The board of directors of Safe Passage is thrilled to announce the appointment of Marianne Winters as our new Executive Director. Marianne brings a wide range of leadership, management, and organizational experience to her role as Safe Passage's Executive Director. She is widely respected, locally and state-wide, as a stalwart advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Winters served as Director of the Everywoman's Center at UMass at Amerst, Executive Director of the The Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts, and Director of Jane Doe, Inc. of Massachusetts. Since 2006, Winters has been the principal in a firm that consults for organizations with social justice missions.

Throughout its 34 year history, Safe Passage has worked consistently to bring attention to domestic violence and oppression and to help women and their children achieve freedom from abuse. All of Safe Passage programs are free, accessible and confidential. Services include shelter, peer-support, counseling, education, advocacy, legal support and community education. Safe Passage primarily serves women and children in Hampshire County. Safe Passage believes that empowerment is crucial to ending domestic violence and that through the empowerment of the individual, we can effectively work to change the whole of society.

"I am really excited that Marianne Winters has accepted the position of Executive Director of Safe Passage", said longtime Board member Yoko Kato. "She is the ideal person to continue to lead our tenured staff - all of whom are so committed the work of ending violence."

Gail Kielson, President of the Board of Safe Passage said, "As Safe Passage enters its 35th year of service to the community, we are excited to have Ms. Winters in the crucial position of leadership. She brings a unique sensitivity to the issues facing the domestic violence movement. She fully embraces the essential need to engage the community in understanding the roots of violence and oppression, and supporting the work of Safe Passage. Marianne is grounded in the philosophy of Safe Passage which provides women with the support and information that they need in order to make their own choices to keep themselves and their children safe and to rebuild their lives in the wake of domestic violence. We look forward to continued growth under the leadership of Marianne Winters."

Posted on Monday, June 6, 2011

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