JACKSON, MS—The FBI’s Jackson Field Office is pleased to announce the Mississippi Center for Excellence as a recipient of the 2017 Director’s Community Leadership Award. MCE was selected for having demonstrated outstanding contributions to the community they serve.

MCE, under the direction of Ingrid Cloy, seeks to empower individuals who have transitioned out of foster care, those who have come in contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems, and those living in communities that are disconnected from access to services that improve one’s quality of life, including housing, education, and employment.

One of MCE’s goals is to reduce recidivism through the providing of education and employment assistance. The center provides community leadership through the framework of Collective Impact, which works to tackle deeply entrenched and complex social problems. It is an innovative and structured approach to making collaboration work across government, business, philanthropy, non-profit organizations, and citizens to achieve significant and lasting social change.

The center also promotes youth engagement, fostering community partnerships and enhancing policies and practices that affect youth, to help reduce the struggles faced by young people when transitioning to adulthood. The center works with youth to address challenges like completing high school and post-secondary education, assisting with safe and stable housing, and forming long-lasting and positive relationships within the community which, among other positive outcomes, reduces the probability of incarceration.

Cloy will join DCLA recipients selected by other FBI field offices across the nation at an awards ceremony to be held in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2018, where MCE will be personally recognized and honored by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The Director’s Community Leadership Award was formally created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts on combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America. Recipients of this award are nominated by each of the FBI’s 56 field offices and are recognized for their service above and beyond the call of duty to help keep America and its residents safe.