In honor of domestic violence awareness month and SPAN’s 40th Anniversary, SPAN will host a discussion between survivors of DV, experts in the field, and gender justice ‘rabble-rousers’. There will be a short reception with snacks after the panel!
Panelists:
Leslie Durgin: Leslie was the President of the Boulder County Safehouse Board of Directors in the 1980s at a time when founding Executive Director Joan Welsh was replaced by Barbara Paradiso. Leslie’s career in Colorado began when she was the Senior Advisor in Health and Human Services to Governor Lamm. She has served as Executive Director of the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center, Colorado Chautauqua, Collage Children’s Museum, Boulder County United Way and the International Association of Operating Room Nurses Foundation. She was Senior Vice President for Public Policy for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Director of Government Affairs for a law firm in Denver. Leslie has served on nearly every non-profit board in Boulder and many in Denver, a list too long to recount, but they include board in health, social services, historic preservation, business development and women’s leadership. She was elected Mayor of Boulder in 1990 and was re-elected to that leadership position for three additional terms.
Josie Ward Heath:
Josie is a U.S. politician. Heath ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1990 as a Democratic candidate. She had previously served as Chair of the Board of County Commissioners for Boulder County. Heath served as a U.S. Circuit Judge Nominating Commission member for the 10th District Community Activist and Politician
Tsunemi Rooney: SPAN Counseling and Advocacy Program Director
Tsunemi has been the Outreach Counseling Program Director at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) since 2003 supervising staff and counseling interns. She has been a counselor and educator for all age groups advocating for victims of domestic violence. She provides trainings and workshops for a wide variety of audiences on privilege and oppression through social activism. She is a guest lecturer, key-note speaker, and was an adjunct faculty at Naropa University and University of Colorado Boulder. She is the recipient of Women of Naropa Award and Multicultural Awards in Community Service.
Seanalee Greenough: Childhood Survivor and previous SPAN client.
In 1996, Seanalee arrived at SPAN’s shelter with her mother and younger sister. She had just gotten off the plane from Ireland and her and her family were fleeing the abuse of her father. Seanalee received shelter, counseling and transitional housing from SPAN. Now, 24 years later, she is a successful member of our community working at a tech company in Broomfield and happily married with stepchildren.