This week FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Portland Division Renn Cannon presented Antoinette Edwards with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for her service to youth in the Portland community.

Edwards, former director of Portland’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention, is one of 56 recipients from across the country chosen to receive the prestigious award. The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence.

Prior to her role with the Office of Youth Violence Prevention, the City of Portland recruited Edwards to become its Director of Public Safety and Peacekeeping. She also served as the first Director of Diversity for the American Red Cross in Oregon and Southwest Washington, as a Parent Coordinator at Self-Enhancement Inc., and as a Family Intervention Specialist with Multnomah County. Edwards has also led bi-monthly meetings of the Community Peace Collaboration, formerly called the Gang Violence Task Force.

“I am honored to receive this award, especially since it is for the work I have truly loved, supporting both young people and members of our community to find reconciliation and peace. Moving forward I want to remind all of us that there is much work to do. Social justice belongs to us all,” said Edwards.

“It’s an honor for the FBI to recognize the amazing Antoinette Edwards,” said SAC Cannon. “Her relentless efforts to care for Portland’s youth and at-risk population has greatly impacted our community and will continue to do so for years to come.”

For more information on the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, go to https://www.fbi.gov/about/community-outreach/dcla.