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Save the date for the 2018

23 ^rd Annual

BISC-MI Conference:

November 14 ^th -16 ^th , 2018

November 14 ^th -16 ^th , 2018

RADISSON HOTEL LANSING AT THE CAPITOL

111 N. Grand Avenue, Lansing MI 48933

A Groundbreaking International Conference to explore and examine the impact of religion/faith/spirituality on battering intervention practice and programs!

The Battering Intervention Services Coalition of Michigan (BISC-MI) 2018 Annual Conference is entitled,  Religion, Faith, Spirituality, Science & Research: Engaging for Safety and Accountability .  Participants will have the opportunity to expand knowledge, perceptions, and experiences. This conference will explore the impact of connecting the field of battering intervention with the often contradictory and complicated issues of religion, faith, spirituality, incorporating principles of science and research.

Engaging  faith communities, and developing strategies to address the personal religious/faith/spiritual beliefs, can provide important, meaningful pathways for intervention and change for many who participate in battering intervention programs. Examining the multiple and overlapping contexts regarding the historical impact of a wide range of religious institutions, faith beliefs and spiritual practices is critical to this process. Applying recent research and advances in science to inform practice is an essential component.

Join BISC-MI as we continue the tradition of providing exciting, relevant, and innovative conferences to advance the field of battering intervention!

Information on

REGISTRATION coming soon!

Ron Clark

Ron Clark is the minister for the Agape Church of Christ in downtown Portland. He has been in ministry for over 30 years. He is an adjunct instructor for Portland Seminary and is co-chair of the Pacific Northwest Society of Biblical Literature’s “World of Early Christianity and New Testament Scriptures” section for Biblical Scholars. He has authored books, chapters, and articles concerning Intimate Partner Violence and Theology, Biblical studies and ministry, and Marriage and Family Ministry. Ron has an Master’s of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Harding School of Theology in Memphis, TN.

He and his wife Lori planted Agape Church of Christ in downtown Portland in 2007 and lead ministries with various state, county, and local government agencies addressing houselessness, prostitution, abuse, trafficking, anti-hate measures, and developing healthy marriages. Ron has served on the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, Expert DV Witness program, and Portland Police Department’s Implicit Bias witness team. He has spoken and presented research throughout the US, North America, Europe, and Africa concerning Intimate Partner Violence, Theology, and Congregational Ministry. Ron and Lori have been married since 1987 and have three sons.

Fr. Charles W. Dahm, O.P.

Charles W. Dahm, O.P. is a Dominican priest and the Chicago Archdiocesan Director of Domestic Violence Outreach.

Fr. Chuck holds M.A.s in theology and philosophy from Aquinas Institute and a PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was co-founder of the 8th Day Center for Justice, a Catholic peace and justice center in Chicago, where he served for twelve years. During this period, Fr Chuck helped found and support several organizations, such as Illinois Citizens for Better Care, a nursing home advocacy organization, and the Chicago Religious Task Force on Central America, an organization working for an end to war and defense of human rights.

While pastor at St. Pius V parish, a large Hispanic parish in Chicago, for 21 years, Fr. Chuck helped found The Resurrection Project, an economic development corporation and community organization, of which he is currently president. He co-founded The Chicago Workers Collaborative, an advocacy organization for day laborers. He currently is a board member of San Jose Obrero Mission, a men’s and women's interim shelter and a board member of Parenting for Non Violence, which helps parents in violence ridden areas parent their children effectively.

While pastor at St. Pius V Fr. Chuck developed the largest parish-based domestic violence program in the U.S. He is currently the Director of Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Violence Outreach. He is a frequent lecturer and preacher on domestic violence. He has preached about domestic violence at all the weekend Masses in more than 125 parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago and developed ministry teams to raise awareness about domestic violence and respond to the needs of victims in most of them.

He is the author of two books: Power and Authority in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Cody in Chicago, and Parish Ministry in a Hispanic Community.

http://www.saintalbertthegreat.org/blog/Dahm 

Riane Eisler

Riane Eisler is an eminent social scientist, attorney, and human rights activist who pioneered the recognition of women’s and children’s rights as human rights. She is best known for her writings, including the international bestseller The Chalice and The Blade, translated into 26 languages and now in its 57 ^th US printing, with a new epilogue. Her other books include the Equal Rights Handbook on the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body, and The Real Wealth of Nations, hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as “a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking” and by Gloria Steinem as “revolutionary.”

Dr. Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies ( www.centerforpartnership.org), founder of the Center’s Caring Economy Campaign ( www.caringeconomy.org), and editor in chief of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies housed at the University of Minnesota. She consults to business and government about the partnership model introduced by her work, keynotes conferences worldwide, and teaches online courses about cultural and economic transformation. Her researach shows that equal partnership between women and men, as well as ending violence in families, are on the leading edge of the partnership movement. Dr. Eisler has received many honors for her work for women’s and children’s rights and peace, and is the only woman among 20 great thinkers, including Hegel, Adam Smith, and Marx, included in Macrohistory and Macrohistorians in recognition of the lasting importance of her work.

Contacts:

www.centerforpartnership.org;

www.rianeeisler.com;

[email protected]

Riane Eisler. (2015). “Preventing Violence against Women: Four Strategies.” In Women, War, and Violence: Typography, Resistance, and Hope, Volume 1. Mariam Kurtz and Lester Kurtz, editors. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Riane Eisler. (2015). Nurturing Children’s Humanity: Partnership Education.” Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies, 2 (2) Fall, Article 5. http://pubs.lib.umn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=ijps

Riane Eisler. (2015). “Can International Law Protect Half of Humanity? A New Strategy to Stop Violence against Women.” Journal of Aggression, Conflict, and Peace Research, 7(2), 88 - 100.

Riane Eisler. (2013). "Protecting the Majority of Humanity: Toward an Integrated Approach to Crimes against Present and Future Generations." In  Sustainable Development, International Criminal Justice, and Treaty Implementation, Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger and Sébastien Jodoin, editors Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.

Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune

Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune is a renowned author, lecturer, ethicist, theologian, and a pioneer in the movement to end domestic and sexual violence. Rev. Fortune founded the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, now known as FaithTrust Institute, in 1977.

In 1983, Fortune was the first theologian who wrote on the relationship between sexual violence and religion with her book, Sexual Violence: The Unmentionable Sin. It was revised with the 2005 release of Sexual Violence – The Sin Revisited. She was one of the first persons to call religious communities to accountability on the issue of sexual abuse by clergy. Her commitment has been to provide the spiritual, intellectual and practical resources to those who encounter victims, survivors and perpetrators of interpersonal violence. Her subsequent efforts have changed the way religious leaders and institutions respond to sexual and domestic violence.

She has authored several books on sexual ethics, sexual and domestic violence, and abuse by religious leaders. She also provided a forum for critical and in-depth discussions on religion and abuse with the founding of the Journal of Religion and Abuse, where she served as editor.

Rev. Fortune has served on the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women for the U.S. Department of Justice (1995–2000) and the Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence for the U.S. Department of Defense (2000–2003). In 2013, Rev. Dr. Fortune and Rev. Dr. Kristen Leslie, a professor at Eden Theological Seminary, were awarded a training contract with the United States Navy Chaplaincy School and Center for training Chaplains and Religious Program Specialists on pastoral care in cases of sexual assault.

Rev. Fortune has received many honors and awards for her work, including Alumni Award of Distinction, Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT; Social Prophet Award from the United Church of Christ; as well as Honorary Doctorates from Starr King School for the Ministry, Berkeley, CA and Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO.

“No one has done more to name and change the attitude and culture of the church about sexual and domestic violence than Marie Fortune. She has spoken out when it was difficult and given leadership where it is needed.”

– Rev. Dr. David Greenhaw, President of Eden Theological Seminary, 2014

Dexter R. Freeman, DSW, LCSW

Dexter Freeman is the Assistant Director of the Army – University of Kentucky Master of Social Work Program at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School at Joint-base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, TX. Prior to his current position, he served as the program’s director from its inception in 2008 until April 2013. Professor in the School of Social Work at Texas State University-San Marcos. Prior to taking this position he spent 20 years as a social work officer in the United States Army. He also was an assistant professor at Texas State University from August 2003 through December 2007 and served as an Army social worker from 1983 until August 2003. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Welfare from Austin Peay State University, a Master Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Georgia, and a Doctorate Degree in Social Work (DSW) from The Catholic University of America.

Dexter Freeman is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army. His assignments included serving as the chief of the Department of Social Work at the Fort Hood, Texas; Director of the Soldier and Family Support Training Branch at the Army Medical Department Center and School; Chief, Social Work Service, Fort Stewart, Georgia; Behavioral Science Coordinator, Family Practice Residency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Clinical Director, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Control Program, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Social Work Officer, United States Army Retraining Brigade. Dexter retired from the military in August 2003.

Dexter has served on the board of directors for Family Forward of Texas; the board of directors for the North American Association of Christians in Social Work; and currently on the editorial board of the Social Work and Christianity Journal and the Journal of Family Violence. He has written a number of book chapters and articles on ethics, ethical decision making, gatekeeping in social work practice, spiritual development in violent offenders, and a number of articles and presentations emphasizing the importance of infusing spirituality in clinical social work practice.

Anne L. Ganley, Ph.D.

Anne L. Ganley, Ph.D. is a psychologist. Her work In Domestic Violence field has spanned the past four decades. After 40 years of being based in Seattle, WA she semi retired to rural Tn. She continues her work in the field of Domestic Violence by serving as a consultant for variety of national projects and forensic cases. Along with her colleagues at the Coalition against Gendered Based Violence (https://endgv.org/),  she is consulting on a project to develop a model protocol for identifying domestic violence and its impact on victims and their children for protection order and family law courts, funded by the Office of Violence against Women. She serves on the national advisory committee for the national conference on Domestic Violence and Health Care.

Dr. Ganley is nationally known for her consultations, trainings, program supervision, and publications in the field of domestic violence for judges, probation officers, health care professionals, mental health professionals, child welfare workers, Guardian Ad Litem and CASA specialists, parenting evaluators, clergy, educators, law enforcement officers, lawyers, the military, and victim advocates. She served on a variety of national and local advisory boards addressing specific issues related to domestic violence for agencies such as: the Center for Disease Control, Injury Prevention Unit, Futures without Violence (formerly Family Violence Prevention Fund), US Department of Justice, US Marines, US Navy, US Department of Defense, and Department of Veterans Affairs.

For 20 years Dr. Ganley provided intervention programs for DV perpetrators as well as support groups for victims/survivors at two Veterans Administration medical centers. Grounded in this direct experience with the women, men, and children impacted by intimate partner violence, her work focuses on changing the systems' response to domestic violence. Her publications reflect this collaborative work.

Dr. Ganley has received multiple awards and honors for her work in the field of domestic violence such as Hall of Fame for Achievements in Domestic Violence Field, Washington State Coalition against Domestic Violence, 2014. WA. Distinguished Psychologist Award (2015, 1984), Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Domestic Violence and Health Conference, San Francisco (2007). Dr. Ganley received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Oregon (1976), MA Counseling Psychology (1969), University of New Mexico and BA in English (1966), from Bates College, Maine.

Robert Geffner, PhD, ABN, ABPP

Robert Geffner is President and Founder of a nonprofit international resource and training center, the Family Violence & Sexual Assault Institute (FVSAI) in Texas and now in California, dba the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT). He was a Professor of Psychology at UT-Tyler, now a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at Alliant International University in San Diego, and editor of four professional journals (including the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, Journal of Child Custody, and Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma). He has a Diplomate in Clinical Neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology, and is Board Certified in Couple & Family Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology.

He is a licensed clinician (Psychologist in CA and in TX, and Marriage & Family Therapist in CA) and directed a full-service private practice mental health clinic in East Texas for over 15 years prior to relocating to California 20 years ago. He has lectured and trained extensively nationally and internationally for over 35 years on the subjects of child abuse, domestic violence, trauma, forensic psychology, child custody, expert witness, human aggression, sexual assault and abuse, long term effects of adverse childhood experiences, the effects of abuse and victimization on the brain, neurobiology of trauma, prosecution of interpersonal violence and abuse cases, issues of child abuse and sexual offending for the defense of criminal cases, and diagnostic assessment. He has presented over 500 keynote addresses, plenaries, workshops, and seminars at international, national, regional, and state conferences. Dr. Geffner is a founding member and Past President of the American Psychological Association Division of Trauma Psychology, and he is immediate Past President of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan (NPEIV) and Past President of the American Academy of Couple & Family Psychology. He has been a researcher, trainer, practitioner, and consultant for 40 years.

Rabbi Marla R. Hornsten

Rabbi Marla Hornsten has served Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, since her ordination from HUC-JIR in 2000. She is involved in every aspect of rabbinic life from pastoral care to lifecycle events to a variety of programming. She is particularly engaged with Bunk 45, a camp style youth group for 4th and 5th graders, the 7th grade b’nai mitzvah program, the high school graduating class and connecting with college students. As the first woman rabbi at Temple Israel, she created a variety of women’s initiatives including a Rosh Chodesh spirituality group, mikveh tours and immersion experiences. She has written many healing services for both men and women using the mikveh, and considers herself the unofficial “mikveh lady” at Temple Israel.

Rabbi Hornsten is also committed to working to prevent domestic abuse in families and to guiding couples in establishing healthy relationships. To that end, she served as a co-chair of the Clergy Task to End Domestic Violence for Jewish Women International, and is still a member; and serves on both JCADA (Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse) and the OCCCADV (Oakland County Coordinating Council Against Domestic Violence). Rabbi Hornsten is the immediate Past-President of the Michigan Board of Rabbis, the Vice President of National programs for the Women’s Rabbinic Network, is an executive committee member of the Coalition for Black Jewish Unity in Detroit, is on the Board of Directors for Jewish Family Services, and is the chair of Jewish programming for the upcoming Maccabi Games in 2019.

 Rabbi Hornsten earned a B.A. in European Studies from Scripps College, an M.A. in Modern European History from the Claremont Graduate University; and an M.A. in Hebrew Letters from the HUC-JIR. Her rabbinic thesis was titled,Claiming Hagar: A Search for Identity in Rabbinic Midrash, which combined her love of text with her commitment to women and women’s identity.

Rabbi Hornsten is a native of Mercer Island, Washington, and makes frequent trips to the Pacific Northwest to visit her family. In her spare time, she enjoys the outdoors, keeping fit, being a soccer mom, cooking, knitting and crocheting which she learned from her grandmother, reading, playing violin, and watching Star Trek reruns among many other things.

She met her husband, Dr. Sheldon Stern, at Temple Israel (a match made by her fellow clergy) & they have 4 amazing children: Erica, Jessica, Benji & Danny.

Barb Jones

Barbara Jones-Schroyer has over 25 years experience working in the field of domestic violence as a facilitator of the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project’s (DAIP) men’s nonviolence classes. Barbara has also worked as a national and international trainer for the DAIP’s National Training Project for the past 20 years, teaching the Duluth Model to a diversity of communities responding to violence against women. Her background includes training counselors, women’s advocates, faith communities, military personnel and a variety of human service staff.

Barbara and Ty Schroyer in collaboration with the DAIP have created a culturally specific class for Christian men who use violence. As a part of the class, a faith based supplemental curriculum and video documentary was created, “Changing Men, Changing Lives (CMCL)” which provides a Christian perspective for organizations working to address domestic violence. Barbara has trained others in CMCL and has worked with churches to help them build infrastructures for victim safety, offender accountability and participation in a coordinated community response. She was one of the authors of DAIP’s revised curriculum and has worked as a Federal grant reviewer for the Office on Violence Against Women.

Barbara currently works for Boeing in mid-career leadership development and as an executive and leadership coach. With a colleague, she co-created a mindfulness and emotional intelligence class which is now being taught at Boeing.

Barbara has an MSW degree and a B.A. in Psychology and is a Certified Professional Coach. She is an activist and passionate about helping people discover their core values and how to grow into their potential.

She has been married for 26 years to Ty Schroyer, is the mother of three adult children, two grand-children and an adopted Airedale Terrier named Archie – a gentle soul. With her husband Ty, she enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking and biking in the great northwest and providing domestic violence trainings.

Bishop Roderick Mitchell

The life of the Lord Jesus Christ had its commencement in and through the life of Bishop Roderick Mitchell in June 1977. The continual pursuit of the life of Christ for him has been and still is enveloped in Colossians 2:6-7-"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

Bishop Mitchell is the Founder and Pastor of The New Life Church of Cleveland, Mississippi. He has served in this capacity for 24 years.

His life has been graced with spiritual covering through Covenant Connections International under the leadership of Apostle Nathaniel and Pastor Valerie Holcomb. It was under this leadership that he was consecrated to the office of Bishop in October of 2003.

He is a 2007 graduate of The SONSHIP SCHOOL OF The FIRSTBORN. He also has oversight of a SONSHIP satellite school in Cleveland, Mississippi.

For 31 years now, he has been united in marriage with his precious wife, Mary. God has graced their lives with one son, Isaac.

Chris Moles

Rev. Chris Moles is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Senior Pastor of Grace Community Chapel in Eleanor, WV and a Certified Biblical Counselor (ACBC). Chris is the author of the book,  The Heart of Domestic Abuse, Gospel Solutions for Men Who use Violence and Control in the Home.

A certified group facilitator in Batterer intervention and prevention Chris serves as a faculty member with the West Virginia Coalition against domestic violence state wide intervention training; B.A. in Bible from Cedarville College; M.A. in Biblical Counseling from Faith Bible Seminary.

http://www.chrismoles.org/

Nancy Nason-Clark, Ph.D. FRSC

Nancy Nason-Clark is a (recently retired) professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick (in Canada) and the director of the RAVE Project, a research initiative that was funded by the Lilly Endowment www.theraveproject.org. She is the author of numerous books, including Religion and Intimate Partner Violence (with Fisher-Townsend, Holtmann and McMullin; Oxford University Press, 2017), Men Who Batter (with Fisher-Townsend; Oxford University Press, 2015), Overcoming Conflicting Loyalties (with Sevcik, Rothery, and Pynn; University of Alberta Press, 2015) and No Place for Abuse (with Kroeger, IVP, 2 ^nd ed., 2010). She has served as President of three professional organizations—the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, the Association for the Sociology of Religion, and the Religious Research Association—and two terms as editor of the professional journal, Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review. Nancy has addressed audiences in Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Caribbean and eastern Europe.

Website:   theraveproject.org

Religion and Intimate Partner Violence: Understanding the Challenges and Proposing Solutions by Nancy Nason-Clark et al. (Oxford University Press, 2017)

Men Who Batter by Nancy Nason-Clark and Barbara Fisher-Townsend (Oxford University Press, 2015)

Julie A. Owens

In 1988 Julie and her prominent pastor father survived a domestic violence (DV) attempted murder by her estranged husband. Her story is told in FaithTrust Institute's documentary "Broken Vows: Religious Perspectives on Domestic Violence", the TV series “When Love Hurts”, and several books including Domestic Violence: What Every Pastor Needs to Know and The Wonder Years: 40 Women Over 40 on Aging, Faith, Beauty and Strength. After healing, Julie began co-facilitating victim groups, organizing survivors and lobbying for new and improved laws. She developed and provided DV training for physicians, an on-call ER crisis team, a DV counselor training program, a DV ministry and free transitional DV shelter at her father’s church, and an interfaith DV coalition. Subsequently she directed DV and sexual assault trauma research at the National Center for PTSD. After returning to the U.S. mainland, Julie coordinated DV efforts in an urban mental health system and oversaw multiple victim service agencies for the state of N.C.

Julie and sociologist Dr. Nancy Nason-Clark worked extensively with the late Biblical scholar Dr. Catherine Clark Kroeger to offer international conferences on DV and faith issues, and later contributed chapters in a book series they created for pastors. “A Survivor Looks Back: What I Wish Pastors had Known When I was Looking for Help,” is in Beyond Abuse in the Christian Home: Raising Voices for Change, and was followed by chapters in Strengthening Families and Ending Abuse: Churches and their Leaders Look to the Future and Responding to Abuse in Christian Homes: A Challenge to Churches and their Leaders. She also served as one of the four North American Site Coordinators for the development of Dr. Nason-Clark’s web-based resource, the Religion And Violence E-learning project (www.theraveproject.com).

For many years Julie has consulted and trained nationally and internationally for both secular and faith-based entities. In 2011 was hired by the U.S. Department of State to provide extensive nationwide training in the Republic of Kosovo.

In 2013, after being stalked for many years and testifying against her abuser in a subsequent case, Julie learned that he was terminally ill. She and her 24 year old son met with him and the resulting restorative justice experience was transformative and healing for all three individuals. No longer having safety concerns, Julie was able to establish an internet presence. Six months later an old boyfriend found her on-line. IN 2014 they were married by her father in a joyous celebration.

Julie retired in 2015 but travels widely with her husband for work as an expert witness, consultant and trainer for entities such as the DOJ Office for Victims of Crime and the DHHS National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center where she is an expert consultant. In 2017 she co-wrote the national toolkit and screening guide for assisting adult victims of human trafficking for the U.S. She has been the trainer and consultant for Bank of America’s team that addresses DV issues involving employees in the U.S since its inception in 2015.

Her primary training focus is best practices in victim advocacy in both secular and faith-based settings. Her passion is achieving social justice for women and girls by advancing global gender equality and establishing violence against women as a human rights violation.

Michael Paymar

Michael Paymar is the executive director of Education for Critical Thinking an organization committed to ending gender violence. He is a co-founder of the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP) Men's Program with the late Ellen Pence and other advocates. In 2014, on behalf of the DAIP, Michael accepted the Gold Policy Award for helping to create the Duluth Model by the World Futures Council in conjunction with UN Women and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.Michael and Ellen Pence authored Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter one of the most widely used treatment programs for offenders in the country. Michael Paymar and Ellen Pence also wrote the award-winning documentary With Impunity: Men and Gender Violence.

Michael is the author of the book Violent No More: Helping Men End Domestic Abuse. The 3rd edition of the book and accompanying workbook for offenders was released this year by Turner Publishers.  Michael served on the Duluth City Council for eight years and the Minnesota House of Representatives for 18 years. In the Minnesota House of Representatives, Michael chaired the Public Safety Committee which has oversight over the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Department of Corrections, Department of Human Rights and crime victim programs. He was a leader in combating sex-trafficking, providing funding for domestic abuse and sexual assault programs, prison reform, human rights and gun violence prevention. Michael earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of St. Scholastica. He trains and lectures nationally and internationally on policy development and gender violence.

Deborah Rosenbloom

Deborah Rosenbloom, JD/MPA is the Vice President of Programs and New Initiatives at Jewish Women International. Founded in 1897, JWI is dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence through education, advocacy and action in the Jewish, inter-faith and secular communities.

Under Deborah’s leadership, JWI’s faith initiatives include convening the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, a multi-faith group advocating for anti-violence federal legislation, and the Clergy Task Force on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community providing resources and training. Under her leadership, JWI galvanized faith communities to support the 2013 and 2018 re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). JWI is an active member of the steering committee of the National Task Force on Sexual and Domestic Violence and Deborah co-chaired its ‘prevention’ committee for the 2018 reauthorization of VAWA. Deborah was the Project Director of JWI's 2013 US Office on Violence Against Women Engaging Men and Boys grant – “Boys to Mentsch” - working in the ultra-orthodox Jewish community of Baltimore and is currently directing an OVW grant –“Change the Culture” - working with Jewish fraternity men on two college campuses.

Deborah has provided extensive consultations with religious leadership in Sydney, Australia on issues of domestic violence in the Jewish community, and led workshops on domestic violence and dating abuse for over 1,000 members of Sydney’s community members. Deborah was selected to mentor a US State Department ‘Pacific Fellow’ on strategies for working with Catholic leadership in Timor-Leste to support victims of domestic violence and serves on the Steering Committee of WeWillSpeakout US, a project to engage churches as allies.

Deborah attended The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, holds a BA, cum laude in history, from Cornell University, and a JD/MPA from Syracuse University College of Law and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is a member of the modern orthodox Jewish community in Washington, DC. In response to learning that her own clergy were abusing congregants, Deborah published two op-eds Op-Ed: “Synagogues with predatory rabbis must protect their members, not their reputations,” Jewish Telegraph Association, 6/9/15and Op-Ed: “Voyeurism is a form of sexual assault,” Jewish Telegraph Association 11/10/14

Deborah is frequently invited to speak at international and US conferences on intersections of faith and domestic violence. Select presentations include:

Women of Faith Speak Out on Engaging Religious Leaders, The 62nd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (2018)

Engaging Faith Communities in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention and Intervention, 16th Annual Diverse Voices Family Violence Conference, Edmonton, Canada (2016)

Working with Faith Communities to End Violence Against Women and Girls, Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence Annual Retreat, 2013

‘Voices for VAWA: Muslims United Against Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse’, (Guest speaker) Muslim Public Affairs Committee, 2013

Collaborating with Faith Communities to End Domestic Violence, End Violence Against Women International Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2013

Engaging Faith Communities in Local Direct Service Work, Innovative Approaches to Family Violence Conference, Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Dallas, TX, 2012

Clergy As Active Bystanders in Domestic Abuse, Interfaith Community Against Domestic Violence (IFCADV), Silver Spring, MD, 2011.

Carmelita Samuel

Carmelita Samuel is a licensed macro and clinical social worker. She is member of the National Association of Social Workers. She holds a BA in psychology from St. Mary's College of Orchard Lake Michigan and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan. She currently, operates a private practice providing psychotherapy to adult individuals with a specialty in domestic violence, working with women who suffer from trauma due to their past and current relationships.

Carmelita served on staff with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office of Michigan for over 10 years providing counseling, crisis intervention, and case management services to the inmate population. Carmelita was a supervisor of the jail’s Correctional Services office, which provided a myriad of services directly to the inmate population. These services included mental health treatment and programming, substance abuse programming and diversion, educational programming, religious volunteering and services, cognitive behavioral programming, domestic violence programming, and supportive counseling. Carmelita facilitated the collaboration between corrections staff, mental health staff, and medical staff to provide comprehensive care and services to high-risk inmates.

Through her career Carmelita has served as a broad member to the domestic violence agency Serenity Services in Detroit, Michigan and has participated in and supports the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Assault. She currently sits on the board for the Battering Intervention Services Coalition of Michigan, which provides a working forum for interaction and information sharing among agencies and individuals concern with battering intervention in Michigan.

Ty Schroyer

Ty Schroyer’s background includes over twenty-five years of experience working in the field of domestic violence. As Men’s Program Coordinator for the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs (DAIP) for sixteen years, he facilitated men’s nonviolence classes, trained and supervised facilitators, provided system advocacy and leadership for Duluth’s Coordinated Community Response. He has worked as a consultant and trainer for the DAIP’s National Training Project, teaching the Duluth Model for responding to violence against women, training law enforcement, social service workers, women’s advocates, counselors, educators, military personnel and faith communities.

Ty was also involved in the creation and implementation of DV/SA curriculum for Duluth’s 7 ^th & 10 ^th grade classrooms. He and Barbara Jones-Schroyer, in collaboration with the DAIP and supported by Mending the Sacred Hoop, created a culturally specific class for Christian men who use violence – Changing Men, Changing Lives (CMCL). A faith based supplemental curriculum, video documentary and excerpts of a live class are available to organizations wanting to provide culturally specific programming. Ty left DAIP to work as the Director of Victim Witness Services for the St Louis County Attorney’s Office in Duluth, MN where he helped influence the development of the “Family Violence Unit”. Ty since has moved to the state of Washington where he became a certified counselor and developed & implemented DV programming for Sea Mar Community Health Centers. Ty has also worked as a Federal grant reviewer since 1999 for the Office on Violence Against Women.

For the past year Ty has been providing Bias Bystander Intervention Trainings across the state of Washington as a result of the increase in hate groups, hate crimes and bias incidents since 2016. He is active in Indivisible and is on the Immigrant Support Task Force. Ty is an activist, passionate about men’s work, is a husband, to Barbara Jones-Schroyer, a father of three grown children, two grand children and a newly adopted three-year old Airedale Terrier named Archie – a gentle soul. With his wife Barb, he enjoys camping, hiking, kayaking and biking in the great northwest and providing domestic violence trainings together as a team. Ty’s most impactful and greatest teacher/mentor/friend is the late Ellen Pence.

J.R. Thicklin

Rev. J.R. Thicklin is the Lead Director of the African American Domestic Peace Project in West Palm Beach, Fl. He is the President and CEO of Destiny By Choice, Inc. where he is empowering lives and shaping destinies of those lives impacted and affected by domestic violence and related abuse. He is a strong advocate and activist in the plight to end domestic violence and fatherlessness having been on the front lines as a trailblazer addressing and raising awareness for over 2 decades. His work has included working for Domestic Violence Centers and teaching and making presentations and educating in middle and high schools, colleges and universities. His work has allowed him to work in contractual relations with the Dept. of Children & Families and other Child Protective Services. Thicklin is considered a subject matter expert; His vast knowledge and passionate, charismatic delivery has made him a much sought after conference speaker, lecturer, presenter, trainer and consultant state and nationally in both the Faith and Secular Communities where he has addressed countless hundreds and thousands of seminar and conferences participants. He currently serves as Vice President of the Palm Beach County Clergy Alliance.

He has received many accommodations including the Governor’s Peace at Home Award: Educating Children; He is a member of the Domestic Violence Council of Palm Beach County, the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) of Palm Beach County and the State of Florida Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Florida Network of Victim Witnesses. He has been a trainer and presenter for the State of Florida Attorney General including a much requested speaker at the Annual National Preventing Crime in the Black Community Conference as well as the National Faith Symposium. He facilitates Corporate Trainings includes areas such as Cultural Competency, Generational Diversity, Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Violence in the Workplace. He is a Facilitator of Domestic Violence Programs and have conducted trainings and Anti-Violence Summits and Trainings for various municipalities. He has been in church/pastoral ministry for over 30 years. Born in the historical city of Selma, Alabama he brings a passion for change and transformation for people and communities.

Rev. J.R. Thicklin has been an advocate on the front line addressing domestic violence for over 22 years and have noted worked in various capacities and projects and have collaborated with various organizations in performing the following:

He has worked and consulted in collaboration with the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC) out of the University of Minnesota addressing issues of Faith and Domestic Violence in the African American Community including as a contributing author to a National Curriculum “Speaking of Faith: Domestic Violence Programs and the African American Church. He conducts trainings, symposiums, forums and seminars for Faith Leaders and the Church at large in addressing Domestic Violence. Thicklin has appeared on many Television and Radio Shows including TBN-Praise the Lord, as well as he hosts a National Radio Show “Hope & Healing: A Journey To Wholeness” every Monday Night.

Thicklin received his Bachelor in Ministry from Southeastern Theological Seminary and is in pursuit of his Doctorate in Philosophy. He has studied Psychology and Sociology at South University and the University of Phoenix. He is a Certified Cultural Competency Trainer, Anger Management Specialist, and Domestic Violence Specialist. Certified 24/7 Dad Trainer and Dr. Dad and 7 Secrets of Effective Fathering with the National Fatherhood Initiative and National Center on Fathering as well as Triple P Facilitator. He is the Founder of “Father’s Lifelines” A 10 week program that equips fathers with tools to navigate the waters of being a father inside of very challenging circumstances, Man Up Stand Up Against Domestic Violence and Man Up For Families is advocacy that mobilizes Men to get involved with eradicating domestic violence. These Men come from all walk of life but share a common goal of addressing domestic violence and building stronger families, Destiny Changers: Building Boys To Men is a 16 session curriculum that addresses boys from ages 11 to 18 years of age in equipping them with the tools to become good, strong and productive men, This program addresses everything from character, behavior, skills, belief systems, conflict resolution, self-esteem and legacy with the goal in mind to build strong men. He and his lovely wife Dr. Erica resides in West Palm Beach, FL and are the proud parents of a blended family of 7 adult children consisting of 5 sons and 2 daughters.

Dr. Oliver Williams

Oliver J. Williams, Ph.D., Professor of School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota, in St. Paul. From June 1994 to September, 2016 he was the Executive Director of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC). He has also served as the Director of the Safe Return Initiative that addresses the issues of prisoner reentry and domestic violence from 2003-2016 and Director of the African American Domestic Peace Project (AADPP) that works with community leaders in 10 cities across the United States to address domestic violence. He has worked in the field of domestic violence for more than thirty-five years.

Dr. Williams is a clinical practitioner; working in mental health, family therapy, substance abuse, child welfare, delinquency and sexual assault programs. He has worked in battered women's shelters, developed curricula for batterers' intervention programs and facilitated counseling groups in these programs. He has provided training across the United States and abroad on research and service-delivery surrounding partner abuse.

He has been appointed to several national advisory committees and task forces from the Center for Disease Control, U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Office on Women’s Health, and the U.S. Department of Education. He has been a board member of various domestic violence and human service organization including the early days of the National Domestic Violence Hotline 1999-2000 and the National Family Justice Center Alliance Advisory Board, 2006 to 2016. In 2000, he was appointed to the National Advisory Council on Domestic Violence by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and U.S. Attorney General. In 2010 he hosted a roundtable on youth and violence for the U.S. Attorney General and participated in a roundtable with the U.S. Attorney General on issues related to fatherhood. He also participated in a Whitehouse Roundtable on Fatherhood and Domestic Violence. He has conducted training for the U.S. Military Family Advocacy programs in the U.S. and abroad. He has presented to numerous Family Violence, Research and Practice organizations in the United States, Kenya, Canada, United Kingdom and Germany.

In 2015 Dr. Williams was invited to speak at the United Nations about domestic violence among Africans in the United States and in Africa. His research and publications in scholarly journals, books, reports and DVD’s have centered on creating service delivery strategies to reduce violent behavior and support victims of abuse. He has consulted with the NFL, MLB and NBA on issues related to domestic violence.

Dr. Williams has received many awards among them include an award from the American Psychological Association, a International “Telly Award” for his documentary work; the National “Shelia Wellstone Institute Award” related to his National work on Domestic Violence and a Distinguish Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work. Dr. Williams received a bachelor's degree in social work from Michigan State University; a Masters in Social Work from Western Michigan University; a Masters in Public Health and a PH.D in Social Work both from the University of Pittsburgh.