Rev. Cornell Jones Hired as Assistant Director for Community Affairs

Published on May 21, 2026

Rev. Cornell Jones Hired as Department of Public Safety’s Assistant Director for Community Affairs  

Pittsburgh, PA – Mayor Corey O’Connor and the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams have announced that Reverend Cornell Jones has been hired to the role of Assistant Director for Community Affairs.  

“To have safer and more vibrant neighborhoods, we’re building a Department of Public Safety with leaders that understand the value of connecting our communities with our public safety bureaus,” said Mayor O’Connor. “Cornell has great experience with vulnerable communities and has coordinated an effective public safety outreach strategy for Downtown. I look forward to seeing his continued work in developing people-centered solutions and initiatives throughout the city.”  

As Assistant Director for Public Safety’s Community Affairs, Jones will work to develop positive and productive relationships between the community and the Public Safety Bureaus of Police, Fire, EMS and Animal Care & Control. He will work with community leaders, neighborhood organizations, external agencies, educators, officials and residents across the city to identify challenges and collaborative develop effective solutions, programs and initiatives. 

“Cornell has been an important part of the Public Safety team and has made a great impact in bringing together the bureaus, the community and outreach teams to meet the needs of our residents,” said Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams. “We are grateful to have him step into a new leadership role as Assistant Director to help us further our goals with community engagement.”  

Since 2017, Jones has worked in the Department of Public Safety as the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) coordinator, where he brings street outreach teams, law enforcement and social workers together to counteract and prevent violence in the community. A minister, he previously served as the Protestant Chaplain at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) Pittsburgh prison for 10 years, where he worked closely in crisis deescalation and gang prevention and is a trained member of the National Organization of Victim Assistance.  

A longtime community leader for those involved in gangs, violence and incarceration, Jones has launched initiatives that promote unity and support such as the We are the Village movement and Operation Amani. He has taught trainings across the country and won the National BMe Genius Award and the National Fred Rogers Helper Award.  

Emily Rollman
Communications Assistant
emily.rollman@pittsburghpa.gov