The Community Violence Intervention Conference is the largest convening exclusively dedicated to CVI in the country, attracting more than 900 experts—both national and international—to discuss the impact of this lifesaving work. The goal of the conference is to bring together leading experts, advocates, and practitioners to share insights, struggles, and opportunities in a communal space devoted to advancing the field of community violence intervention. 

At Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, we uplift the transformative work of community organizations and the strategies that break cycles of violence. The 2025 CVI Conference will be an invaluable opportunity for people committed to saving lives from community violence to come together, share best practices, and advocate for change.

Community violence is a daily tragedy in neighborhoods across the country, and it’s disproportionately experienced by communities of color. Yet all too often, community violence—and some of its most successful solutions—fails to make the headlines or play a role in national debates about public safety. 

Every person should be able to live, work, and play free from the threat of gun violence, and elevating CVI strategies is a key way to make that a reality. The 2025 Community Violence Intervention Conference provides a dedicated, collaborative environment to help the people building safer communities come together and exchange ideas.

Collaboration is a key part of the CVI movement. Every community is unique and available resources vary from city to city, making it crucial for those invested in violence intervention to have a dedicated time and place to share experiences and best practices.

With this in mind, we’ve designed the 2025 Community Violence Intervention Conference to appeal to a range of stakeholders and disciplines. The conference will feature more than 850 subject-matter experts from across the country and approximately 100 from abroad. Through a range of activities—including trainings, workshops, panel discussions, and more—we aim to provide a collaborative and informative environment for all.

The CVI Conference will be located in downtown Los Angeles, California, and will span two days: Monday, June 16, and Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

We are currently working with the community and our speakers to finalize our program. Featured events will include trainings, breakout sessions, workshops, panel discussions, healing exercises, opportunities to network, and more with leading experts in the CVI field. Attendees can expect the events to run all day on both Monday and Tuesday.

For those who are looking for an agenda preview for the purpose of gaining approval to attend the conference, please use see the below schedule overview of last year’s conference.

Our full list of speakers will be announced as the conference approaches. Here are some highlights.

Nichelle Sadler serves as executive director of the Training Center for Excellence, Massachusetts’s leading hub for addressing gun violence through a public health and racial equity lens. Her career includes leadership roles at UTEC, Boston City Council, and Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. A Boston native, Nichelle began her career as a streetworker supporting high-risk youth, bringing decades of experience to her work advancing safety, healing, and opportunity.

​Skipp Townsend is the founder and executive director of 2nd Call, a Los Angeles–based nonprofit dedicated to reducing violence and supporting the reentry of high-risk individuals. A former gang member, Townsend transformed his life and now leads trauma-informed programs that have helped thousands. He serves on advisory boards for the LA District Attorney’s Office and USC, and is a nationally recognized expert in gang intervention and community healing.​

Dr. Caterina Roman is a nationally recognized scholar whose research focuses on community violence, gang involvement, and the social networks of at-risk youth. A professor at Temple University, she has led numerous federally funded evaluations of violence reduction programs. Her work explores how networks shape behaviors like gun carrying and delinquency, and how Black survivors of violence seek support. She integrates survey and cross-systems data to examine community safety and resilience.

Registration has closed, as the 2025 CVI Conference is officially sold out!

Attendees who have registered will receive entrance to the conference and lunch on both days. All attendees are responsible for covering their own costs associated with travel, lodging, per diem, and other incurred expenses as a result of participating in this event.

If you were hoping to attend, we encourage you to join the waitlist in case additional spots open up. On-site registration will not be available.

If you are interested in covering the 2025 Community Violence Intervention Conference as a member of the press, please email media@giffords.org to RSVP.

A limited number of discounted rooms are available at the conference hotel, the JW Marriott Los Angeles LA LIVE, and they are expected to sell out quickly. We strongly encourage attendees to book as early as possible to secure a room at the group rate.

If the block is full, we recommend checking the hotel’s website directly or exploring nearby lodging options as there are many hotels in walking distance. To reserve your room, visit book.passkey.com/go/GiffordsCVIConference.

Please note: We have been made aware of multiple phishing attempts falsely claiming that CVI Conference attendees have been invited to an international event following our official gathering in Los Angeles. This event is not affiliated with our team in any way. The 2025 CVI Conference is only taking place in Los Angeles, and we are not organizing or endorsing any events outside of that location.

We have a comprehensive safety plan in place for this year’s conference, as we do every year. In light of recent events in Los Angeles, we’re coordinating even more closely with venue staff and trained security personnel to ensure the space remains safe, supportive, and secure.

All entry points will be tightly controlled. Only registered attendees with valid conference credentials will be allowed inside. No outside individuals will be permitted without proper credentials or legal authority, and our team is trained to manage access in a way that protects both physical safety and personal privacy.

We also recognize that safety includes emotional well-being, and we will have multiple counselors on-site throughout the event to offer support, crisis response, and psychological first aid. If any safety protocols change, we’ll communicate updates promptly through the Whova app and other direct channels. 

The conference will take place at the JW Marriott Los Angeles LA LIVE in downtown Los Angeles, California.

The conference hotel room block is full. You have the option to stay at the onference hotel, the JW Marriott Los Angeles LA LIVE, for daily rates determined by the venue or to stay at a number of alternatives within walking distance:

Registration is refundable up to a month from the event until May 16, 2025. Stripe fees cannot be refunded. Tickets are transferable until June 1, 2025. After these dates, tickets are non-transferable and refunds will not be issued.

Please contact cvi-conference@giffords.org for any refund or registration transfer requests.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate walk-ins at this time. Registration is open until May 23, 2025, or until the event is sold out, to allow all interested participants the opportunity to attend the conference. 

All registered attendees and speakers will receive lunch on both days of the conference. All attendees are responsible for covering their own costs associated with travel, lodging, per diem, and other incurred expenses associated with participation in this event.

The call for proposals closed on February 7, 2025. We are currently working with the community and our speakers to finalize the program. Featured events will include trainings, breakout sessions, workshops, panel discussions, healing exercises, opportunities to network, and more with leading experts in the CVI field. Attendees can expect the events to run all day on both Monday and Tuesday. 

If you have any logistical questions about the conference that have not been addressed in the FAQ, please reach out to cvi-conference@giffords.org and we will be happy to assist.