Sunny Schnitzer is a policy advisor at the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). In this role, Ms. Schnitzer provides policy oversight, develops funding solicitations and recommendations, and directs training and technical assistance for several of BJA’s grant programs.
Ms. Schnitzer’s portfolio includes the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program,
the Community-based Approaches to Prevent and Address Hate Crimes Program, the Emmett Till Cold Case Homicide Program, and the Capital Case Litigation Training and Technical Assistance Program.

Ms. Schnitzer also supports the Phoenix, Arizona, Police Department through BJA’s National Public Safety Partnership Program.

Prior to her role at BJA, Ms. Schnitzer was the deputy mayor for public safety in Baltimore, Maryland, overseeing the City’s public safety and health agencies. In this role, she helped establish a 9-1-1 diversion program, facilitated several cross-agency violence reduction initiatives, and oversaw the ongoing activation of the City’s emergency operations center in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to serving in this role, Ms. Schnitzer held positions in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Everytown for Gun Safety, and the Police Executive Research Forum. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in political science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and her master of science degree in criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.