Special Committee on Gun Violence Prevention
Member Biographies

Darrell O’Connor has spent over 35 years as a Special Agent and Criminal Investigator for the US government. He’s has held a national security clearance and has conducted high profile  criminal investigations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States House of Representatives, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

At ATF, Darrell led in numerous firearms, explosives and arson investigations and prosecutions of violent individuals and criminal organizations while working closely with the Philadelphia Police Department, FBI, DEA, PA State Police, BNI and many other law enforcement agencies.

Darrell assisted in the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Terrorist Attack ,1996 Atlanta Olympics Centennial Park Bombing investigations and have participated in numerous U.S. Secret Service and U.S. State Department protection details for the President of the United States, Presidential Candidates and Foreign Dignitaries.

Currently, Darrell is President and CEO of operates O’Connor Investigative Services, based in Philadelphia and operates as a licensed private investigator and security consultant for private and public companies regarding legal and regulatory compliance, internal investigations, operational integrity, disaster recovery and background vetting.

Darrell O’Connor has spent over 35 years as a Special Agent and Criminal Investigator for the US government. He’s has held a national security clearance and has conducted high profile  criminal investigations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States House of Representatives, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

At the ATF, Darrell led in numerous firearms, explosives and arson investigations and prosecutions of violent individuals and criminal organizations while working closely with the Philadelphia Police Department, FBI, DEA, PA State Police, BNI and many other law enforcement agencies.

Darrell assisted in the 9/11/2001 World Trade Center Terrorist Attack, 1996 Atlanta Olympics Centennial Park Bombing investigations and has participated in numerous U.S. Secret Service and U.S. State Department protection details for the President of the United States, Presidential Candidates and Foreign Dignitaries.

Currently, Darrell is President and CEO of O’Connor Investigative Services, Based in Philadelphia, the firm operates as a licensed private investigator and security consultant for private and public companies regarding legal and regulatory compliance, internal investigations, operational integrity, disaster recovery and background vetting.

A man with a mission to serve, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson represents the 2nd District, which covers parts of Center City, South and Southwest Philadelphia and also includes the stadium area, Philadelphia International Airport, the Navy Yard and the Eastwick, Grays Ferry, Hawthorne and Point Breeze neighborhoods.

The youngest member of City Council, Johnson arrived on the political scene in 1998 determined to end gun violence through Peace Not Guns, an organization he founded after the murder of his cousin – to prevent violence through education and the creation of programs that would give youth an alternative to the streets. That activism led to a successful run for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served as State Representative for the 186th Legislative District from 2009 until 2012 when he took the oath of office for City Council.

Out to make a difference, Councilman Johnson has wasted no time doing the people’s work. In his first 12 months in office, he brokered a deal to save E.M. Stanton Elementary from closure; he committed $100,000 to rebuild the FDR Park playground destroyed by arson; and he successfully fought for the restoration of $3 million in funding for the city’s only abuse shelter – allowing it to add 100 more beds for victims of abuse.

He posted reward money which led to the arrest of a man sought in the murder of a mother of five, who was gunned down during a shootout in Grays Ferry. He established the Peace Not Guns Task Force, which fosters collaboration between city agencies and community groups to help stem gun violence. He also introduced and obtained Council passage for the City’s Affordable Housing Initiative, which supports the construction of housing that is priced so that Point Breeze and two other rapidly changing neighborhoods remain accessible to all.

In addition, he backed postponement of the Mayor’s Actual Value Initiative until relief measures could be established to assist elderly and working-class residents, who will be adversely affected by the anticipated increase in property taxes after the citywide reassessments.

Councilman Johnson chairs the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities and the Legislative Oversight Committee. He also serves on the following committees: Finance; Streets and Services; Licenses and Inspections; Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs; Public Health and Human Services; Public Safety; Housing Neighborhood Development and the Homeless; and Technology and Information Services.

Councilman Johnson is committed to improving education, affordable housing, business development, public safety, job training and access to employment for his constituents in the 2nd District.

Michael DiBerardinis
Managing Director, City of Philadelphia

Michael DiBerardinis assumed his new role as Managing Director for the City of Philadelphia on January 4, 2016. As Managing Director, DiBerardinis reports directly to the Mayor and oversees and coordinates activity across most major operating departments of city government.

Once described by the Philadelphia Daily News as “a high-energy, no-bull official, who sees potential on the horizon at all times,” DiBerardinis is committed to providing quality day-to-day service to citizens while simultaneously implementing the major policy goals and initiatives of the Kenney Administration.

Prior to becoming Managing Director, DiBerardinis served as Deputy Mayor for Environmental and Community Resources. In that role, he provided leadership for departments that managed more than 10,000 acres of land, 150 recreation centers and playgrounds, 150 neighborhood and regional parks, 54 library branches and thousands of programs and events throughout Philadelphia.

As Commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation, DiBerardinis raised over $34 million in government grants, philanthropic funding and private partnerships; oversaw the merger of the Fairmount Park Commission and the Department of Recreation; renovated City-owned ice skating rinks; restored summer swimming season at all public pools and expanded outdoor recreation offerings.

DiBerardinis’ portfolio included the Free Library of Philadelphia, where he has facilitated deeper connections between the library system and the School District of Philadelphia, preserved hours of afterschool programming in neighborhood branches and led a public/private fundraising initiative for building renovations.

DiBerardinis previously served the citizens of Pennsylvania as the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources under Governor Edward G. Rendell. In this Cabinet-level position, he protected 150,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania—more than had been conserved in the previous 30 years combined—and led the creation/development of Pennsylvania Wilds, a project that dramatically increased economic development and ecotourism in Pennsylvania’s northern counties.

DiBerardinis’ long history of public administration includes serving as Recreation Commissioner to the City of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2000, where he developed a preventative maintenance program for facilities, reopened previously shuttered swimming pools and playgrounds, established employee training procedures and increased variety and access to recreational programs, resulting in the addition of 28,000 participants.

At his core, DiBerardinis remains the community organizer he was in the 1970s, deeply committed to connecting with citizens—understanding their expectations, considering their solutions, negotiating their contributions—and providing the good government that all Philadelphia neighborhoods deserve.

DiBerardinis and his wife, Joan Reilly, are parents of four children and longtime residents of the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia. He enjoys fly-fishing, bird watching, gardening, cooking and learning the Italian language.