About the Author

JAC (Judith Ann Cernese) Patrissi's expertise in training and facilitation is drawn from her 20 years of experience as an educator and advocate in a variety of capacities in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Before becoming a consultant, Ms. Patrissi spent 10 years in Vermont, where she worked in various capacities in victim services, including in a domestic and sexual violence shelter, the statewide coalition office, and as the training director for the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, the state agency that administers the VOCA and VAWA funding streams. Ms. Patrissi developed and implemented the Vermont Victim Assistance Academy and has worked on numerous statewide collaborative project planning efforts. She delivers training nationally and statewide on a variety of victim service-related topics, including HIV and victim services, "The DOC and Other Acronyms," reparative board training, domestic and sexual violence, development of victim/survivor of crime councils, "The Roots of Victim Services: Exploring Barriers to Collaboration in Victim Services," "Parallel Justice," and "Behind the Curtain of the Great Oz," Training of Trainers and Gathering of Trainers. Ms. Patrissi now lives in New England with her family. She is a survivor of violence. Ms. Patrissi can be contacted through www.ethicalconversations.com.