This week's speaker is Darlene Cusanza - Crimestoppers
Darlene Cusanza, President and CEO of Crimestoppers of GNO, Inc. has served in this capacity for the past nineteen years. Darlene has an excellent reputation within the law enforcement arena, both on a federal, state and local level. Under Darlene’s leadership, Crimestoppers has more than doubled its call volume and cases/crimes solved and expanded its operations to ten parishes with Crimestoppers GNO being called upon as a “best practice” organization. Darlene has also worked to provide crime victim’s families the opportunity to provide visibility for their loved one’s case and find justice, through media relations and community networking. She is also a regular guest on the WWL Television Morning Show and the WVUE Fox 8 Morning show. The Crimestoppers organization has also worked under her direction to become proactive in providing crime prevention information to the community, specifically to our youth. Darlene implemented the “Safe School hotline” program, which currently operates within 5 parishes and has solved numerous campus crimes. Most recently for her work with the Crimestoppers organization, she has been recognized for the implementation of the Crimestoppers teen leadership program “Teen Ambassadors against Crime” which provides high school students to opportunity to learn about the criminal justice system. She has also implemented with our local radio station Q93 our Teen Peace Summit, which has drawn over 6,000 youth to attend.
In 2009, Ms. Cusanza was awarded the US Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service Director’s Citizen of the Year award the for 2008. Most recently, she was awarded from the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute their “Community Service Award” from her fellow 2015 graduates. She has also been recognized in 2014 as a “Ten Most Outstanding Persons award recipient” for the GNO Family Services Society. Ms. Cusanza was named Community Leader of the Year for 2008 by the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and has been named as a Role Model for 2009 by the Young Leadership Council. Darlene has been awarded the Outstanding Organization’s award from the Victims and Citizens Against Crime, named one of the Women of the Year for City Business in 2007, received an Award of Achievement by the Jefferson Parish Public School System for her work developing the Crimestoppers Safe School Hotline and was presented a proclamation recognizing her achievements as the President and CEO by both the Jefferson Parish City Council and the New Orleans City Council.
Under the current Director’s leadership, Crimestoppers has been awarded a Crimestoppers International media award of recognition, been awarded the F.B I. Regional Director’s award and awards of recognition from local crime fighting organizations. She is a charter member and President of the Louisiana Crime Stoppers Association, a graduate from the FBI Citizen’s Academy, currently serving as on the Crimestoppers USA National Board as a Regional Director, an Executive Board member of the New Orleans Crime Coalition, Advisory Council Member at Large for the GNO Drug Demand Reduction Coalition.
Previous professional experience includes serving for 13 years as the Director of Continuing Professional Education and Member Services, Society of Louisiana CPAs and State Director of Patient Services, Multiple Sclerosis Society. Ms. Cusanza holds a Bachelors degree from L.S.U.M.C.-School of Allied Health Professions.