Shay Stevens

Community Relations Manager | Town of Chapel Hill

Shay Stevens is the community relations manager for the Town of Chapel Hill. In this role, she works to build relationships between community stakeholders and Town staff; responds to community concerns; and identifies opportunities for collaboration. As the community relations manager, Shay also works to evaluate the Town's strategic operations and internal/external communications processes to determine ways to build community trust through effective and efficient communications efforts. Previously, she served as the principal consultant for her firm, RADish, a cultural strategies company that sought to harness the creative power of individuals, institutions, and municipalities to create equitable economic and social impact opportunities for the community at large. At RADish, Shay’s clients and projects reinforced the thought that “local is global” and “global is local”, as she worked with hyper local community organizations and also worked on large institutional projects such as the historic Artes de Cuba festival at the Kennedy Center; the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Crafts of African Fashion initiative; and the Apollo Theater’s Jazz à Vienne collaboration. Shay possesses over a decade of community engagement, project management, non-profit management, and cultural programming expertise. Over the years, she has worked in communities in Memphis, TN; Washington, D.C.; and the New York City metro area and worked extensively in partnerships with non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and corporations on global and local projects that highlighted the use of community engagement strategies to create impact.

Presentations from Facing Race 2024

Restoratively Reckoning & Resisting

This workshop will provide government racial equity officers, policymakers, and administrators with practical tools and strategies to advance racial equity within government agencies by integrating restorative practices into the local government landscape.

Restorative Practices is an indigenous power-sharing framework that can improve authentic communication, acknowledge the harms of institutional racism, develop equitable staff and community engagement, and strengthen institutional accountability—critical components of racial equity work. Restorative practices offer a framework to build community and institutional capacity to achieve a more equitable future.

In this interactive workshop, participants will:
1. Comprehensively understand restorative practices, including their principles, values, and applications within government settings;
2. Identify specific areas within their government agencies where restorative practices can promote racial equity and address systemic injustices;
3. Learn strategies for fostering inclusive and supportive environments within government agencies, emphasizing collaboration, empathy, and power-shifting;
4. Work collaboratively to create actionable plans for implementing restorative practices within their respective government departments, including identifying key stakeholders, setting goals, and establishing metrics for success;
5. Discuss common challenges and resistance to implementing restorative practices within government settings and develop strategies for overcoming them; and
6. Assess the effects of restorative practices on advancing racial equity within their agencies, including collecting feedback, measuring outcomes, and making necessary adjustments.

By incorporating these principles into government policies and procedures, participants will learn how to create more inclusive and equitable environments that prioritize the needs of marginalized communities. Join us!

Speakers: Shenekia Weeks, Shay Stevens