.S. urban communities. He is the former Executive Director of the Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy (CVRS) where he worked to reduce group and gang violence in the City of Chicago.  The focus of Christopher’s work has been and continues to be the development of collaborative strategies that reconcile communities by helping members to identify and value one another’s place in the social fabric of the community.

Prior to assuming his role with CVRS, Christopher served in the Mayor’s Office as the Director of Community Safety Initiatives where he focused on youth violence prevention, juvenile justice, gang intervention and prevention, and ex-offender reentry initiatives.  Before his appointment to the Mayor’s Office, Christopher served as the Executive Director of Chicago’s Juvenile Intervention Support Center. He has also served the City of Chicago as an Assistant Corporation Counsel, various roles at the Faith Community of St. Sabina, and Chicago Public Schools. 

He is also the Head Football Coach at Chicago’s Hope Academy.  Mallette is a Princeton University graduate and received his Law Degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Christopher and his wife Kendall have four sons: Luke, Zion, Judah and Levi.

Cleatrice Martin

Kerita McClinton

Patria McFarland

Denetria Moore

Bishop Ed Peecher

Chicago native. One of 7 children. Revolutionary.

After years of leading Chicago Embassy Church, in 2017 Ed became a spiritual advisor to Chicago business and government leaders and is currently Chief Church Liaison Officer at Together Chicago.

As a child of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement, Ed has been involved in community relations for nearly 50 years. As a young adult, he joined the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, to bring awareness to the national injustices debilitating the African-American community. In 1969, he was employed by AT&T and served the organization for many years. While at At&T, Ed started a bible study in its downtown headquarters after receiving the calling from Jesus Christ. In 1983 New Heritage Christian Center was formed and two years later Ed resigned from his Account Executive position to pastor full-time.

Ed holds a Certificate in Pastoral Studies from Moody Bible Institute (1975). He continues to guest-teach at several Bible Colleges and Seminaries. He has groomed many spiritual leaders, many of whom are serving as senior pastors locally and internationally.

Ed and his wife, Katie, have 3 children, two of which have proceeded them into eternity. 

Latrice Peterson

Shereka Terrett

Benjamin Watkins III

Daryl Wilkerson