Board

I invite my peers in the woman-owned business arena to join the GO PURPLE movement with us! You will be inspired every day by the opportunities to make a real difference in the lives of so many.

What Purple Ribbon Council project or focus area are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about being an advocate and a voice for the children caught in the middle of breaking the cycle of domestic abuse. It just does not make sense when children who are affected by the abuse they have witnessed are mandated by the judicial system to have visitation with the abusive parent. These children sometimes even lose their lives as a result of enforced visitation with the abusive parent.

Summary of professional experience and/or personal connection to the Purple Ribbon Council mission:

Tiffany has been in the copier industry for 24 years, holding various positions including Vice President of Aftermarket as well as Director of Major Accounts. Recognizing that the customer needs something more from a dealer, she and her husband Jeff decided to start Infincom. Tiffany’s philosophy is “doing the right thing” for her customers and for her community.  As a survivor of domestic abuse, Tiffany feels an obligation and a calling to help assure that we stop domestic abuse before it starts and help the children caught in the middle.

Services are not tailored to the individual situation and service need, but rather are designed to reach what is thought to be the largest need.  The Purple Ribbon Council focuses on engaging everyday people in the prevention of abuse and engages communities to take an invested interest in the people all around them.  It embodies the ideology that "Together We Can Do More".  Furthermore, the programs established by the Council, focus on restoring basic needs and inspiring hope so that each person values their own ability to make changes in their life.  The Council affirms individual people that they have the inner resources to make change in their lives; engages communities to get involved and speak up; and inspires each of us to take an active role in domestic abuse prevention.

What Purple Ribbon Council project or focus area are you most passionate about?

I am passionate about the Purple Ribbon Fund for Children and the Restorative Interventions (HelpLine for friends and family).  Both of these programs focus on a person's inner resiliency and ability to restore hope and healing out of something tragic.  I strongly believe that the human spirit is much stronger than any trauma and that we all possess the ability to inspire hope and encouragement for those who are struggling.  By meeting a person where they are at and listening to their story, we can identify areas of hope that still exist and encourage people to rebuild one step at a time.

Summary of professional experience and/or personal connection to the Purple Ribbon Council mission:

Melissa graduated in 1995 from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelors Degree in Social Work.  Right out of college she worked within a residential treatment facility for adolescent girls who had survived significant childhood abuse.  It was here that Melissa learned many career lessons about hope and the human spirits desire to overcome.  She went on to earn a Masters degree in Social Work at Arizona State University (1997).  Melissa has had the opportunity to work as a crisis counselor and/or social worker in many arenas including: the Emergency Department of St Josephs Hospital and Medical Center; the Austin Center for Exceptional Students (ACES); EMPACT Suicide Prevention Center; Phoenix Police Departments Family Stress Team; and currently within the Glendale Police Department Victim Services Unit.

What a better place to commit my time and talent than to a ground floor, grassroots, community, charitable organization that serves mostly women and children.  I was also inspired by the fact that PRC focuses on education and primary prevention, the two key components that most domestic violence organizations don’t center their efforts. With a daughter in middle school and a son in high school, nothing could be as important as education and prevention in the early adolescent years.

What Purple Ribbon Council project or focus area are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about the awareness PRC creates about domestic violence.  My commitment comes to making the world a safer, better place not only for my children, but for women and their children everywhere. I also feel strongly about empowering all women through knowledge, awareness and education. When we enhance a woman’s well-being and quality of life, then we’ve done our job, because women are the cornerstone of developing an educated, well-rounded next generation.

Summary of professional experience and/or personal connection to the Purple Ribbon Council mission:

A native Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona, this proud Wildcat received a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Relations.  Although the welfare of children is still a passion of hers’, Tiffany’s love of working with people, forging lasting relationships and creating win-win situations drew her attention and focus to sales and marketing. With over eight years of sales, marketing, advertising and management experience, Tiffany was recruited by Phoenix Woman magazine in 2006 to increase revenue, community outreach and public awareness of the magazine, making it a household name in the Phoenix market. She is now a freelance marketing consultant with several individual clients both for profit and nonprofit. Her goal for her service on the board is to help in the awareness campaigns of the Purple Ribbon Council, until its mission, services and name become well know nationally.

Through pro bono legal services I am able to direct and devote resources and talents of many more than just myself to assist the volunteers of Purple Ribbon Council to achieve the goals of the organization - to truly make a difference in our community and to inspire others to do so as well.

What Purple Ribbon Council project or focus area are you most passionate about?

Energizing others and receiving inspiration from them and using contacts I have to spread the word about the work of the Purple Ribbon Council.  The next volunteer may only be a brief conversation away from becoming involved.

Summary of professional experience and/or personal connection to the Purple Ribbon Council mission:

David and his family have been touched by domestic abuse and other violent crime on several occasions.  His motivation to get involved in the work of spreading awareness and achieving prevention is deeply personal.  Professionally, in his service for several years as the Scottsdale City Attorney, David had the honor to lead the in-the-trenches work of dedicated prosecutors and victim advocates.  Elevating the status and importance of the victim assistance program to a full-blown division of the City Attorney's Office, with services and even free masters level counseling to victims of all types of violent crime, David truly made a difference to the community.  David’s volunteer work with the Purple Ribbon Council allows him to continue with that passion in a different role.

She is particularly interested in how the status characteristics of individuals, such as gender, race, class, or sexuality, affect their interactions with the legal system, institutions, and other individuals. To date her research has focused on domestic violence and the justice system, mandatory arrest policies for domestic violence, child care utilization and policy, and welfare reform. Her current research focuses on the social construction of domestic violence victimization, and how gender influences how narratives of violence are constructed and interpreted in the justice system. She was inspired to serve on the Purple Ribbon Council Advisory Board because of the council’s unique prevention focus and work to reach out to victims who do not access traditional services such as shelters.

Prior to her role as Director of the Phoenix Family Advocacy Center, JoAnn worked for Governor Janet Napolitano as the Director of the Division for Women in the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families. JoAnn also has a solid 10+ years in law enforcement communications.

What inspired you to serve on the Advisory Board?

I had heard a lot about Donna Bartos from colleagues. When I had the opportunity to meet with Donna in person I was extremely impressed by Donna’s passion and willingness to commit herself fully to ending domestic abuse. After being in the field for many years, Donna’s optimism and energy inspired me deeply and I knew I wanted to be a part of her vision, work and change.

What Purple Ribbon Council project or focus area are you most passionate about?

The goals of the Purple Ribbon Council empower the entire community to take a stand against domestic abuse. We are all responsible for maintaining healthy relationships, healthy families and healthy communities. We are responsible for the children who have been victimized and have no voice. Through hope, commitment and hard work we can make our communities, neighborhoods, faith organizations, schools, workplaces and homes safe and free of abuse.  The impact of domestic violence on children is an issue that is very important to me as a professional and as a parent. The legacy of domestic violence is a heavy burden for children who have witnessed it, been direct victims or most tragically have been orphaned by domestic violence. I believe Purple Ribbon Council’s efforts to support and empower children can help break the cycle of family violence and just as critically heal the hearts and minds of children who through no fault of their own have experienced trauma beyond what most people could even imagine.

In addition to his work in academia and public policy, Richard has consulted to public and social agencies in New York City on child health, juvenile justice, drug treatment, family services, and child poverty. He also worked for the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services and New York City Department of Juvenile Justice as Director of Operations Analysis. In 2008, Richard and his ASU colleagues, Bill Hart and Andrea Whitsett, developed evaluation tools to measure the effectiveness of the Purple Ribbon Council’s pilot “It’s Okay to Talk About It” Community Dialogue Circles project. Richard is most passionate about Purple Ribbon Council’s work on grassroots civic engagement.

She also worked in an Arizona Domestic Violence Shelter from 1990 -1997. Doreen has over 30 years of experience both personally and as a worker in the Domestic Violence Movement.  Doreen was part of founding the National Advocacy and Training Network in 2000. Doreen’s passion is facilitating the process of healing for people who have experienced Domestic Violence; the process of moving from “victim” to “survivor.” She also works in assisting communities to better provide a Coordinated Response to Domestic Violence and conducts community trainings on the local, state, national and international levels. Doreen is most passionate about Purple Ribbon Council’s efforts for primary prevention.