Presenters

Presenters are expert members of the WC&S staff as well as esteemed and highly respected individuals in their fields including attorneys, doctors, nonprofit professionals, and researchers with representatives from the City of Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Neighborhood Allies, Pennsylvania Women Work, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Medical Track

  • Associate Vice Chair of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Research, Department of Pediatrics | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh

    Her research interests focus on preventing intimate partner violence (IPV), specifically by supporting IPV survivors in pediatric healthcare settings and examining the impact of cultural and structural racism on IPV survivors and their families. She also does work focused on engaging parents in supporting their adolescent-age children in developing healthy romantic relationships. She is deeply passionate about uplifting community voices through research and much of her research is conducted in partnership with community-based organizations.

  • AHN Behavioral Health Services

    Lauren specializes in working with people struggling with infertility, grief/loss, trauma, and perinatal mental health issues. Lauren has received additional training on working with survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation and through a partnership with Eden's Farm, has provided ongoing treatment to survivors in their shelter.

  • AHN Behavioral Services

    Mallory has over a decade of experience working with mental health and specializes in helping individuals who have experienced complex trauma. Mallory created and has facilitated the program’s Birth Trauma Group since 2019 and collaborates with AHN’s Perinatal Trauma-Informed Care clinic. 

  • Edwards & Associates

    Dr. Edwards provides co-parenting therapy, reunification therapy, supervised visitation, and other court-involved therapy for Family Court. She is the only licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania with eight years of foundational academic training in forensic psychology. She opened a private practice in downtown Pittsburgh to serve the local community and beyond. Having been academically trained in law and psychology, she is able to competently provide psycho-legal services to Pennsylvanians.

  • Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh

    Her research is focused on understanding modifiable risk factors linking gender-based violence and cardiovascular disease, with the goal of improving women’s cardiovascular health and sleep across the lifespan. Dr. Jakubowski is invested in research mentorship and training of undergraduate and medical students, as well as providing clinical supervision to clinical psychology interns. Dr. Jakubowski maintains active community partnerships with local and regional agencies focused on intimate partner violence and women’s health.

  • Medical Advocacy Coordinator, WC&S

    Janice brings twenty (20) years of experience providing staff education and support for medical providers as well as crisis intervention for intimate partner victims at their point of entry into the healthcare system. She acts as liaison between the surrounding healthcare facilities and the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, with the goal of raising awareness about intimate partner violence among healthcare professionals and the community at large.

Economic Justice Track

  • Senior Account Executive, STANDING FIRM (a national program of WC&S)

    In her role as consultant and trainer, Mary works one on one with our clients to help build an organizational culture that supports employees who may be dealing with the realities of partner violence.  Through training and mentoring, Mary helps organizations understand the important role they can play in a partner violence survivor’s journey to a life free of fear and a path to realizing their full potential.

  • Program Associate, STANDING FIRM (a national program of WC&S)

    Karen supports the STANDING FIRM team in all facets of its strategic programing including database maintenance and website management, educational and social media content creation, and working as a liaison to partnering organizations. Prior to entering the non-profit arena, Karen worked in the financial industry for over 30 years. After 23 years at the executive level, she brings training facilitation experience for all levels of employees & directors, as well as regulatory, audit, compliance, physical & cyber security, and policy review & writing expertise to her current role.

  • Family Law Unit Manager, Neighborhood Legal Services

    Attorney Christopher has been employed with Neighborhood Legal Services since 2010. Prior, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Thomas M. Piccione and the Honorable John W. Hodge of the Lawrence County Court of Common Pleas. She is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

  • Silver Moon Strategies, LLC

    Julie is a consultant, trainer, and educator creating training, workshops, and tools for prevention of trauma and violence. Julie brings over 30 years of non-profit and community organizing experience. Julie is adjunct social work faculty, facilitator at PA Women Work, Counseling Coordinator at MAYA, and owns her own business where she helps individuals navigate change and find their paths and collaborates with organizations to build sustainable trauma-informed approaches to care.

  • Program Director, STANDING FIRM (a national program of WC&S)

    She is a committed, longtime advocate for survivors and in this role, will bring her years of experience working with organizations such as the National Council of Jewish Women (Pittsburgh Section) and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Before returning home to Pittsburgh, Megan worked for and with survivors at The Network, as well as its member programs, in Chicago, IL. She brings knowledge on the issue of partner violence and a passion for social justice, especially elevating and supporting women. Megan is a licensed attorney with experience in nonprofit management and a passion for policy.

  • Senior Trial Attorney, U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

    Prior to working for the Commission, Ms. Block represented employees in civil rights and employment litigation; unions in organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, litigation, and arbitration; and demonstrators who were arrested for protesting and civil disobedience. She was also a consulting attorney with the Women’s Law Project on the #MeTooPA initiative, where she provided free, confidential legal assistance to students and low-wage workers who experienced sexual harassment. From 2018-2020, she served on the City of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission, which spearheaded the City’s first intersectional gender analysis.

  • Executive Director, Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations

    Rachel is a third-generation City of Pittsburgh employee with a deep-seated commitment to serving the community. Charged with enforcing the rights of marginalized community members, Rachel strives to empower individuals to assert their rights under the law, dismantle discriminatory practices, and foster a more inclusive and equitable society.

  • Director for Moving Toward Financial Stability, United Way of Southwestern PA

    Alena brings over 16 years of experience serving financially vulnerable populations. In her current role, she is responsible for the oversight and expansion of key investments and programs aimed at helping individuals and families increase household income and move towards a more sustainable and financially secure life. A member of several advocacy and public policy committees, Alena is adept at engaging corporate, political and community leaders to address complex issues and develop preventive strategies that build stronger families and communities.

  • University of Pittsburgh

    Kayla is a Research Assistant for the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. In her role, Ms. Ortiz implements community engaged research focused on gender-based violence prevention and intervention. She applies an intersectional and community-engaged approach to her research.

  • Ikuma Ojok is the Senior Financial Counselor for Neighborhood Allies, holding an MBA in International Business. She is a Certified Credit Counselor from NFCC and a NACCC Certified Financial Counselor. Ikuma is passionate about helping clients achieve their financial goals by providing continuous support and empowering them to realize their potential for success. She takes pride in guiding individuals on their journey to financial stability and independence.

Legal Track

  • Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas—Family Division

    Prior to being appointed and then elected to the Court of Common Pleas, Judge Korbel devoted her legal career to serving domestic violence victims and children. She was employed as the Legal Director, supervising the Civil Law Project at the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh for 19 years. Judge Korbel is currently the Co-Chair of the Allegheny County Domestic Violence Task Force. She is the founding Commissioner of the City of Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission and the President of the Pittsburgh Matrimonial Inn of Court.

  • Chief of Mission Integration, WC&S

    Margaret works on strategic planning, kickstarts special initiatives and partnerships, and assists with Board relations. In addition, Attorney Prescott oversees human resources, database and government grants, programs operations, and the high-lethality survivor initiative. Prior to assuming her current role, Attorney Prescott served as a Senior Staff Attorney at the Women’s Center and Shelter’s Civil Law Project, where she provided comprehensive civil legal representation for low-income survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence. She specialized in appellate and family law matters, such as Protection from Abuse, Custody, Child and Spousal Support, and Divorce.

  • Chief Legal Officer - Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh

    President – Women’s Center & Shelter Civil Law Project

    Lorraine is an attorney who has provided legal representation for domestic violence survivors for over 40 years. Ms. Bittner began her legal career at Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) in Pittsburgh as a staff attorney and later Chief Attorney of the Family Law Unit. In 1996, she was hired by the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh (WC&S) to lead a Violence against Women Act collaborative project to improve the criminal justice system’s response to domestic violence.  In 2001, she created and developed the existing WC&S Civil Law Project and now serves as the WC&S Chief Legal Officer.  Ms. Bittner is a frequent lecturer/trainer for attorneys, police, and others in the justice system on domestic violence and Pennsylvania’s Protection from Abuse Act. 

  • Attorney, Krolikowski Law, LLC

    Attorney Sullivan practices primarily in the areas of criminal law and family law. Previously, Mr. Sullivan served as the Deputy District Attorney of the Domestic Violence Unit at the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office where he supervised and trained a team of attorneys and paralegals to ensure the proper handling of Intimate Partner Violence cases. He served as co-chair of the STOP Violence/VAWA Team and was the DA’s representative on the Intimate Partner Violence Leadership Reform Team. Additionally, he trained local police officers in Domestic Violence Prosecution as a MPOETC-certified trainer.

  • MENS Program Intervention Specialist, WC&S

    Master’s Level Clinician with nearly 20 years of experience in the mental health, addiction and offender treatment field. Mrs. Schossow Reinsmith currently serves as a Batterer Intervention Program facilitator, learning the IPV and court systems in the Pittsburgh area and Pennsylvania as a whole, with a goal of assisting the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh in promoting social, judicial, criminal change on IPV. Bridgette has presented information on IPV, including IPV and impression management at conferences, to medical professionals and probation officers.

  • Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office –Western District of Pennsylvania

    Nicole Vasquez Schmitt is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Economic Crime, National Security, and Cyber Crime Section. She also serves as the Office’s Domestic Violence Coordinator, co-Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) Coordinator, and Environmental Justice Coordinator.  Ms. Vasquez Schmitt has been an Assistant United States Attorney since 2018.  She recently served as a prosecutor on the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting capital case.  In her role as Domestic Violence Coordinator, she has prosecuted multiple cases involving intimate partner violence, including cases charging cyberstalking, interstate threats, kidnapping, interstate domestic violence, and illegal firearms possession.  Prior to joining the office, Ms. Vasquez Schmitt was a litigation associate at the New York firm Milbank LLP, and the Pittsburgh law firm Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir.

  • Victim Assistance Specialist, U.S. Attorney’s Office—Western District of Pennsylvania

    Adrienne Howe (she/her) has been the Victim Assistance Specialist for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania since 2016. In this capacity, she provides direct services, conducts community outreach, and ensures the rights of victims and witnesses of federal crimes in her district, including victims of domestic violence, child exploitation, human trafficking, mass casualty events, the opioid epidemic, hate crimes, elder abuse, and other violent and white-collar crimes.

  • Brittany Conkle is the Legal Director of the Women’s Center and Shelter Civil Law Project (CLP). She began as a Staff Attorney in 2016. Prior to joining CLP, Brittany worked for several years at two small family law firms. Immediately after graduation from law school, she was a legal researcher for a prosecution team at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (UNICTR) in Arusha, Tanzania. Brittany graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2010.  

    In her current role as Legal Director of CLP, Brittany supervises a team of three attorneys and two paralegals who provide free civil legal representation and advice to victims of intimate partner violence. Brittany and her team focus their practice on representing IPV survivors in family court actions – namely, Protection from Abuse (PFA), Custody, Support, and Divorce.  Brittany also maintains her own caseload and takes a weekly day of PFA court as she believes that it is critically important that managers maintain a connection to direct service.

    As part of her role as Legal Director, Brittany trains at the Pittsburgh Police Academy to new recruits and supervisors on PFA law and Crime Victims Rights. She is also a presenter at Neighborhood Legal Services’ Pro Bono PFA Training and has presented at multiple CLE trainings for the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA).  Brittany is a member of the ACBA and is currently on the ACBA Family Law Council.

  • Maddi Potter is the Legal Advocacy Manager at Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. Maddi graduated from University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Minors in French Language Studies and Children’s Literature. She began her career working in the psychiatric field, first with in-patient treatment and then outpatient mobile therapy with specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders.  In 2012, her career aspirations shifted after a growing desire to support to those affected by violent crimes.  Her first position as a legal advocate at Center for Victims gave her the knowledge and skillset to later supervise a Specialized Victim Service Unit that supported child abuse, elder abuse, and family violence victims throughout the court process.  In 2019, Maddi became a National Child Advocacy Center certified Forensic Interviewer at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where she also coordinated a Multidisciplinary Team to support the investigation and prosecution of child abuse crimes while advocating for the protection for child abuse victims and their families.  

    In 2021, Maddi joined Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh.  She currently assists survivors and supervises a team of nine legal advocates who support victims of intimate partner violence, daily, as they navigate the civil and criminal justice systems.  She and her team accompany victims to court in Allegheny County and maintain a working relationship with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office to emotionally support victim’s and ensure their rights are upheld throughout the criminal justice process.  In Family Court, Maddi and her team are present to safety plan with plaintiffs and help them prepare temporary Protection From Abuse Orders.  She is passionate in ensuring accessibility of services to all individuals in Allegheny County, especially non-English speakers, immigrants, and refugees.  

    In addition to court accompaniment, Maddi provides training opportunities and systems advocacy throughout Allegheny County, namely through Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) work groups and task forces and outreach to community resources and universities.  Maddi is a Domestic Violence Committee member for the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, a national group devoted to promoting victims’ rights and services throughout the United States.  Maddi is a trainer to local law enforcement and other community professionals on IPV Dynamics, the Maryland Model of the Lethality Assessment Protocol, and Animal Abuse and its intersections with Domestic Violence.