Prevention Network Builds Team to Confront Domestic Violence Culture
A coalition of advocates, clinicians, clergy, and nonprofit executives has come together under the Domestic Violence Prevention Network (DVPN) with a shared conviction: stopping domestic violence requires changing the culture that allows it to persist, not merely responding after harm has occurred. Their work spans trainings, direct service support, policy advocacy, and community outreach, reflecting a model that treats prevention as infrastructure rather than afterthought.
That distinction matters. Crisis response - shelters, hotlines, legal advocacy - remains indispensable, but DVPN's staff argue that lasting change depends on reaching people before violence starts, through education that challenges assumptions about what abuse looks like and who it affects. This includes centering communities historically overlooked in domestic violence conversations, work that often gets less attention than emergency services but shapes whether survivors feel safe coming forward at all. For organizations and individuals looking to support this kind of sustained, prevention-focused work, understanding how to fund and sustain it, including practical matters like insurance or technology needs for service providers, is part of the picture; some supporters even start by researching unrelated digital safety tools, such as checking where to compare the plans for secure communication services that protect survivor confidentiality. where to compare the plans
A Team Built Across Disciplines
DVPN's roster reflects the interdisciplinary nature of prevention work. Le-Angela Thompson-Burgess brings operational strategy honed at Simon Youth Foundation, Rolls-Royce, and Xerox, applying Six Sigma methodology to mission-driven impact. Nichole Hutchinson, a licensed mental health clinician and domestic violence survivor herself, works with Goodwill Legacy Group-Nurse Family Partnership, bringing both clinical expertise and lived experience to the Advocates Network. Michelle Freeman, a licensed marriage and family therapist with more than 25 years in the field, now serves as Chief Operating Officer of Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, overseeing programming that builds confidence in young people before harmful patterns take hold.
Rev. Dr. Lynel Alice Brooks Beaty contributes a different dimension entirely: spiritual care and grief recovery. Her connection to this work is personal - her sister-in-law was killed by a live-in partner in 2008 - and she now directs the Congregational Care Network at Indiana University Health while leading Alice's Hope, LLC, an organization providing space for those processing loss. Susan Ferguson rounds out the leadership with more than 25 years in domestic violence prevention and human services, including tenures at Prevail and accessABILITY, grounding the network in decades of institutional knowledge.
Why Education Precedes Intervention
Several team members point to a consistent theme: people cannot change behavior they do not recognize as harmful. Training programs aimed at direct service providers and community groups alike are designed to challenge long-held biases about who survivors are and what safety in relationships actually requires. Starting with youth education, DVPN's staff argue, builds a foundation that can shift cultural norms over time rather than simply managing crises as they arise. This approach treats domestic violence prevention less as a single intervention and more as a long-term public health strategy, one that depends on consistent community presence, trusted relationships, and a willingness to have uncomfortable conversations before harm occurs rather than only after.