ATLANTA - The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) will host its 28th annual Statewide Family Violence Conference at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia. The conference begins Sunday, September 25th and runs through Wednesday, September 28th. The theme of this year’s event is Widening the Lens: An Inclusive Response to Family Violence.

Featured keynote speakers include:

Michael Crumrine is a Sergeant with the Austin Texas Police Department with over 33 years of law enforcement experience. He is a sergeant in the Child Abuse Unit and supervises 17 detectives who investigate all manner of physical and sexual abuse of children. Sergeant Crumrine is a founding member and current President of the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association – Austin, the first and only LGBTQ+ Peace Officers Association in Texas. Sergeant Crumrine has written and trained nationally on the subject of intimate partner violence and sexual assault in the LGBTQ+ community. He continues to create training and policies for the Austin Police Department in regard to their interaction with the LGBTQ+ community.

Adam Dodge is the founder of EndTAB, and an internationally recognized digital safety expert who believes you do not have to be a tech expert to protect yourself or others in the digital age. His work is characterized by his dedication to training others to prevent and address the ways adults and children are harmed online and via their devices. He has written and presented extensively on digital safety, online abuse prevention and co-authored the first safety advisory on the emerging threat of deep fakes. 

Dr. Tommy Snow has been working in domestic violence intervention since the late 1990s. He began his career as a minister and helped start and facilitate a men's program at one of the largest congregations in metro Atlanta at that time, to address men's issues concerning violence and other matters. He has two Doctorate degrees, one in Clinical Christian Psychology and another in Domestic Violence Intervention Therapy. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a domestic violence certification.

Over 650 local and national community stakeholders are also expected to be present, one of the largest audiences for the annual conference in its 28- year history. The multidisciplinary audience includes judges, domestic violence advocates, family violence intervention program providers, sexual assault advocates, victim advocates, judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, faith leaders, counselors, 911 responders and community members.

Stephanie Woodard, Chair of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence stated, "We are delighted for the opportunity to be together again for the 28th GCFV Annual Conference. The staff at the Commission works diligently every year to bring current, rigorous, diverse, and well-developed educational opportunities to our state’s system responders, treatment providers, and advocates. It is a wonderful opportunity to gather, learn from and support each other in our efforts to bring safety, awareness,  and health into our communities and homes."

The conference’s theme, which will encompass the three keynotes and 34 workshops, will focus on areas of domestic violence that are not always brought to the forefront. Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Family Violence, April Ross, states,"I am truly delighted to share in the magic that happens at this conference by bringing together the dedicated professionals around our state who work tirelessly at changing lives and strengthening families every day.

After more than two years of navigating how we do our work as professionals in a pandemic that caused record spikes in intimate partner violence, Georgia's domestic violence professionals have proven resilient in the face of challenges and ever committed to the service of those who need us. To me, it is a tremendous honor for GCFV to be a part of creating an environment of learning, collaborating, and excelling together with the brave men and women in our state who believe that we can break the cycle of violence."

Local and national professionals will present important information on a wide-range of family violence issues such as culturally competent programming, teen dating violence, countering digital abuse, multidisciplinary approaches, family violence courts, trauma-informed practices, serving elderly survivors, supervising domestic violence offenders, and enhanced services for sexual assault survivors.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Judicial Council of Georgia - Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Department of Community Supervision provided nearly 350 scholarships for conference attendees, including domestic violence and sexual assault advocates.

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence was created in 1992 by the Georgia General Assembly. The Commission is charged with the development of a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia.

Contact: April Ross, [email protected]