The CEO of a Wisconsin foundation that helps ex-cons return to society said she wanted to "create a whole community for our sex offenders." Two years later, Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee County executive David Crowley (D.) spoke at the group's annual gala, saying, "Milwaukee County, we share in your vision."
It Takes a Village Foundation, which boasts that it has helped nearly 4,000 ex-convicts reenter society through services like online classes, job training, and housing, was founded in 2020 by Shawna Whitehead. In 2022, Whitehead discussed her work during an appearance on the At The Roundtable podcast.
"It really bothers me that we have sex offenders that's coming out of the jail now … and you mean to tell me they have nowhere to go," Whitehead said. "So you got these people out here like leprosy. So my thing is that I'm trying to challenge—and God showed me I want to get some partners together where we buy some land, and we start building houses and create a whole community for our sex offenders." When the podcast's hosts did not respond to the remarks, Whitehead said, "See, it's outside the box. I know everybody got quiet on that one."
Two years later, in November 2024, Crowley was the featured speaker at It Takes a Village's annual gala, where he showered praise on Whitehead.
"I want to tell you, Dr. Whitehead, that Milwaukee County, we share in your vision," he said at the November 2024 event. "So whether it's workforce development, whether it's investing in affordable housing, or creating easier pathways for mental health support or substance use treatment, we are standing beside you to foster a more equitable and compassionate Milwaukee County."
"It's going to take all of us working together, and not just to move the vision of Milwaukee County forward, but to move the vision of Dr. Shawna and many of the community leaders that are in here today," he continued. "So I want you all to know that I am here with you all. That we're going to continue to support and move this county forward. I don’t care what the perceptions are. I don't care what the narrative is."
Crowley's promise to support Whitehead and her foundation comes as the county executive faces a tight gubernatorial race against Rep. Tom Tiffany (R.), who has placed crime at the center of his campaign.
"For years, he has supported policies that would weaken criminal penalties," Tiffany said of Crowley at a recent event highlighting an endorsement from the Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police. "David Crowley supported legislation to lower penalties for bail jumping. He voted against allowing judges to consider a defendant's criminal record, the seriousness of the crime and the threat to public safety when setting bail."
Promoting sex offenders appears routine for It Takes a Village. Its website features a video testimonial from Kevin Pettis, who was convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a child in 2002. Though the group highlights Pettis as a success story of its reentry program, Wisconsin's sex offender registry lists him as "non-compliant," meaning he isn't "meeting registration requirements with the Sex Offender Registry Program," according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections website.
That appears to be a trend for Pettis. He was convicted in 2017 for a sex registry violation and faced the same charge in 2024—a warrant for his arrest was issued the same day, court records show.
It Takes a Village did not respond to questions about whether it knew Pettis was "non-compliant." His testimony was published around the start of this year, archives of the foundation's website show. It's unclear when he completed the reentry program.
Whitehead, meanwhile, seems more concerned with protecting criminal behavior than avoiding it. In a book she coauthored, A Successful Way to Entrepreneurship and Obtaining Wealth, Whitehead recommends "opening an offshore account" to secure "asset protection from lawsuits" and "[d]ecrease vulnerability."
