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March 15, 2012

ULM's Hanser Appointed to Board of Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Dr. Robert Hanser, head of the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Hanser's appointment was the result of a nomination and acceptance by board members of the organization.

Responsibilities include a variety of policy-setting and decision-making functions that impact domestic violence services throughout the state of Louisiana.

Recent board member appointments represent a historical moment in the field of domestic violence prevention and intervention in Louisiana as this is the first time that the Louisiana statewide coalition has had a board comprised of representatives of member agencies as well as community allies.

Louisiana is one of more than 40 other states and territories that use this collaborative model.

Valerie Bowman, the director of the Domestic Violence Program and the Family Justice Center in Ouachita Parish, noted that Hanser "is among the region's leaders in addressing domestic violence as a member of the Stopping Abusive Family Environments Task Force that coordinates Ouachita Parish's community response to domestic violence and provides leadership to the Family Justice Center of Ouachita one-stop service center for victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking."

Bowman added that Hanser "is also a frequent collaborator on various projects with The Wellspring Alliance for Families, Inc., which provides a comprehensive continuum of services for victims of these crimes throughout Northeast Louisiana as well as leadership addressing the issue across the state and nation."

Hanser has worked for nearly eight years in partnership with the SAFE Task Force for the Northeast Louisiana region and was nominated by members of this region for service on the LCADV.

"I am really grateful for the opportunity to serve our state in this capacity," stated Hanser. "I find this work to be very meaningful and important. I cannot thank the personnel at the Wellspring enough for the inclusion."

This area of criminal justice response has been an area of interest for Hanser since the late 1990s when he took his first course in family violence and later worked in a domestic violence shelter for three years in the Houston area.

"I think that it is important for communities to support efforts to prevent domestic violence, but I think that it is especially important that men take an active and public interest in preventing this type of criminal behavior," continued Hanser.

"It is good modeling for youth and also helps demonstrate that domestic violence is a crime that affects us all, as we are all responsible for taking part in reducing its occurrence."

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