Elizabeth “E” Ruebman
Elizabeth “E” Ruebman is a pioneering policy expert and advocate on victim services, violence reduction, and public safety.
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.