OUR PRE CONFERENCE & KEYNOTE PRESENTERS

Isela Arras is the immigration project administrator for the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association (KDVA) and serves as a liaison and resource to KDVA’s member programs that are working with immigrant and refugee women and their children. Ms. Arras works with the KDVA/KASAP Immigrant Women and Refugee Taskforce, which provides training statewide on cultural competency, language accessibility, immigration issues and public benefits as they apply to immigrant and refugee victims of violence. Her work includes providing technical assistance to partner agencies that work directly with immigrant communities.

Caroline Bettinger-López is the deputy director of the Human Rights Institute and a clinical staff attorney and lecturer in the Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School. Ms. Bettinger-López focuses on international human rights law and advocacy, including the implementation of human rights norms at the domestic level. Her main regional focus is the United States and Latin America, and her principal areas of interest include domestic violence and violence against women, gender and race discrimination, and immigrants’ rights. At Columbia, Ms. Bettinger-López helps to coordinate the Human Rights in the U.S. Project and the Bringing Human Rights Home Lawyers’ Network. Prior to joining Columbia, Ms. Bettinger-López clerked for Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. in the Eastern District of New York and worked as a Skadden Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union, Women’s Rights Project. At the ACLU she focused on employment and
housing discrimination against domestic violence victims and low-wage immigrant women workers.

Cynthia Fraser provides training, analysis and technical assistance to address ways that technology safety, accessibility, and privacy issues impact victims of stalking, domestic and sexual violence at NNEDV’s Safety Net: National Safe & Strategic Technology Project. During 18 years working to end violence in the US and Canada, she has worked for local hotline, shelter, court, and victim advocacy organizations, trained multi-disciplinary groups, and worked in national policy and research. Her experience building capacity and promoting safer technology practices includes six years working for a communications-technology project at the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

John E. Guard, IV is the community operations’ division chief of the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office in Greenville, North Carolina. Prior to joining the department in 1996, he was with the Ayden Police Department. Chief Guard received his AAS from Pitt Community College in 1991 and was a graduate of basis law enforcement training in 1992. He has many achievements such as Officer of the Year nominee, J. Stannard Baker Award for Highway Safety Nominee, Above and Beyond Award, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Law Enforcement Award, North Carolina Victim
Assistance Network. Chief Guard is a highly respected lecturer and member of several advocacy committees and groups in North Carolina.

Sterling Harris works for the Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) in Duluth, Minnesota and has worked in the movement to eradicate sexual and domestic violence for the past five years with organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Wyoming, the Department of Family Services and the Albany County SAFE Project, a dual domestic and sexual violence crisis program. She is a facilitator of the first Safety and Accountability Audit in the country to address the response to Native women who report sexual assault. Her work also includes providing social action workshops and community education for young men and women; direct advocacy to survivors; and creating institutional change within systems so they can better respond to victims of sexual assault. She moved to Duluth, MN in 2006 to attend the Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership (MAPL) Program at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is in the process of completing her degree.

Anne Munch, JD, is the owner of Anne Munch Consulting, Inc. and works full time providing speaking, training and consulting in the area of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. She is a recognized subject matter expert in her field, and provides her services to local, national and military organizations all across the United States and in Europe. She is on the teaching faculty for the American Prosecutors Research Institute, the National Judicial Education Program, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Ms. Munch spent seven years as a prosecutor for the Denver D.A.’s office including a rotation in the felony domestic violence and sexual assault unit; two years as the Chief Deputy District Attorney for the 7th Judicial District in Telluride, Colorado, and two years as the supervisor of the fast track domestic violence unit in the Jefferson County DA’s office in Golden, Colorado. In addition to her work as a prosecutor, Ms. Munch was the director of the San Miguel Resource Center, a domestic violence and sexual assault program in Telluride, Colorado and directed the Ending Violence Against Women Project, a statewide multi-disciplinary training and technical assistance project in Colorado for nine years. She attended the University of Denver for her undergraduate and graduate studies and received a BA in psychology and sociology, and then her law degree.

David Pelcovitz, PhD, a clinical child psychologist, is the Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Professor of Jewish Education at Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. Prior to joining the YU faculty in 2004, Dr. Pelcovitz was clinical professor of psychology in psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and director of psychology at North Shore University Hospital-NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Pelcovitz co-authored with his father, Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz, Balanced Parenting: A Father and a Son – A Rabbi and a Psychologist – Examine Love and Limits in Raising Children (Shaar Press: 2005).

Lynn Rosenthal has 25 years experience in women's services as an activist, administrator and organizer. She currently serves as the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Ms. Rosenthal was previously the executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence in Washington, DC where she lobbied Congress on the Violence Against Women Act and partnered with corporations to bring resources to communities to address domestic violence.

Viki Sharp spent 30 years as a crime victim advocate beginning as a crisis intervention volunteer at the Pima County Attorney’s Victim Witness Program and ultimately becoming the program director and leading the program to international acclaim. Currently, Ms. Sharp works as an employee assistance program administrator for the Arizona Department of Corrections where she creates and oversees prevention and crisis response programs for more than 10,000 employees. As a prior consultant for the National District Attorney’s Association, and a current consultant for the Office for Victims of Crime, Ms. Sharp assisted programs and program managers across the country in establishing and expanding victim services. She also provided extensive training in crisis intervention, communication, vicarious trauma, and victimology to law enforcement and victim service providers nationwide and internationally including New Zealand, and Japan. In June of 1996, Ms. Sharp was a member of NOVA team 5 that responded to Bosnia to provide war trauma relief and in October of 2004, she assisted Florida hurricane survivors. Notable awards include a Presidential award from President Bill Clinton for victim advocacy, the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, and the FBI Community Service Award. She also served several terms on the executive board of the Arizona Coalition for Victim Services and the executive board of NOVA (National Organization for Victim Assistance). Ms. Sharp holds a BS in education and M.ed. in counseling and guidance from the University of Arizona.

Rebecca St. George started working for Mending the Sacred Hoop in 1997 where she has worked as an advocate, a trainer, a training coordinator, and a batterers’ intervention group facilitator. As of January 2009, Ms. St. George is coordinating the Sacred Hoop Coalition, Minnesota’s state-wide tribal domestic violence coalition. Previously, she co-coordinated a Safety and Accountability Audit of the systems response to Native women reporting sexual assault in and around Duluth, MN. In addition to working with Mending the Sacred Hoop, Ms. St. George sits on the board of directors for American Indian Community Housing, a transitional housing and battered women’s shelter for Native women, on the Circle Keepers/Board of Directors for the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and is on the steering committee for Minnesota’s Northeast Project to End Long-Term Homelessness. Ms. St. George volunteers as an advocate with the Program to Aid Victims of Sexual Assault, where she is also a member of Duluth’s Sexual Assault Multi-disciplinary Action Response Team (SMART).

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky has been working with trauma survivors for over two decades. After regularly spending nights volunteering in a homeless shelter at age 18, she went on to work with survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, acute trauma and natural disasters. Also active in community organizing and social-justice movements, she has acquired an intimate knowledge of the toll that trauma can take on those who are called to help. With her theory of Trauma Stewardship she combines the age-old wisdom of traditions from around the globe with the most cutting-edge contemporary research, inviting those of us who have been exposed to hardship, suffering, or trauma, whether directly or indirectly, to reinvent how we approach caring for others and ourselves. She has shared her practice of Trauma Stewardship nationally and internationally with a broad array of workers—from community organizers and health care workers in Japan to zookeepers and reconstruction volunteers in the post Katrina New Orleans. Ms. van Dernoot Lipsky continues her work with Trauma Stewardship, collaborating with others to develop sustainable work practices and maintaining a private counseling practice for individuals. She is also the founder and director of a Spanish-language preschool and grade school enrichment program that offers an environmental and social-justice curriculum.

Sheriff Craig Webre graduated from Nicholls State University where he studied criminal justice and received an associate’s degree. During this time, he began his law enforcement career by becoming a police officer for the City of Thibodaux. From the Thibodaux Police Department, he joined the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office and thereafter went to work for the Louisiana State Police. He worked as a State Trooper for over nine years before running for Sheriff in 1991. During that time Sheriff Webre continued to pursue his education and obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Loyola University. In 1988, he was awarded an academic scholarship to Loyola Law School. While a senior in law school, he offered himself as a candidate for Sheriff of Lafourche Parish and defeated a 16-year incumbent. In May
of 1992, Sheriff Webre graduated from law school. Two months later he was sworn in as Sheriff and shortly thereafter, successfully completed the Louisiana State Bar Exam. In 1995 he was re-elected to his second term as Sheriff. He also serves as an adjunct professor for both Nicholls State University and Loyola University’s Master of Criminal Justice Program. In 1999, Sheriff Webre won a landslide third term victory. This was followed by a fourth term victory in 2003. Under his leadership, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office has become one of only two sheriff’s offices in Louisiana to achieve National Accreditation. Since that time, Sheriff Webre has been elected by his peers to serve as president for the
National Sheriff’s Association for 2007-2008.

  OUR WORKSHOP PRESENTERS

Allegra Carpenter, JD, a native New Mexican and partner at McGinn, Carpenter, Montoya & Love, P.A., has represented victims in some of New Mexico’s highest profile civil cases, including the Hollywood Video murders, nursing home abuse cases, judge sexual misconduct, and most recently on behalf of a 25 year-old convenience store clerk and mother of three who, working alone, was abducted, raped and murdered after the store was targeted for robbery. In peer rankings, Ms. Carpenter has been selected to appear twice in “Best Lawyers in America”. She is a former adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law teaching trial advocacy skills. She trains lawyers nationwide in methods to effectively communicate to juries and is a frequent presenter at the New Mexico Victim Advocates
Training in Socorro, New Mexico.

Stella Gallegos, MSW, LISW, DFC, is the director of training for the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, and is a certified instructor with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety. She has been working in the field of sexual assault for the past thirty years, traveling extensively throughout the state training professionals who deal with victims and offenders of sexual abuse.

Francine M. Garcia, MA, is the victim services coordinator for the New Mexico Corrections Department where she is responsible for providing information, assistance and advocacy to crime victims during the corrections process. Ms. Garcia is also responsible for victim awareness and sensitivity training to the Corrections Department’s probation and parole officers and prison staff. She served on the Governor’s Victims’ Rights Alliance in 2006 and 2007 and currently serves on the New Mexico Domestic Violence Leadership Commission. Ms. Garcia holds a M.A. and B.S. in Criminal Justice from the New Mexico State University and Eastern New Mexico University respectively.

Elena Giacci is currently the anti-sexual violence specialist at Sacred Circle. She has served as the executive director of the State Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women and as member of the board for the Domestic Violence Learning Collaborative and the NM Governors Victim Alliance. She is an executive member of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women and Children, co-chair of the Albuquerque Mayor’s Sexual Assault Task force and a member of the New Mexico Intimate Partner Death Review Team. She has over 20 years experience in the violence against women field and has a BA in Criminal Justice. Ms. Giacci is dedicating her time to the subject of oppression and violence against women. She worked to develop and implement a TANF statewide training project which included understanding violence against women issues. She attributes her knowledge in the area of advocacy to the numerous women who have honored her with their stories and friendship. She has made a commitment to address social issues that affect the health and well being of Indian people and barriers that oppress Indian women and children. As a national trainer she has also provided statewide, county, local, and tribal training in communities. Ms. Giacci also is a trainer in working with media and developing media relations and for over seven years, has produced and directed a “Stop the Violence” TV show in
Albuquerque.

Karen Herman, PhD, holds a doctorate in social work from Rutgers University. She is a consultant, life coach, and researcher with over 15 years of experience in working with individuals and organizations to address domestic and sexual violence, child abuse, and social change. Dr. Herman is the author of Art, Violence, & Social Change: Challenging Violence Against Women and Girls Through Entertainment Education. She is founder and president of Sky Mountain Wild Horse Sanctuary.

Detective Julie Jessen has been with the Albuquerque Police Department since January 1995. She has been in the Domestic Violence and Stalking Unit for over six years and is considered by many as an expert in this field. She is sought out and teaches many classes to new cadets at the Police Academy, advanced training to police officers, victim advocate training, probation/parole officer training and teaching various groups throughout the city and state. Detective Jessen serves on numerous boards including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) and Resources, Inc. This is her second year teaching a class at Wilson Middle School to students who are interested in learning about teen dating violence and what it takes to become a police officer.

Colleen McCarney has been with the New Mexico Corrections Department since 1990. She started as a correctional officer, and rececived numerous promotions, most recently to Deputy Classification Bureau Chief. In this role she is responsible for supervising and advising bureau level classification managers, facility classification staff; reviewing and updating classification relevant policies; developing and facilitating training for all classification staff, unit managers, contract monitors and outside agencies; as well as oversight of initial classification of inmates arriving at the Reception and Diagnostic Center in Los Lunas. Ms. McCarney graduated with honors from the University of Phoenix with a bachelor of science in information technology.

Carole McKindley-Alvarez, PsyD, has been an administrator for mental health and medical programs for over 10 years. Her areas of expertise are family, community, and gender violence, cross-cultural studies, and the psychological assessment. She is a professor for undergraduate and graduate programs within the San Francisco, Bay Area. As a professor she created a course exploring family violence across the life span which covers domestic violence, sexual violence, elder abuse, and child abuse. Through collaboration with the City and County of San Francisco she created a curriculum to address the impact of domestic violence on children. Most recently Dr. McKindley-Alvarez served as the division director for Senior Services and Tenderlion Family Program at Family Service Agency of San Francisco where she addressed issues of aging for dual diagnosis older adults and intervention and prevention needs for all ages. She is committed to increasing the overall quality of life for individuals and working toward the eradication of family and community violence.

Shannon McReynolds is the general manager of the New Mexico Corrections Department in Albuquerque. He received his BS in Criminal Justice Administration in 2007 and has lived in the metro area for over 30 years.

Lisa Morad-McCoy, LISW, has worked as a clinical social worker at Para Los Niños for over eight years, doing crisis counseling and education for families who have been affected by sexual abuse and sexual assault. While at Para Los Niños, Ms. Morad-McCoy created and currently facilitates a group for adolescent girls who have been sexually assaulted. The group combines an educational and therapeutic approach that was created to decrease the incidence of multiple sexual assaults among teens.

Anna Nelson, LISW, is a licensed independent social worker providing direct services, programmatic consultation and policy development in New Mexico for the past ten years. Ms. Nelson possesses expertise in trauma-informed, gender-responsive behavioral health services to families who are involved with child protective services, juvenile justice, and adult corrections. In 2008, Ms. Nelson developed and promoted New Mexico’s first Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention week, an initiative endorsed by Governor Richardson. Currently, Ms. Nelson is the owner of Unidad Creative Visions for Change, the facilitator of the RESPECT Women and Girls Behavioral Health Collaborative and strives to develop a statewide system of behavioral healthcare guided by the principles of gender responsiveness, trauma and stigma-reduction, and cultural relevance through collaboration.

Renée Ornelas, MD, is the director of Para Los Niños and the medical examiner for the Pediatric Sex Abuse Team. She is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico, School of Medicine. She is an expert in the medical evaluation of children with child sexual abuse concerns. She has taught professionals about this area of practice and testifies in court throughout New Mexico.

Melissa Ortiz is the contracts monitor for the NM Corrections Department, where she has worked in a variety of positions since 1998. She received her Assoicate of Science in Criminal Justince in 2001 from the Univeristy of New Mexico.

James Schwar, PhD, is an Elder Care Series instructor for the Workforce Training Center at CNM (Central New Mexico Community College). He received a PhD in gerontology from the Graduate Center for Gerontology, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky. Dr. Schwar is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine manager of health education in Division of Prevention and Population Sciences in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of New Mexico and is on faculty with Webster University’s Gerontology program. He has served as a nursing home ombudsman, elder health insurance counselor, and elder care assistance specialist. His research interests are global aging, globalization, social policy on aging, and preventive-primary and long-term elder care systems, particularly in the Americas and post-Cold War Cuba.

Mark Sparks works in sales and marketing for a small company that performs genetic testing for prognosis and potential response to chemotherapy for breast cancer patients. He helped Peggy Klinke to get a job in the pharmaceutical sales industry, who he met in 2002 and dated for about nine months. They were together through the arson of his home, being chased in the streets of Albuquerque by unknown assailants hired by Peggy’s ex-boyfriend, and eventually her death in January 2003. Mr. Sparks subsequently spoke out against stalking and domestic violence at a conference in Albuquerque with over 500 attendees and has spoken in Washington D.C. on behalf of the National Center for Victims of Crime which was attended by Congressional staffers, Vice President Joe Biden, and Erin Brockovich, where he gave personal perspectives of the fear and frustration of trying to live your life with a stalker.

Sergeant Paul Szych has been in law enforcement for 17 years and in investigations for approximately five years. He supervises the Albuquerque Police Department FASTT Unit (family abuse stalking training team), which falls under the criminal investigations/violent crimes section and has supervised detectives during dozens of high lethality stalking investigations and high profile celebrity stalking investigations. Sgt. Szych developed new standard operating proceedures and protocol for APD involving domestic violence and stalking investigations. He has also been the on-scene violent crimes’ supervisor for several homicide, robbery, sex crimes, and domestic violence cases.

Jennifer Thompson, MSW, LISW, has worked at PB&J Family Services for the past seven years and is currently the prison program director. She has the opportunity to work with parents and children currently in the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility and the Los Lunas Men’s Correctional Facility at Level 1 and Level 2 providing parenting classes and visitation. She also has worked in local schools to provide groups for children of incarcerated parents.

Amy Whitfield has been working with the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico since 2006. She has a degree in criminal justice and received her masters in social work from the University of Maine. Her education includes an internship with the Nebraska Anti-Defamation League researching hate crimes and an international study in Belgium working with victims of Human Trafficking as an educator and advocate. Ms. Whitfield has chosen to work in the field of sexual violence because she is passionate about preventing sexual violence, particularly in communities that face violence at an alarmingly higher rate, including incarcerated populations.

For a scholarship application, go to www.cvrc.state.nm.us/AIA.html