NYSCADV ANNUAL MEETING 2019

March 25, 2019

The NYSCADV annual meeting is designed to provide:

• a forum for programs from across the state to network and get a state-wide perspective on domestic violence services
• professional and organizational development opportunities for domestic violence advocates
• an overview of NYSCADV's 2018 activities and plans for the upcoming year

MEET THE PRESENTERS

Miyhosi Benton is Senior Associate at the Women & Justice Project (WJP), which works to advance the leadership and build the power of currently and formerly incarcerated women.  Miyhosi spearheads WJP’s public engagement work and helps lead partnership work with women directly impacted by incarceration.  She serves as the main spokesperson for WJP in the public and press, and plays a primary role in developing the organization’s overall vision, strategy and programmatic efforts.  Miyhosi has presented on women and mass incarceration in a wide variety of public forums and national conferences, and has been featured in such publications as Huffington Post, The Nation, and Al Jazeera America.  Prior to joining WJP in 2016, Miyhosi worked at the Osborne Association’s NY Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents, and at Hour Children, a reentry program that supports families uniting after incarceration.  Miyhosi was a leader in the successful campaign to pass the New York 2015 Anti-Shackling law which strengthened and expanded the ban on the barbaric practice of shackling incarcerated pregnant women, one of the most progressive laws of its kind in the nation.  Miyhosi resides in Long Island City with her two children, and is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Communications.  Miyhosi is a recipient of the 2015 Susan B. Anthony Award from the National Organization for Women–NYC and the 2016 Hour Children Mother of the Year Award

Kim Dadou Brown is a domestic violence survivor who served 17 years in prison for defending herself from her abuser.  During the eleven years she’s been home, Kim has spoken publicly to a wide variety of audiences about the intersection of trauma and women’s incarceration at conferences, panels, forums and symposiums. Kim has also conducted numerous interviews about her experiences and ideas for change, and has lobbied and testified in Albany for legislative changes for survivors in the criminal justice system. Kim’s story and advocacy efforts have been featured in prominent media, including the Legislative Gazette, Huffington Post, Albany Times Union, North Country Public Radio, Gannett and the New York Law Journal. Kim’s story was also featured on New York 1 and New York NOW and she appeared as a guest expert on the Melissa Harris-Perry show.  A native of Rochester, NY, Kim is a leading member of the Coalition for Women Prisoners’ Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act Campaign.  She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Mercy College.

Tamar Kraft-Stolar is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Women & Justice Project (WJP), which works to advance the leadership and build the power of currently and formerly incarcerated women.  WJP’s guiding principle is that women directly impacted by the criminal justice system have the right to be and should be leaders in efforts to change that system. Through advocacy, organizing and storytelling, WJP aims to catalyze our collective ability to transform our criminal justice system and create a just and loving world for women and all people.  Prior to this, Tamar directed the Correctional Association of New York’s Women in Prison Project for 12 years where she led the Project’s efforts to monitor conditions inside women’s prisons, directed policy campaigns, drafted legislation, and managed coalition-building, organizing and leadership training efforts.  Tamar has helped lead a number of successful campaigns, including for New York State laws banning the shackling of incarcerated women and protecting the parental rights of incarcerated mothers and fathers.  She is author of Reproductive Injustice: the State of Reproductive Health Care for Women in NYS Prisons (2015) and co-author of From Protection to Punishment: Post-Conviction Barriers to Justice for Domestic Violence Survivor-Defendants in NYS (2011).  Before this, Tamar coordinated the Association’s campaign to repeal New York’s mandatory minimum Rockefeller Drug Laws.  Tamar is honored to be a member of the 2011 pilot cohort for the NoVo Foundation’s Move to End Violence initiative to end violence against women and girls. 

Jaya Vasandani is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Women & Justice Project (WJP), which works to advance the leadership and build the power of currently and formerly incarcerated women.  WJP’s guiding principle is that girls and women most directly impacted by the criminal justice system have the right to be and should be leaders in efforts to transform that system and the conditions that drive that system. Through advocacy, organizing, and storytelling, WJP aims to catalyze our collective ability to transform our criminal justice system and create a just and loving world for women and all people.  From 2004-2015, Jaya served as a senior staff person at the Correctional Association of New York’s Women in Prison Project.  During this time, Jaya helped manage all aspects of the Project, including leading coalition and organizing work, legislative and policy advocacy campaigns, and prison monitoring visits to New York’s women’s prisons.  Jaya co-led a number of successful policy campaigns, including the 2015 campaign to ban the shackling of incarcerated women in New York State.  Prior to joining the Correctional Association, Jaya worked on women’s rights issues at the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (now Legal Momentum) and the Center for Women Policy Studies, in Washington, DC. Jaya received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and received her Bachelors in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Rev. Sharon White-Harrigan, LMSW is the Program Director of Women’s Prison Association’s Hopper Home, a temporary residence for formerly incarcerated women. Sharon has worked in a range of direct service fields including reentry, domestic violence, homelessness, mental health and substance abuse. She has also worked on policy reform and legislative advocacy in the areas of trauma/abuse and criminal justice.

Sharon is a motivational speaker who has spoken around the country to a wide range of audiences and the press. In her presentations, Sharon draws upon her expertise as a licensed social worker, a survivor of violence, and her 11 years of incarceration. Sharon has appeared in the documentary film, Strength of a Woman, and has been featured in various press including the New York Times, Daily News, and Amsterdam News, and various radio programs.

Sharon sits on the Advisory Board of The Women’s Building and serves as a consultant for the Women & Justice Project. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Criminal Justice from City University of New York where she was a Thomas W. Smith Fellow, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Lehman College. Sharon received her social work license in 2015. Sharon is the recipient of the 2017 Frank & Lisina Hoch Award for social justice advocacy and activism.

TENTATIVE AGENDA

9:30 AM - 10:30 AM  Registration & Networking Breakfast

10:30 AM -12:15 PM   Morning Program

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM   Networking Lunch (Provided by NYSCADV)

1:00 PM - 3:20 PM   Afternoon Program

3:20 PM - 3:30 PM  Closing Remarks

3:30 PM   Adjournment

Registration Fee:

NYSCADV 2019 Members Program Staff: $60.00

Non-Member Program Staff: $75.00

 Your membership and ongoing partnership are crucial to our shared mission to prevent and eliminate domestic violence.  Click here for more information and to apply to be a NYSCADV Member Program for 2019.

LOGISTICS

Parking
There is ample free parking available at the Desmond Hotel.