Meet Our Team
President
Our President, Wayne Rawlins, founded Ummah Futures International over two decades ago. Since founding UFI, he has served as Executive Director of Miami-Dade Weed and Seed (from 1997-2002), in which he adopted several nationally recognized initiatives and received the honor of the Director's Community Leadership Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Following this tenure, Mr. Rawlins was the lead consultant for Project Safe Neighborhoods (from 2003-2012), a multi-agency coalition with over 150 service providers all working to reduce gun violence in South Florida. Mr. Rawlins is recognized by the National Network of Safe Communities as the premier project manager in the public safety realm. Click here to download a copy of Mr. Rawlins' resume.
Director of Development
Ms. Charona R. Lott is a devoted advocate of gun violence prevention. Her public service career started in 1999 while working as a Recreational Specialist in the Miami-Dade Parks & Recreation Department. Prior to taking a leadership position in the Juvenile Services Department, Ms. Lott served as a Juvenile Services Counselor and Supervisor at the Juvenile Assessment Center from 2006 - 2018. In 2018, in her role as Program Director of Anti-Violence, Prevention & Outreach, Ms. Lott developed several collaborative initiatives and was the direct contact for the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department.
During her five year tenure, Ms. Lott played a vital role in the creation of the Miami-Dade County Anti-Violence Initiative, Group Violence Intervention Program, and the Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program. These programs assisted in the decrease of gun violence in Miami-Dade County’s most violent neighborhoods. Ms. Lott’s gun violence prevention expertise has led her to speak at national conferences where she highlighted best practices.In December 2023, Ms. Lott joined Ummah Futures International as its Director of Programs and City of Miami Police Department’s Group Violence Intervention Project Manager. Ms. Lott has always had a passion for the sport of track & field, in 2016 she started Honest Runners of North Miami, Inc. where, along with her coaching staff, she trains children ages 6-17 years old. Ms. Lott holds a Master of Science in Justice Administration from St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida.
During her five year tenure, Ms. Lott played a vital role in the creation of the Miami-Dade County Anti-Violence Initiative, Group Violence Intervention Program, and the Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program. These programs assisted in the decrease of gun violence in Miami-Dade County’s most violent neighborhoods. Ms. Lott’s gun violence prevention expertise has led her to speak at national conferences where she highlighted best practices.In December 2023, Ms. Lott joined Ummah Futures International as its Director of Programs and City of Miami Police Department’s Group Violence Intervention Project Manager. Ms. Lott has always had a passion for the sport of track & field, in 2016 she started Honest Runners of North Miami, Inc. where, along with her coaching staff, she trains children ages 6-17 years old. Ms. Lott holds a Master of Science in Justice Administration from St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida.
Assistant Project Manager
Meghan Scott joined the Ummah Futures International team as the Director of Special Projects in June of 2023 and was recently promoted to the Assistant Project Manager. She comes to UFI with a background in criminology and an expertise in gun violence. Ms. Scott recently oversaw the launch of the ResourceRouter Community Project, the development of the 2024 Reentry Resource Guide app, and also assists in the day-to-day operations of Ummah Futures.
Site Visits
We have hosted several jurisdictions to learn from our work here in Miami-Dade County. If you are interested in joining the below list of jurisdictions, please explore our website to see what services you are interested in and contact us.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Memphis, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Columbus, Ohio
Copenhagen, Denmark
Memphis, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Columbus, Ohio