RESPOND is a multidisciplinary think tank seeking to generate sustainable change in our society’s collective response to violence and trauma.
mission
The mission of RESPOND is to transform community responses to violence and trauma through forming alliances, enhancing policies, and creating sustainable change.
vision
We envision a society that is just, informed, and equipped to support survivors of violence as they navigate through systems on their journey toward healing.
strategy
Our approach integrates the experience of individuals, communities, and systems to improve the collective response to violence and trauma.
commitment
We are committed to improving systemic response to violence and trauma by facilitating solutions that move professionals and communities from awareness to action.
RESPOND Advisory Councils
RESPOND is informed by two interconnected Advisory Councils consisting of both institutional experts and survivor experts. This approach elevates diverse voices and perspectives and combines years of professional and lived experience. With guidance from these experts, RESPOND advances the conversation from awareness to action.
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Institutional Experts
Criminal Justice Professionals, Medical Practitioners, Victim Advocates and Counselors, Researchers, Policymakers, Program and Development Specialists, Journalists, & Filmmakers
Our council of institutional experts consists of members with combined decades of professional experience from diverse disciplines who have made innovative, measurable advances in their respective fields.
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Survivor Experts
Survivors and Supporting Loved Ones of Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault, Human Trafficking, Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, & Homicide
Our council of survivor experts consists of survivors of violence and supporting loved ones with combined lived experience in navigating both trauma and systems and identifying the gaps and challenges therein.
our team
Kelsey McKay, JD
Founder
Kelsey McKay is a former prosecutor and a highly recognized expert on criminal asphyxiation, domestic violence, sexual abuse and other forms of power based crimes. As a prosecutor, she spent 12 years handling complex cases and designing creative solutions. She has trained practitioners across all systems and represented individuals as they navigate the criminal system. With a skill for implementing change and working across disciplines, she appeals to audiences from the Pentagon to festivals such as SXSW. With a passion to motivate every audience, she brings cultural awareness to the need for systems change. Built with solutions engrained in efficiency, empathy and equality her approach recognizes the limits of practitioners and the vulnerability of survivors. Her influence has built a team facilitating solutions that move professionals and communities from awareness to action. Her new non-profit, RESPOND Against Violence, is a multidisciplinary think tank seeking to generate sustainable change in our society’s collective response to violence and trauma.
Khara Breeden, DNP, MS, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, AFN-BCDNP, MS, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, AFN-BC
President
Khara Breeden is the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) Texas Chapter’s President and has previously served on the IAFN Board. She was the Board liaison of several task forces including the Strangulation Task Force and contributed to the publication of the IAFN Non-Fatal Strangulation Documentation Toolkit. She currently serves as a Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) board member and serves on the Texas Council of Family Violence (TCFV) policy committee for this legislative season. She was the Program Manager of Forensic Nursing Services at Harris Health and after completion of her doctorate, she transitioned into academia and is a faculty member at Houston Baptist University. While collaborating with community partners, Khara was challenged to aid in closing the gap in medical forensic services for victims of violence in Harris and surrounding counties and set forth to develop a collaborative approach through the creation of Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners (TxFNE), where she serves as the Chief Executive Officer. TxFNE is a community based forensic nursing program, and is continually seeking creative ways to improve outcomes for victims of violence.
Erica Olson, MSS, MLSP
Secretary
Erica Olson, owner of Anassa Consulting, is a consultant and subject matter expert specializing in gender-based violence and trauma-informed care and management. Erica draws on her 20 years of experience in direct services, advocacy, policy, and applied research to advise and support nonprofits, government agencies, and the private sector in advancing their knowledge and practices around interpersonal violence and abuse, gender inequality, and trauma. Erica has been appointed to multiple state and national efforts, including the CDC’s Rape Prevention and Education Program and the National Violent Death Reporting System. She is the former Director of the NJ Domestic Violence Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board and has co-authored curricula, policy, regulations, and legislation. Ms. Olson has been published in the peer-reviewed Victims and Violence.
Erica holds a Masters in Social Service and a Masters in Law and Social Policy from Bryn Mawr College, Expert Witness Certification through the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and a Certificate in Public Policy Analysis from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Dana Mitchell, MAcc, CPA
Treasurer
Dana Mitchell is a former CPA and spent her early career as a staff accountant in both audit and tax for Coopers & Lybrand and Deloitte & Touché. She then spent 25 years as an incredibly involved parent as her husband flew fighter jets in the U.S. Navy and the family moved to many duty stations both at home and abroad. Dana has also worked on military bases supporting large engineering departments’ travel teams. She brings meticulous organizational skills to project management and financial data processing.
Dana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Florida and a Master of Accountancy from the University of West Florida. She passed the CPA exam upon completion of her Master’s degree.
Julie Germann, JD
Board Member
Julie Germann, J.D., is the founder of Finding the Right, LLC where she trains and consults nationally in criminal justice fields including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, child abuse, the use of expert witnesses, trauma-informed practices and firearm surrender. Julie was a prosecutor for over a decade in Minnesota. For eight years she focused on sexual assault and child abuse crimes. Julie was instrumental in opening the Mayo Clinic Child Advocacy Center in Rochester, Minnesota, developing the protocol for the multidisciplinary investigation of child physical and sexual abuse. Julie is a trained forensic interviewer and has taught child advocacy studies at the National Child Protection Training Center at Winona State University in Minnesota. She provides best practice reviews and contributes to legislative advancements and policy manuals such as the Sexual Assault Response Toolkit published by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Julie works extensively with the National Center for Domestic Violence and Firearms assisting communities in implementing protocol for firearm surrender in domestic violence and protection order cases. Julie obtained her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law and her B.S. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin.