Originally published: . Volume 8, No. 4. Source pages: 1, 5.
Dr. Tracey Rizzuto, Associate Director, School of Human Resource Education & Workforce Development, spoke about the differences made for the community by her work in the Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) on Capital Hill, on March 22. She
spoke at the invitation of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). She said that she was asked to “speak to examples of well-invested federally funded research grant that have made a difference in a high-need community.”
Dr. Rizzuto, Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, is also Mary Ethel Baxter Lipscomb Memorial Endowed Professor of Human Resource, Leadership, & Organization Development.
“With all of the tumult we've had in 2016 –officer-related shootings, civil unrest and an historic flood,” she said, “violent crime in Baton Rouge has miraculously remained down!”
“It was an honor to be able to report back to the BJA about the successes of the violence reduction strategies they've supported over the years to help reduce violence, like BRAVE, the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Hope Zone initiative, and the LSU Career, Leadership and Wellness summer youth program,” Rizzuto said.
The Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) initiative works to reduce and eliminate violent crime committed by juveniles in Baton Rouge’s 70805 and 70802 zip code areas.
Rizzuto is part of BRAVE’s LSU Research Team led by the College of Human Sciences & Education’s Office of Social Service Research & Development. The LSU group analyzes arrest data from the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office and then helps identify trends and group members who are committing the most crimes.
Dr. Rizzuto uses social network analysis to examine social structures and dynamics, one of her interests as an IO psychologist and professor. Her other interests include the development of social capital and capacity through technological tools; the development of social capital and capacity through social relationships, such as the power and influence social network structures; and managing workplace changes.
Rizzuto was featured last year in a select group of scientists and professionals who shared their work and insights at the TEDxLSU event, where she spoke on her work as a psychologist and academic researcher for BRAVE. Her efforts and those of others have combined to reduce the crime rates in two, high crime Baton Rouge areas, by 30 percent. In December 2015, Rizzuo and Hillar Moore, III, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney, traveled to New York City at the invitation of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, to give a presentation about the work at BRAVE.
Right: Dr. Rizzuto (L) and DOJ Sr. Policy Advisor Alissa Huntoon. (Courtesy photo.)
Dr. Sunyoung Park, Assistant Professor at the LSU School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development, listens to colleague, Assistant Professor Tyree Mitchell, as they discuss Dr. Rizzuto’s trip to Capital Hill. In background, Rizzuto and others are listed in distinguished faculty awards. Drs. Park, Mitchell and Rizzuto are industrial-organizational professors at the School.
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