Brian Corr is a government and nonprofit professional with more than 35 years of work experience in the fields of social justice, civil rights, social resilience, and community building on the national, state, and local levels.
Mr. Corr has worked for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts as Executive Director of the Police Review & Advisory Board since September 2010, and as Executive Director of the city's Peace Commission since 2008. The Police Review & Advisory Board is the city's civilian oversight agency, while the Peace Commission works with other municipal agencies, communities of faith, nonprofit organizations, and the community as a whole to: build connections and strengthen relationships; promote positive dialogue and foster understanding; and coordinate compassionate community responses to support recovery and healing in the wake of traumatic events and violence affecting Cambridge and its residents. Just prior to joining the municipal government, Mr. Corr worked as the first statewide field organizer for the ACLU of Massachusetts, where he organized "civil liberties task forces" across the state, including one focused on civilian oversight in response to allegations of police misconduct and racial profiling in the City of Lawrence.
Mr. Corr is a past president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE), having served on NACOLE's board of directors since 2012, as vice-president in 2013-2014, and as president from 2016 to 2019. He is a founding member and the initial treasurer of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), from its founding in 2019 until 2023.
Mr. Corr serves on the board of directors of Community Resources for Justice, which works to change lives and strengthen communities by advancing policy and delivering individualized services that promote safety, justice, and inclusion through three programs: Social Justice Services, serving individuals transitioning out of prison and back into the community through a network of eight residential reentry centers; Community Strategies, supporting adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities to live as independently as possible through a range of community-based residential options offering structure in a caring, home-like environment; and The Crime and Justice Institute, a national-scale consulting practice that works with elected officials, justice system practitioners, policy makers, and thought leaders to effect significant reforms to promote safety and justice. Mr. Corr has served as an elected member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee since 2012, and has chaired the advisory board of the Haiti Development Studies Center at the University of Massachusetts since 2016.
Mr. Corr served on the national board of directors and the executive committee of the American Friends Service Committee from 2007 to 2010, and was co-chair of Peace Action's national board of directors from 2003 through 2007. From 2009 to 2012, He served on the board of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, a Boston-area nonprofit that assists and empowers both families who have lost children to homicide and families whose children have taken a life  while conducting education and advocacy work to raise awareness of the causes and consequences of violence on individuals, families, and communities.
Mr. Corr has attended the past 13 NACOLE annual conferences and has earned their Certified Practitioner of Oversight (CPO) credential. He holds certifications in Group Crisis Intervention and Post-Traumatic Stress Management/Psychological First Aid and has completed the Police Chaplain Twelve Core Courses Training through the International Conference of Police Chaplains, and has also completed a 35-hour train-the-trainer session in Trauma-Informed Policing. He graduated with a B.A. in Russian Literature and Language from the University of Michigan in 1986 and has completed the Negotiation and Leadership course at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
Work
Experience:
Department Head City of Cambridge, Cambridge, MA (2008 - present)
Executive Director, Police Review & Advisory Board: 2010 - present Manage and implement the work and investigations of the Board, which: receives complaints against the Cambridge Police Department and ensures their prompt, impartial, and fair investigation; reviews policies, practices and procedures of the police department; and develops programs and strategies to promote positive police/community relations.
Executive Director, Cambridge Peace Commission; 2008 - present Manage and implement the work of the Commission, a city department that: promotes peace and social justice within Cambridge and in the broader world through work with other municipal agencies, communities of faith, nonprofit organizations, and the wider community. It promotes constructive dialogue and fosters understanding, paying particular attention to traumatic events and violence affecting Cambridge and its residents while coordinating and supporting compassionate community responses to promote recovery and healing.
Statewide Field Organizer and Public Education Coordinator American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Boston, MA (2006 - 2008)
Developed and implemented the organization's first comprehensive statewide organizing efforts, including: organizing and supporting civil liberties task forces; building new and supporting existing ACLU chapters at colleges and law schools; speaking at community events, on panels, at rallies, and to the media; planning and implementing statewide public education programs; creating and managing the organization's speakers bureau.
Senior Staff Member Northeast Action, Boston, MA (1998 - 2005)
Director, Technical Training and Support, 2001 -2005; Senior Organizer, Money and Politics Project, 1998 -2001.
Associate Director Grassroots International, Boston, MA (1996 - 1998)
Director of Development Horizons for Homeless Children, Boston, MA (1995 - 1996)
Fundraising Coordinator, Graduated Income Tax Ballot Campaign Tax Equity Alliance for Massachusetts (TEAM), Boston, MA (1994)
Coalition Organizer YouthBuild USA, Somerville, MA (1993 - 1994)
Peace Action, Cambridge, MA and Ann Arbor, MI (1986 - 1993)
Massachusetts Program Director 1991-1993; Massachusetts Canvass Director, 1989-1991; National Support Team Field Staff, 1987-1989; Field Manager, 1986-1987.
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: BA in Russian Literature and Language, 1986.
CERTIFICATIONS AND COURSES
Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) Certification (2013 - present).
Certified Practitioner of Oversight, National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (September 2013 - present).
Police Chaplain Twelve Core Courses Basic Training, International Conference of Police Chaplains (June 2013).
Negotiation and Leadership Course Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (May 2012).
Post-Traumatic Stress Management/Psychological First Aid, Riverside Trauma Center (May 2011).
Basic 33-Hour Mediation Training, Community Dispute Settlement Center (September 2010).
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Board Member, Community Resources for Justice (2021 - present).
Board Member, Central Square Theater (2020 - present).
