It is my pleasure to announce the new Director of Community Engagement for CivTech St. Louis, Derek Laney. Derek has over 10 years of experience in community engagement and outreach and organizing for social justice. Most recently, Derek was involved in many individual initiatives in the St. Louis region following Ferguson. Derek demonstrated skilled diplomacy and respect while mobilizing hundreds of volunteers to help catalyze the implementation of what ultimately became the Ferguson Commission’s Calls to Action, which resulted from hundreds of hours of engagement with St. Louisans who provided input on how they want to see our community move forward.
Derek will be leading the effort at CivTech St. Louis to get the word out about YourSTLCourts. He will be visiting neighborhood association meetings, church meetings, outreach events, amnesty days, and anywhere else he possibly can to speak with people about the YourSTLCourts tool, as anyone and everyone would benefit from knowing that this tool exists. If you have any community events coming up, please reach out to Derek at derek@civtechstl.com.
On behalf of the Board of Directors at CivTech St. Louis, I want to welcome Derek to our team. We look forward to the next several months of shifting our main focus from expanding the tool with the courts and vendors to connecting with the community at large. Please help us get the word out by inviting Derek to your upcoming events.
Laura is the President of the St. Louis Civic Tech and Data Collaborative.