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About Us

Mission | History | Project Information | Staff | Contact Information

Mission

The mission of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA) is to support research, education, and access to violence related resources.

For more information about the mission and focus of MINCAVA, consider reviewing some of these materials:

History

Under the direction of Jeffrey L. Edleson, Ph.D., the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse was established in 1994 by the Minnesota State Legislature with a charge "to improve the quality of higher education related to violence." During its first years, the Center's initial and only project was the Violence Education Project. The project included a discipline-specific needs assessment about higher education, a web- based library of educational resources, a grant program to fund the development of new violence-related higher education curricula, higher education conferences, and worked to change continuing education and licensing requirements.

MINCAVA is considered a leader in innovative violence-related education, research and Internet publishing and now coordinates four nationally and internationally renowned projects.

Project Information

Staff

Courtney Allensworth, Document Development Coordinator

Courtney Allensworth comes to MINCAVA with over four years experience working on domestic violence issues. Her duties as a Women’s Advocate have accorded her experience in crisis line staffing, individual counseling, and legal advocacy. Courtney holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Luther College and a master’s degree in Women’s Studies from the University at Albany, State University of New York. While a graduate student, she completed extensive analysis and critique of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). In particular, the VAWA’s allocations for domestic violence programs and survivors. Passionate about community education and outreach, Courtney has spoken to suburban high school students, educators, and administrators on the importance of improving classroom climate for LGBT students.Courtney is also a certified National Coalition Building Institute diversity trainer, and as such, has hosted many workshops challenging folks to overcome their biases.

Ericka Kimball, Research Assistant

Ericka Kimball is a doctoral student in the School of Social Work. She has a BSW from the College of St. Catherine and an MSW from Augsburg College. In addition to working at MINCAVA, Ericka works at a local hospital and is actively involved with the Association of Macro Practice Social Workers. Ericka’s research interests include violence prevention and HIV prevention.

Jeffrey Edleson, PhD - Director

Jeffrey L. Edleson is a Professor in the University of Minnesota School of Social Work and Director of the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse . He is one of the world’s leading authorities on children exposed to domestic violence and has published over 100 articles and 10 books on domestic violence, groupwork, and program evaluation. He was a member of the National Research Council's Panel on Research on Violence Against Women. He has served as a consultant to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Edleson is an Associate Editor of the journal Violence Against Women and has served on the editorial boards of several other journals. His most recent books are entitled Domestic Violence in the Lives of Children: The Future of Research, Intervention, and Social Policy (2001, co-edited with Sandra Graham-Bermann, American Psychological Association Books), Sourcebook on Violence Against Women (2001, co-edited with Claire Renzetti and Raquel Kennedy Bergen, Sage Publications), and Domestic Violence: Classic Papers (2005, co-edited with Claire Renzetti and Raquel Kennedy Bergen, Allyn-Bacon). He has just published a new book entitled Parenting by Men Who Batterer Women: New Directions in Assessment and Intervention (2007, co-edited with Oliver J. Williams, Oxford University Press) and has just completed the multi-volume Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence (2008, co-edited with Claire Renzetti, Sage Reference).

Jennifer Witt, MSW - Associate Director

Jennifer Witt currently directs a U.S. Department of Justice-Office on Violence Against Women Technical Assistance project which works to produce Internet based content on violence against women. She also oversees development of applied research documents for the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women (VAWnet). This is a series of highly used, research oriented documents directed towards advocates and service providers regarding the most current research on domestic violence. Lastly, Jennifer teaches in the University of Minnesota’s Family Violence Prevention program. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of WI at La Crosse and received her Masters of Social Work from the University of Minnesota. She has worked in both domestic violence and sexual assault prevention. These positions have ranged from direct service provision, coordinating a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, and state-wide systems advocacy. Jennifer has also worked on various community organizing and public education projects within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

Juliana Carlson, Research Assistant

Juliana Carlson is a first-year doctoral student, whose primary research interests are parenting and community organizing. After graduating with her B.A. in psychology and women’s studies from Hope College, Juliana worked as a women’s advocate for five years in Chicago and Kansas City domestic violence shelters, providing individual support and facilitating groups on women’s health and parenting, as well as groups for incest survivors. Juliana earned her master’s in 1999 from the University of Chicago, School of Social Welfare. Following her interest in community practice, Juliana worked with several community based initiatives as a project manager of a neighborhood development project and a facilitator and trainer of parent leaders in a family centered community organizing project in Minneapolis.

Kevin Bullock, Internet Systems Designer and Administrator

Kevin Bullock develops and maintains MINCAVA's Web resources (Violence Against Women Online Resources and the MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse). He joined MINCAVA after completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2004. Before graduating, Kevin worked for the MSU Women's Center as a Web developer, making their Web site easier to use and more accessible for people with disabilities. He enjoys using his technical skills to aid in the struggle against violence. Kevin uses his free time to play guitar, read, and engage in action for social justice.

Lindsey Fritsch, Research Assistant

Lindsey is a first year MSW student at the University of Minnesota, pursuing a direct practice concentration in health and mental health services. She attended the University of Minnesota for her undergraduate degree where she graduated with a bachelor of individualized studies focusing on Gender & Sexuality, Race & Ethnicity, and Social Justice. After graduation she spent 10 months as an AmeriCorps *National Civilian Community Corps member assisting victims of hurricane Katrina with disaster relief services. Currently, Lindsey is working at Tubman Family Alliance and Chrysalis Center for her first internship placement, where she will be serving as a shelter advocate working to end violence by educating and assisting families touched by domestic abuse. Lindsey is our Violence Against Women Online Resources (VAWOR) Calendar and Directory Assistant, connecting direct service providers with resources and training materials on violence against women.

Megan Pardy, Research Assistant

Megan is a first year MSW student with a concentration in community practice. She will also be pursuing a dual masters degree in Public Policy through the Humphrey Institute. She earned her B.S. from the University of MN in Family Social Science with a minor in Family Violence Prevention and Psychology. During her senior year, Megan completed her Capstone Project on Human Trafficking in the US. After graduation, she worked for two years at Sojourner, a domestic violence shelter, as the Family Services Coordinator. Currently, Megan is interning at W.I.S.E. Charter School in North Minneapolis as a School Social Worker. Her research interests include human trafficking, violence against women, and domestic violence. Megan will be working on the Child Exposure to Domestic Violence (CEDV) project at MINCAVA.

Narae Shin, MA - Research Assistant

Narae Shin is working on the Child Exposure to Domestic Violence research project within the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. Narae is first-year doctoral student who holds a MA in Social Welfare from Seoul National University. In her past professional experience, Narae worked at The Family Violence and Sexual Assault Center in Gyunggy-do, Korea as counselor of the treatment program for court-mandated domestic violence offenders and counselor of the treatment program for court-mandated juvenile sexual offenders.

Priya Saihgal, Research Assistant

Priya is originally from Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. As an undergraduate, Priya earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota. This will be her second year in the M.S.W. program with a concentration in mental health. Her internship this year is at Radius, a gender based program for adolescent girls in the juvenile detention center, with a focus on restorative justice. Prior to attending graduate school, Priya has worked in various social welfare settings advocating for people with developmental disabilities as well as economically disadvantaged single mothers. Priya has also volunteered with the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse and was part of the redesign team for the new MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse. Priya’s current projects for the electronic clearinghouse involve updating information, answering information requests, and posting new content. She is also a part of the Violence Against Women Online Resources (VAWOR) Project. Her work will involve document development and is part of the redesign team for the new website.

Sheetal Rana, Research Assistant

Sheetal Rana is a doctoral student at the School of Social Work. Sheetal is from Nepal and has a Master’s degree in Sociology from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Sheetal’s work experiences include fieldwork and research on community based development in Nepal and research on international social development issues for the World Bank, Washington D.C. Sheetal works 10 hours a week on the VAWnet Applied Research project.

Srinivasan Krishnan, Systems Administration Assistant

I'm Srinivasan Krishnan (Srini, for short) working part-time here as an Assistant Systems Administrator under the supervision of Kevin Bullock. I'm a Computer Science Masters student here specializing in Computer Networks and of late, Computer Security as well. I did my Electrical Engineering Bachelor's degree and went on to work 2 years in United Online, a US-based Internet/Email Service Provider, which motivated me to pursue higher studies in Computer Science. I plan on graduation next Spring, after which I look forward to work in a software firm that tests my software development/administration skills.

Sylvia O'Brien, Gallaway Fellow

Sylvia is a 2nd year MSW student with a concentration in Community Organizing. Sylvia earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She has worked with victims in medical and academic settings and with perpetrators as a co-facilitator for a men's abuse program. She also participated in La Crosse's community coordinated response groups for sexual assault and domestic violence. After graduation she was hired by UW-La Crosse through a VAWA campus grant to serve as an educator, trainer, and advocate. Her work with this VAWA grant furthered her interest in research and policy around issues of interpersonal violence, compelling her return to school for an advanced degree. Sylvia works with the CEDV and MMVP project as the Galaway Research Fellow. Her field practicum this year is at Neighborhood House with a focus on program evaluation.

Youa Her, Research Assistant

Youa is a second year MSW student at the University of MN in the direct practice concentration. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of MN in Family Social Science with a minor in Family Violence Prevention. Her experience has ranged from providing advocacy services to battered immigrant and refugee women and children, working with felony level victims of domestic violence at the Minneapolis Police Department in the Family Violence Unit, working with victims of domestic violence at the Domestic Abuse Service Center in Hennepin County and working with MFIP participants to develop safety plans for the Family Violence Waiver. Her work has also included community education/outreach and prevention. Youa will be working on the Violence Against Women Online Resources (VAWOR) project at MINCAVA.

Zeb Henderson Shreve, Research Assistant

Zeb Henderson Shreve is a first year MSW student. She holds a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Smith College. She has worked with survivors of domestic violence since 1998, when she accidentally fell in love with the work while interning at a bilingual, bicultural shelter in St. Paul, MN. Since then, she has worked as an advocate in legal, medical, community and school settings and as a community education and professional training coordinator for a domestic violence service provider. She is also a modern dancer and looks forward to the day when she has time to perform again.

Contact Information

Our center is located in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota and we can be contacted at:

MINCAVA - Minnesota Center Against Violence & Abuse
School of Social Work, University of Minnesota
105 Peters Hall, 1404 Gortner Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108-6142 USA
tel: 612-624-0721 fax: 612-625-4288
Email Us

Map of Peters Hall and surrounding area