Chauntel R. Gerdes

LMSW, Community Mobilization Strategist

Chauntel R. Gerdes, LMSW is an experienced trauma therapist and community mobilization strategist specializing in sexual and intimate partner violence prevention and response. With over 13 years of experience in the social work field, she has worked in the anti-violence community of New York City for the past 10 years, connecting survivors to services and engaging communities in dialogue around prevention, bystander intervention and crisis response. Her work has focused on program development, inter-agency collaboration, community relationship and coalition building, and volunteer coordination and training. In 2015, she helped co-found OutSmartNYC, a collective of organizations and stakeholders organized to mobilize, train and provide supportive services to the nightlife and hospitality industries in order to prevent violence. 

Currently, Chauntel resides in Philadelphia, PA. She provides consultancy to businesses and organizations and speaks publicly on various topics including trauma, community building, and violence prevention. She also serves on the board of La Casa Mandarina, an agency based in Mexico City providing advocacy, supportive services and training to survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence.