Terms of Use

Updated Oct 2023

 

Acceptance of the Terms of Use

These terms of use are entered into by and between You and David Mandel & Associates, LLC, d/b/a Safe & Together Institute (“Safe & Together”, “we”, “us”, or “our”). The following terms and conditions, together with any documents they expressly incorporate by reference (“Terms of Use“), govern your access to and use of www.safeandtogetherinstitute.com and academy.safeandtogetherinstitute.com (collectively the “Site”), the content and functionality available on or through the Site, our E-store, our virtual academy (“Virtual Academy”), including our Perpetrator Pattern Mapping Tool (“PPMT”), and licensed-based resources offered by us (“Licenses” and together with the Site, the Virtual Academy and the PPMT, the “Services“), whether as a guest or a registered user.

 

Please read the Terms of Use carefully before you start to use the Services. By using the Services or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use, including our Privacy Policy, found here, which is incorporated herein by reference. If you do not want to agree to these Terms of Use or the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Services.

 

The Services are offered and available to users who are 18 years of age or older. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you are of legal age to form a binding contract with Safe & Together. If you do not meet all of these requirements, you must not access or use the Services.

 

Changes to the Terms of Use

We may revise and update these Terms of Use from time to time in our sole discretion. All changes are effective immediately when we post them and apply to all access to and use of the Services thereafter. However, any changes to the dispute resolution provisions set out in Governing Law and Jurisdiction will not apply to any disputes for which the parties have actual notice before the date the change is posted on the Site.

 

Your continued use of the Services following the posting of revised Terms of Use means that you accept and agree to the changes. You are expected to check this page from time to time so you are aware of any changes, as they are binding on you.

 

Accessing the Services and Account Security

We reserve the right to withdraw or amend the Services, and any product, service or material we provide on or through the Services, in our sole discretion. From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Site, or the entire Site, to users, including registered users.

You are responsible for both:

 

  • Making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Services.
  • Ensuring that all persons who access the Services through your internet connection or your account are aware of these Terms of Use and comply with them.

 

To access the Services or some of the resources it offers, you may be asked to provide certain registration details or other information. It is a condition of your use of the Services that all the information you provide on is correct, current, and complete. You agree that all information you provide to register with the Services or otherwise, including, but not limited to, through the use of any interactive features on the Virtual Academy, is governed by our Privacy Policy, and you consent to all actions we take with respect to your information consistent with our Privacy Policy.

 

If you chose, or are provided with a username, password, or any other piece of information as part of security procedures related to the Services, you must treat such information as confidential, and you must not disclose it to any other person or entity. You also acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to Services or portions of the Services using your user name, password, or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your username or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. You should use particular caution when accessing your account from a public or shared computer so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information.

 

We have the right to disable any user name, password, or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time if, in our opinion, you have violated any provision of these Terms of Use.

 

PPMT. 

The PPMT offers you the opportunity to map a perpetrator’s pattern using information from one or more of your cases.  Should you choose to use it, the VMT facilitates and supports your assessments, interventions, and outcomes of the case.  The VMT includes eight steps, each focusing on a different mapping activity.  During each step you will enter information about your case.  For each of your active cases, you will be able to:

  • Save your work;
  • Edit your work;
  • Print your work; and
  • Delete your data once your case has been completed and printed.

 

In order to use and save your work, the PPMT requires your browser cookies to be turned on and for you to sign out of the PPMT.

 

The information you enter in the fillable forms on the PPMT is saved on your browser in a secure cookie.  We do not have access to the information you save in the fillable forms on the PPMT.  For purposes of clarity, we do not and cannot access the information you include in the fillable forms on the PPMT.  Since we do not have access to the information you save in the fillable forms on the PPMT, we are unable to restore any of your work in the PPMT.  It is very important that you follow the instructions of use provided in the PPMT in order for you to save your work in the PPMT.

 

See our Privacy Policy for more information regarding information that you enter into the PPMT.

 

Payment

You may choose to purchase items through our E-Store, register and pay for courses through our Virtual Academy, or purchase any Licenses offered by us.

 

Amount to be Charged. You agree to pay the fee specified when you register and pay for courses in the Virtual Academy, purchase items in the E-Store, and/or purchase any Subscriptions (plus any applicable taxes or other charges noted at checkout). Any agreement you have with your payment provider governs your use of your specified payment method.

 

Licenses. We offer three License options for you to access and use certain resources.  The Licenses are available on the following basis: monthly, annually and a Forever Plan (defined below).  Current rates and offers for such Licenses can be found at _______.  Subject to your compliance with these Terms of Use and solely for so long as you are permitted by us to access and use the resources under the applicable License, we grant you a limited, non-transferable, non-exclusive, revocable right and license to you and you authorized users to access and use the resources under the applicable License during the applicable term (i.e. month, year, Forever) solely for internal business operations, a right which may not be assigned or sublicensed to anyone.  This license will remain in effect unless and until you violate these Terms of Use or this license is terminated by you or Safe & Together.

 

The following applies to Licenses:

  • Individual Accounts.  When you create an individual account for a License, you are the only user permitted to use that account, and information you enter into your account is available only to you.  
  • Multi-User Accounts.  When you create a multi-user account for a License, you retain administrative control (“Admin”) over who is granted access to your account by establishing your authorized users. The Admin of a multi-user account is responsible for maintaining up to date contact and billing information for the multi-user account. We are entitled to rely on communications from the multi-user account Admin when servicing your multi-user account. If a person within your organization requests a change to the account owner, we will attempt to contact the Admin for consent, but to the extent that the Admin does not respond to our communications, we will transfer the Admin controls based on our internal verification methods.
  • Cancelation and Auto-Renewals.  You can cancel your License at any time and you will have access to all of the materials available under the License until then end of your then-current term.  Until you cancel a monthly or annual License by contacting us or canceling your License through your account, your Licesne will automatically renew (on a month-to-month basis for a monthly License, or on a year-to-year basis for an annual License) at the end of each term.
  • Charges; No Refunds. Your failure to terminate your License prior to the conclusion of your initial term to the License reaffirms that we are authorized to charge you for the renewal of the License at the then-current rate. We may submit those charges for payment, and you will be responsible for such charges. This does not waive our right to seek payment directly from you.  Once a License is purchased, no refunds, including pro-rated refunds, will be issued; therefore, it is important to note when your License is up for renewal and process any cancellation prior to the renewal.
  • Non-Transferable. Individual Licenses may not be transferred to another user.  With a multi-user License, access may be reassigned by an Admin to new individuals replacing individuals who no longer use the License for any purpose (e.g., transferring access from a terminated employee to a new employee).  If you have any questions about transferring under a Multi-User License, please contact us at ___________.
  • Forever Plan. A Forever Plan Subscription includes access to the then-current version of the applicable subscription services without a set expiration or termination date (“Forever Plan”) for one upfront fee (rather than monthly or annually).  Your Forever Plan License will include access, maintenance, and Updates to the version to which you paid for.  The Forever Plan does not include Upgrades to the License.  If the version of the License to which you paid for under the Forever Plan is no longer made available for use by us for any reason, your Forever Plan would immediately terminate.
    • For purposes of the Forever Plan, (i) “Update” means an update or patch to the then-current version of the applicable License that fixes features that aren’t working as intended or adds minor enhancements and compatibility;
    • “Upgrade” means a new version of the applicable License.  Upgrades generally offer new features, noticeable functionality improvements and/or revised or new user interfaces. 

 

Billing Authorization. You may be asked to provide a payment method (such as a credit, charge or debit card number) that we accept in order to register and pay for courses in the Virtual Academy, purchase items in the E-Store, purchase any Licenses, along with other payment information. This information is collected, processed and stored by a third-party payment processor, e.g., Stripe. You represent and warrant that you have the legal right to use all payment method(s) that you provide in register and pay for courses in the Virtual Academy, purchase items in the E-Store, and/or purchase any Licenses. Your authorizations in this section also apply to our third-party payment processors and any other companies who act as billing agents for us, e.g., Stripe. You hereby authorize us to charge your specified payment method in accordance with the terms provided when you register and pay for courses in the Virtual Academy, purchase items in the E-Store, and/or purchase any Licenses and/or to place a hold on your payment method with respect to any unpaid charges for your registration. You authorize the issuer of your selected payment method to pay any amounts described herein without requiring a signed receipt, and you agree that these Terms shall be accepted as authorization to the issuer of the payment method to pay any amounts described herein, without requiring a signed receipt from you. You authorize us to continue to attempt to charge and/or place holds with respect to all sums described herein, or any portion thereof, to your payment method until such amounts are paid in full. You agree to provide updated payment information upon request and any time the information you previously provided is no longer valid. You acknowledge and agree that neither Safe & Together, nor any third party vendor, will have any liability whatsoever for any insufficient funds or other charges incurred by you as a result of attempts to charge, and/or place holds on, your specified payment method as contemplated by these Terms. If you provide a debit card number instead of a credit card number, you authorize all charges described herein to be applied to such debit card unless and until you provide a credit card number.

 

Third-Party Payment Processors. You agree to pay us, through our third-party payment processors, all charges at the prices then in effect that were presented to you at the time of registration/purchase. You agree to make payment using the payment method you provide when you set up your account. We reserve the right to correct, or to instruct our payment processors to correct, any errors or mistakes, even if payment has already been requested or received.

 

Bill Inquiries. If you believe you have been billed in error for a course registration or other product, please notify us within 60 days of the billing date by contacting us. Safe & Together will not issue refunds or credits after the expiration of this 60-day period, except where required by applicable law.  Subscriptions are not refundable, except where required by applicable law.

 

Intellectual Property Rights

The Site, the Virtual Academy and its entire contents, features, and functionality (including but not limited to all information, software, text, displays, images, video, and audio, and the design, selection, and arrangement thereof) are owned by Safe & Together, its licensors, or other providers of such material and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws.

 

These Terms of Use permit you to use the Services for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any of the material on our Site and Virtual Academy, except as follows:

  • Your computer may temporarily store copies of such materials in RAM incidental to your accessing and viewing those materials.
  • You may store files that are automatically cached by your Web browser for display enhancement purposes.
  • You may print or download one copy of a reasonable number of pages of the Site for your own personal, non-commercial use and not for further reproduction, publication, or distribution.
  • If we provide desktop, mobile, or other applications for download, you may download a single copy to your computer or mobile device solely for your own personal, non-commercial use, provided you agree to be bound by our end user license agreement for such applications, as applicable.
  • If we provide social media features with certain content, you may take such actions as are enabled by such features.

 

You must not:

  • Modify copies of any materials from the Services.
  • Use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences, or any graphics separately from the accompanying text.
  • Delete or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights notices from copies of materials from the Services.

 

You must not access or use for any commercial purposes any part of the Services or any materials available through the Services.

 

If you print, copy, modify, download, or otherwise use or provide any other person with access to any part of the Website in breach of the Terms of Use, your right to use the Services will stop immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made. No right, title, or interest in or to the Services or any content on the Services is transferred to you, and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by us. Any use of the Services not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use is a breach of these Terms of Use and may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws.

 

Trademarks

Our name, the terms SAFE & TOGETHER, our logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of Safe & Together or its affiliates or licensors. You must not use such marks without the prior written permission of Safe & Together. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans on the Services are the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

Prohibited Uses

You may use the Services only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use. You agree not to use the Services:

  • In any way that violates any applicable federal, state, local, or international law or regulation (including, without limitation, any laws regarding the export of data or software to and from the US or other countries).
  • To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use, or re-use any material that does not comply with the Content Standards set out in these Terms of Use.
  • To transmit or procure the sending of any advertising or promotional material, including any “junk mail,” “chain letter,” “spam,” or any other similar solicitation.
  • To impersonate or attempt to impersonate Safe & Together, a Safe & Together employee, another user, or any other person or entity (including, without limitation, by using email addresses associated with any of the foregoing).
  • To engage in any other conduct that restricts or inhibits anyone’s use or enjoyment of the Services or which, as determined by us, may harm Safe & Together or users of the Services or expose them to liability.

 

Additionally, you agree not to:

  • Use the Services in any manner that could disable, overburden, damage, or impair the Services or interfere with any other party’s use of the Services, including their ability to engage in real-time activities through the Services.
  • Use any robot, spider, or other automatic device, process, or means to access the Site for any purpose, including monitoring or copying any of the material on the Services.
  • Use any manual process to monitor or copy any of the material provided on or through the Services or for any other purpose not expressly authorized in these Terms of Use, without our prior written consent.
  • Use any device, software, or routine that interferes with the proper working of the Services.
  • Introduce any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, logic bombs, or other material that is malicious or technologically harmful.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, interfere with, damage, or disrupt any parts of the Services, the server on which any of the Services is stored, or any server, computer, or database connected to the Services.
  • Attack the Services via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack.
  • Otherwise attempt to interfere with the proper working of the Services.

 

User Contributions

Certain portions of the Services, such as the Site and the Virtual Academy, may contain message boards, profiles, forums, bulletin boards, comment sections, and other interactive features (collectively, “Interactive Services“) that allow users to post, submit, publish, display, or transmit to other users or other persons (hereinafter, “post“) content or materials (collectively, “User Contributions“) on or through the Services.

 

All User Contributions posted through the Interactive Services are public and can be seen by other users.  All User Contributions must comply with the Content Standards set out in these Terms of Use.

 

Any User Contribution you post to the Services will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary. By providing any User Contribution, you grant us and our service providers, and each of their and our respective licensees, successors, and assigns the right to use, reproduce, modify, perform, display, distribute, and otherwise disclose to third parties any such material according to your account settings.

 

You represent and warrant that:

  • You own or control all rights in and to the User Contributions and have the right to grant the license granted above to us and our affiliates and service providers, and each of their and our respective licensees, successors, and assigns.
  • All of your User Contributions do and will comply with these Terms of Use.

 

You understand and acknowledge that you are responsible for any User Contributions you submit or contribute, and you, not Safe & Together, have full responsibility for such content, including its legality, reliability, accuracy, and appropriateness.

We are not responsible or liable to any third party for the content or accuracy of any User Contributions posted by you or any other user of the Services.

 

Monitoring and Enforcement; Termination

We have the right to:

  • Remove or refuse to post any User Contributions for any or no reason in our sole discretion.
  • Take any action with respect to any User Contribution that we deem necessary or appropriate in our sole discretion, including if we believe that such User Contribution violates the Terms of Use, including the Content Standards, infringes any intellectual property right or other right of any person or entity, threatens the personal safety of users of the Services or the public, or could create liability for the Company.
  • Disclose your identity or other information about you to any third party who claims that material posted by you violates their rights, including their intellectual property rights or their right to privacy.
  • Take appropriate legal action, including without limitation, referral to law enforcement, for any illegal or unauthorized use of the Website.
  • Terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Services for any violation of these Terms of Use.

 

Without limiting the foregoing, we have the right to cooperate fully with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity or other information of anyone posting any materials on or through the Website. YOU WAIVE AND HOLD HARMLESS SAFE & TOGETHER AND ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS FROM ANY CLAIMS RESULTING FROM ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ANY OF THE FOREGOING PARTIES DURING, OR TAKEN AS A CONSEQUENCE OF, INVESTIGATIONS BY EITHER SUCH PARTIES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.

 

However, we do not undertake to review all material before it is posted on the Interactive Services and cannot ensure prompt removal of objectionable material after it has been posted. Accordingly, we assume no liability for any action or inaction regarding transmissions, communications, or content provided by any user or third party. We have no liability or responsibility to anyone for performance or nonperformance of the activities described in this section.

 

Content Standards

These content standards apply to any and all User Contributions and use of Interactive Services. User Contributions must in their entirety comply with all applicable federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations. Without limiting the foregoing, User Contributions must not:

  • Contain any material that is defamatory, obscene, indecent, abusive, offensive, harassing, violent, hateful, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable.
  • Promote sexually explicit or pornographic material, violence, or discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age.
  • Infringe any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other intellectual property or other rights of any other person.
  • Violate the legal rights (including the rights of publicity and privacy) of others or contain any material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under applicable laws or regulations or that otherwise may be in conflict with these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
  • Be likely to deceive any person.
  • Promote any illegal activity, or advocate, promote, or assist any unlawful act.
  • Cause annoyance, inconvenience, or needless anxiety or be likely to upset, embarrass, alarm, or annoy any other person.
  • Impersonate any person, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or organization.
  • Involve commercial activities or sales, such as contests, sweepstakes, and other sales promotions, barter, or advertising.
  • Give the impression that they emanate from or are endorsed by us or any other person or entity, if this is not the case.

 

Copyright Infringement

We take claims of copyright infringement seriously. We will respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with applicable law.

 

If you believe any materials accessible on or from the Services infringe your copyright, you may request removal of those materials (or access to them) from the Website by submitting written notification to our copyright agent designated below. In accordance with the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512) (“DMCA“), the written notice (the “DMCA Notice“) must include substantially the following:

  • Your physical or electronic signature.
  • Identification of the copyrighted work you believe to have been infringed or, if the claim involves multiple works on the Website, a representative list of such works.
  •  Identification of the material you believe to be infringing in a sufficiently precise manner to allow us to locate that material.
  • Adequate information by which we can contact you (including your name, postal address, telephone number, and, if available, email address).
  • A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
  • A statement that the information in the written notice is accurate.
  • A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

 

Our designated copyright agent to receive DMCA Notices is:

 

[FIRST AND LAST NAME OF AGENT]

[NAME OF AGENT’S ORGANIZATION]

[PHYSICAL MAIL ADDRESS OF AGENT]

[TELEPHONE NUMBER OF AGENT]

[EMAIL ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR THIS PURPOSE]

 

If you fail to comply with all of the requirements of Section 512(c)(3) of the DMCA, your DMCA Notice may not be effective.

 

Please be aware that if you knowingly materially misrepresent that material or activity on the Website is infringing your copyright, you may be held liable for damages (including costs and attorneys’ fees) under Section 512(f) of the DMCA.

 

It is our policy to terminate the user accounts of repeat infringers.

 

Reliance on Information Posted

The information presented on or through the Services is made available solely for general information purposes. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such materials by you or any other visitor to the Services, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.

 

The Services may include content provided by third parties, including materials provided by other users, and third-party licensors, syndicators, aggregators, and/or reporting services. All statements and/or opinions expressed in these materials, and all articles and responses to questions and other content, other than the content provided by Safe & Together, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. These materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Safe & Together. We are not responsible, or liable to you or any third party, for the content or accuracy of any materials provided by any third parties.

 

Changes to the Content Provided on and Through the Services

We may update the content provided on and through the Services from time to time, but its content is not necessarily complete or up-to-date. Any of the material available through the Services may be out of date at any given time, and we are under no obligation to update such material.

 

Information About You and Your Visits to the Website

All information we collect through the Services is subject to our Privacy Policy. By using the Services, you consent to all actions taken by us with respect to your information in compliance with the Privacy Policy.

 

Linking to the Website and Social Media Features

You may link to our homepage, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval, or endorsement on our part.

 

You agree to cooperate with us in causing any unauthorized framing or linking immediately to stop. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

 

Links from the Services

If the Services contain links to other sites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your convenience only. This includes links contained in advertisements, including banner advertisements and sponsored links. We have no control over the contents of those sites or resources, and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to the Services, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use and privacy policies for such websites.

 

Disclaimers

YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, ITS CONTENT AND ANY ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE SERVICES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.  THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND BY SAFE & TOGETHER OR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH SAFE & TOGETHER, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTIES THAT MATERIALS ON THE SERVICES ARE NONINFRINGING, AS WELL AS WARRANTIES IMPLIED FROM A COURSE OF PERFORMANCE OR COURSE OF DEALING; THAT ACCESS TO THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE; THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE SECURE; THAT THE SERVICES OR THE SERVER(S) THAT MAKES THE SERVICES AVAILABLE WILL BE VIRUS-FREE OR FREE OF OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS; OR THAT INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SERVICES WILL BE COMPLETE, ACCURATE, ERROR-FREE, UNINTERRUPTED, RELIABLE, OR TIMELY; THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED OR THAT THE INFORMATION OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE SERVICES WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.  IF YOU DOWNLOAD ANY MATERIALS FROM THE SERVICES, YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK.  YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OF ANY SUCH MATERIALS.  NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM SAFE & TOGETHER OR THROUGH OR FROM THE SERVICES SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

 

THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

 

Limitation on Liability

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACCESS AND USE OF THE SERVICES.  YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ANY INFORMATION YOU SEND OR RECEIVE DURING YOUR ACCESS AND USE OF THE SERVICES MAY NOT BE SECURE AND MAY BE INTERCEPTED BY UNAUTHORIZED PARTIES.  YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER SAFE & TOGETHER NOR THIRD PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS OR DIRECTORS WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO THE SERVICES, OR ANY OTHER WEBSITE YOU ACCESS THROUGH A LINK FROM THE SERVICES OR FROM ANY ACTIONS WE TAKE OR FAIL TO TAKE AS A RESULT OF COMMUNICATIONS YOU SEND TO US, OR THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION, PRODUCTS OR SERVICES ADVERTISED IN OR OBTAINED THROUGH THE SERVICES OR ANY LINK TO THE SERVICES, SAFE & TOGETHER’S REMOVAL OR DELETION OF ANY MATERIALS SUBMITTED OR POSTED ON THE SERVICES, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE SERVICES, WHETHER BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF SAFE & TOGETHER, ITS SUPPLIERS OR SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES.  THIS DISCLAIMER APPLIES, WITHOUT LIMITATION, TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY ARISING FROM ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECTS, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUSES, FILE CORRUPTION, COMMUNICATION-LINE FAILURE, NETWORK OR SYSTEM OUTAGE, PERSONAL INJURY, PAIN AND SUFFERING, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, LOSS OF REVENUE,YOUR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, OR THEFT, DESTRUCTION, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, LOSS OR USE OF ANY RECORD OR DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL AND ANY OTHER TANGIBLE OR INTANGIBLE LOSS.  YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT NEITHER SAFE & TOGETHER NOR ITS SERVICE PROVIDERS SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY USER OF THE SERVICES.  IN NO EVENT SHALL SAFE & TOGETHER’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES (OTHER THAN AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW) EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF FIFTY DOLLARS ($50.00) OR THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR THE SERVICES AT ISSUE IN THE PRECEDING 12 MONTHS, WHICHEVER IS GREATER, WHICH WILL BE YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY AGAINST SAFE & TOGETHER. THE LIMITATION OF CERTAIN LIABILITIES IS PROHIBITED IN SOME JURISDICTIONS, IN WHICH CASE SOME OF THESE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

 

EXCEPT WHERE PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NO CLAIM OR LEGAL ACTION YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS (WHETHER BASED ON THESE TERMS OF USE, NEGLIGENCE OR ANY THEORY OF LAW), THE SERVICES MAY BE BROUGHT MORE THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE DATE THE CAUSE OF ACTION FOR SUCH CLAIM ACCRUED.

 

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Safe & Together, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Use or your use of the Services, including, but not limited to, your User Contributions, any use of the Services’ content, functionality, and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use, or your use of any information obtained from the Services.

 

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

All matters relating to these Terms of Use, and any dispute or claim arising therefrom or related thereto (in each case, including non-contractual disputes or claims), shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Connecticut without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Connecticut or any other jurisdiction).

Any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of, or related to, these Terms of Use or the Services shall be instituted exclusively in the federal courts of the United States or the courts of the State of Connecticut although we retain the right to bring any suit, action, or proceeding against you for breach of these Terms of Use in your country of residence or any other relevant country. You waive any and all objections to the exercise of jurisdiction over you by such courts and to venue in such courts.

We recognize that it is possible for you to obtain access to the Services from any jurisdiction in the world, but we have no practical ability to prevent such access.  The Services have been designed to comply with the laws of the State of Connecticut and of the United States.  If any material provided on or through the Services, or your use of the Services, is contrary to the laws of the place where you are when you access the Services, the Services are not intended for your use, and we ask you not to use the Services.  You are responsible for informing yourself of the laws of your jurisdiction and complying with them.

 

Arbitration

At Safe & Together’s sole discretion, it may require You to submit any disputes arising from these Terms of Use or use of the Services, including disputes arising from or concerning their interpretation, violation, invalidity, non-performance, or termination, to final and binding arbitration under the Rules of Arbitration of the American Arbitration Association applying Connecticut law.

 

Waiver and Severability

No waiver by Safe & Together of any term or condition set out in these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure of Safe & Together to assert a right or provision under these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

 

If any provision of these Terms of Use is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms of Use will continue in full force and effect.

 

Entire Agreement

The Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and Safe & Together regarding the Services and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, regarding the Services.

 

Contact Us

We can be reached at the following for any comments and questions:

Safe & Together Institute

P.O. Box 745 Canton, CT 06019



Annie Dean joined as Chief Operating Officer at Safe & Together Institute in Nov. 2024. With 20+ years in operational leadership, she has been instrumental in leading teams tasked with large-scale change management, and technology adoption. Her experience centers on technology-focused social enterprises, including Coursera, LinkedIn, and several startups across healthcare and workforce safety. Most recently, as CEO and Co-founder of RecastSuccess, she built a profitable social enterprise focused on diversifying the Customer Success industry through career pathways for non-traditional candidates. She is passionate about improving worker satisfaction and safety for social service professionals. 

Annie holds an Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship Master’s Certificate from HEC Paris and, as a native sign language speaker, brings unique perspectives on accessible communication and inclusive leadership. She has been part of 4 successful exits and serves as an advisor to several AI companies across EdTech and HealthTech.

Kimly Sills, a 26-year child welfare veteran in Ontario, Canada, has been a passionate Safe & Together advocate since she discovered it seven years ago. Her journey began when she was tasked with supervising a specialized domestic violence protection team, developing the program, and acting as the community liaison to improve relationships between Child Welfare and Violence Against Women sectors. Since that time, she introduced the Safe & Together™ Model to her agency and has grown the practice within by actively using it with every family impacted by domestic violence that she supervises. Kimly has dedicated her child welfare practice to becoming more domestic abuse-informed by coaching staff, supervisors, members of the legal department, and community partners to implement the Safe & Together™ principles, tools, and skills into their daily practice to improve outcomes for families and cross-system collaboration.

Kimly is bi-lingual and has worked in child welfare as a front-line worker, team supervisor, and program manager. Kimly’s experience as a supervisor/manager includes intake, clinical assessments, ongoing family services, as well as, working with foster families, children/youth in care, and public relations. She has been trained in the Signs of Safety (SOS), strength-based approach and guides staff to increase the implementation of SOS in their child welfare practice. Kimly understands first-hand the similarities and differences between the two models (SOS and S&T) and how they can work together clinically to reach optimum results in child, survivor, and/or worker safety, as well as increased engagement with fathers in a child welfare system.

Kimly also runs her own private practice as a Clinical Social worker providing individual and couples therapy. She specializes in working with individuals impacted by domestic violence, including survivors, family/friends trying to support them, and perpetrators motivated to make better, non-violent/controlling choices.

Rebecca’s journey with the Safe & Together Institute began in 2024. Rebecca brings a solid educational foundation to her role with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Investments from West Chester University and a Master of Science Degree from Wilmington University. Prior to her tenure at Safe & Together, Rebecca served as the Director of Finance and IT for an entertainment attraction. While finance serves as the cornerstone of her expertise, Rebecca’s journey has ventured into the domains of Information Technology and Human Resources. She has cultivated a well-rounded skill set that uniquely positions her as a catalyst for progress within the Safe & Together Institute. At the heart of Rebecca’s approach lies a commitment to partnership and ensuring that business growth remains intertwined with organizational mission and goals. Her inclusive mindset is at the core of balanced decision-making.

Christine leads the Finance Team for Safe & Together since her joining in 2023. She has over 20 years of cumulative experience in the areas of finance and business, and change management. Christine is a certified Executive Coach from the Institute of Leadership at United Kingdom. She brings her experience of working in leadership coaching, management training and human resources to her work practice, along with her passion for a mindfulness-based approach.  Having qualified in Computer Studies, she also has a wide-ranging experience of technology gained during her tenure in the technology arena.

 

 

Jackie Wruck

Jackie Wruck has been a Certified Trainer with the Safe & Together Institute in Australia since 2017 and joins the Safe & Together Institute as the Asia Pacific Regional Manager! Jackie lives in Queensland, AU, and has been working within the community sector for over 20 years. This included working within Government and Non-Government agencies that worked with vulnerable individuals and families in Australia. Jackie has worked in the fields of Child Protection and Domestic Violence as a frontline practitioner in both advocating and crisis support of families. She has also worked in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations as a DV Specialist and would consult on cases that involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Jackie has the lived experience, knowledge and understanding of the issue of DFV in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and was the cultural lead for the Walking With Dad’s program, which is grounded in the Safe & Together Model.  Jackie has assisted in bringing both Safe & Together and the Child Protection Child Placement Principles framework together to enhance the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Australia to assist in keeping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children out of the Child Protection system.  In addition to training on the Safe & Together Model, Jackie continued to use the Safe & Together Model directly with families as a child protection professional, coaching and consulting on cases with domestic violence. She continues to be committed to the safety and well-being of children and families through practice changes through the Safe & Together Model. Jackie will be representing, assisting and supporting Safe & Together Institute in the development and implementation of the model across Australia and Asia Pacific regions.

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Donna Dukes

Donna joined the Safe & Together Institute in December 2022. She comes to us with a combination of both corporate and non-profit experiences. Previously, Donna held training coordinator positions in the financial sector with The Vanguard Group and Training The Street. In the non-profit sector, she was dedicated to community service, both professionally and personally. As the Training Manager for United Way of Central Carolinas, she managed a leadership development program. Volunteering in her spare time, she became an integral part of domestic violence awareness, advocacy and training. Appointed by the City Council and the Board of County Commissioners, she previously served two years as the Chair of the Domestic Violence Advisory Board in Charlotte, NC.

Donna holds a Masters Degree in Health and Human Performance and a Bachelors Degree in Organizational Communications. Donna has received the “Volunteer of The Year” award from United Family Services, a Commendation Award from the chief of the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Police Department and has had several appearances on local television. Academically, she consistently made the Dean’s List; was inducted into Lambda Pi Eta, The National Communication Association Honor Society; and was recognized by the North Carolina State Senate for her academic achievements. With a sense of humor and a lot of inspiration, Donna loves bringing joy and hope to others.

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Nicola (Nic) Douglas

Nicola Douglas has eighteen years of experience in the field of domestic abuse. Her passion for the issue began when she was an undergraduate, volunteering in a homeless hostel and working with women made homeless as they fled abuse. She went on to work as a front-line practitioner in a range of settings, including refuge, outreach (as an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor – IDVA) and Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA). Nicola’s interest lies in systems change and she moved into strategic roles, successfully implementing programmes to improve domestic abuse outcomes within social care, police and the ambulance service. Nicola spent four years at Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse in the UK, with and alongside partners, to improve the way that systems respond to domestic abuse. This included leading a team of coordinators working in healthcare and child protection settings, as well as developing a health-based accreditation scheme. Most recently, Nicola completed her MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice, achieving a Distinction and award for best dissertation which focused on the impact of the Domestic Abuse Act on strategic partnerships in the UK.

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Kay Stevenson


Coming off of an employment history of managing several small businesses in Connecticut and enjoying the growth and expansion process, Kay is a founding employee of Safe & Together Institute, having started with David in 2006. Now overseeing finance, human resources and technology, Kay balances her commitment to the company’s growth with hobbies of gardening and novel writing.

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Mandy Rousselle


Mandy joined the Safe and Together Institute in February 2022 as a bookkeeper. She studied Early Childhood Develop at the University of Maryland European Division in Germany. Prior to working for Safe & Together, Mandy did bookkeeping, customer service coaching, admin support, and managed a transportation charity in Canada for several years.

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Janet Penza


Janet joined the Safe & Together Institute in 2022. She has a long history of supporting executives to achieve their goals.

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Kim Jurgens


Kim started at Safe & Together Institute in November of 2021. She holds a Diploma in Business (Australia) and Hotel Management (South Africa). She began her working career in South Africa working for a leading hotel chain in Event Management, Food and Beverage. She has lived and worked in South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Oman and the USA and has worked in both the private sector on large-scale events globally – including Hong Kong, Malacca, Zambia, Mozambique, and the USA and then working in a project management capacity for the not-for-profit sector in Australia (Australian Institute of Management). As the Training Delivery Project Administrator, Kim provides logistic support to the UK, USA and AU client leads.  She maintains the training calendar, is a point of contact for clients and faculty alike and is responsible for client correspondence
once training dates have been confirmed. Kim has a strong commitment to her community and has volunteered in suicide prevention in Australia and animal welfare in both South Africa and the USA.

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Dorothy Striker

Dorothy Striker has over 25 years of professional experience in the field of child welfare and domestic violence. In a career that has spanned frontline casework to policy and program development, Dorothy has been involved in major family violence and differential response initiatives. Her areas of expertise include individual and family assessment, structured decision making and risk assessment, CAPTA related policy, practice model development and quality assurance case reviews. Dorothy has also participated in various levels of all three of the federal Child and Family Services Reviews in Ohio. Certified Safe & Together™ Model Trainer since 2010, she has provided multi-day training and case consultations in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

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Casie Burke, MSEd, PC

Casie Burke, MSEd, PC, has been a trainer of the Safe & Together™ Model since 2012. She has experience training and working with child welfare agencies, as well as other community partners who support child welfare agencies (schools, domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, mental health/substance abuse counselors). She has over 10 years of experience working directly in child welfare, holding various positions including intake and assessment, visitation, parent education, and supervisor. Casie has provided consultation services within agencies surrounding the Safe & Together Model to staff, casework staff, and management. She participated in the National Quality Improvement Center on Child Welfare Involved Families Experiencing Domestic Violence Listening Tour, where she could voice the current state of conditions and challenges, and the potential direction for future research, investments and interventions. Casie is committed to providing training and support to professionals working with families and children surrounding the intersection of child welfare and domestic violence.

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Beth Ann Morhardt

Beth Ann Morhardt is an experienced Domestic Violence advocate, program director, consultant and facilitator, with decades of rapport and relationship building with clients, colleagues and collaborators. Through curricula development and training facilitation Ms. Morhardt has developed a reputation for authentic and soul-based work that enhances human-centered practice. Currently, Beth Ann consults as faculty with the Safe and Together Institute, providing DV-informed professional development for US and international agencies seeking to improve how services are provided to families living with the impacts of a pattern of coercive control. Beth Ann is also the founder of Indeed It Is Time, a holistic professional development practice rooted in the experience-based certainty that it is Sacred in the System. This philosophical shifting and skill-based practice, being developed by Ms. Morhardt, combines empathy, authenticity and creativity with professional, concrete tools and skills to strengthen collaboration, encourage individual empowerment and increase collective thriving. At the core of this practice is the proven concept that vulnerability is not the opposite of strength, it is the very foundation of strength that leads to deeper success for individuals, families, agencies and communities. In both, Indeed It Is Time and Safe & Together sessions, creating an authentic, safe and mutually beneficial learning environment is always the priority. The confidence and contentment of professionals seeking knowledge and skills are prioritized equally with the broader goal of contributing to safer families and communities.

 

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Danielle Martin, MSW

Danielle Martin has more than 20 years of experience working with children and families within child welfare, early childhood development and domestic violence settings. Her work with at-risk children and families has involved direct service provision, management and administration. She initiated her career in the field of domestic violence creating new programming, advocating for additional services and creating improved collaboration at a local level. She served on the Governor’s Task Force in Michigan for the prevention of child sexual abuse as a departmental representative. She has trained the Safe & Together™ Model in Michigan and beyond since 2015. Danielle has a Master’s degree in Social Work with an emphasis on child welfare. Danielle’s focus has been on the provision of trauma-informed care for families and children experiencing child welfare intervention. She has worked closely with community partners to integrate trauma information and practices into schools, mental health, child welfare and residential communities. Danielle has received the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services “best practice award” for her leadership in the development of local child trauma assessment programming.

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Sarah L. Heuser

Sarah Heuser, MS, has nearly 25 years of experience working in the domestic and sexual violence field. Her roots are in direct service work with survivors in grassroots service agencies focused on crisis intervention, counseling-advocacy, outreach, support and program development. She also has substantial experience in training, prevention and awareness efforts and has worked with a broad spectrum of groups ranging from high school and college students to athletes, DV advocates, child welfare, law enforcement and the judiciary. Sarah has also served on multiple task forces and workgroups in Michigan to address policy issues. A substantial focus of Sarah’s work has been on the intersection of domestic violence and child welfare. Sarah was a strong early advocate for integrating the Safe & Together™ Model to Michigan and became a certified trainer for the Safe & Together Institute in 2015. Sarah has trained on the Model across the US and in Scotland.

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Lisa Fleischer, MSW, LSW

Lisa began her career in child welfare in 2003. She has served in the role of caseworker and supervisor, working long-term with families as well as supervising an Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)/Alternative Response (AR) Unit. Lisa has also been training on the Safe & Together™ Model since 2010.

Lisa previously worked as a Social Worker in an emergency room at a local hospital and a Community Instructor at the Ohio State University College of Social Work. She has a Master of Social Work and is a licensed Social Worker.

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Lórien Castelle

Lórien Castelle has been an activist and advocate for social justice focusing on ending gender-based violence for over two decades. She has had the honor of working with several national organizations across the United States including work as a trainer for the National Center on Domestic Violence, a prevention consultant to the National Resource Center on Domestics Violence, a trainer and consultant for Major League Baseball (MLB) and currently for the Safe & Together Institute.

While working as the Director of Prevention for the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, she was responsible for promoting best practices for preventing and responding to domestic violence and coordinating diverse stakeholders to design and implement community, regional and state-level initiatives. She also worked with the Pennsylvanian Coalition Against Domestic Violence to launch a statewide prevention initiative in Pennsylvania.

Ms. Castelle brings a wealth of experience with coaching, support and training to both domestic violence programs and allies. She has specialized experience with community organizing, organizational development and prevention strategies. In addition, Ms. Castelle has served on numerous national, statewide and regional committees and is a much sought-after trainer, meeting facilitator and keynote speaker.

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Rhonda Dagg BSc, BSW
Rhonda Dagg has over 25 years of experience working in the child welfare field in a variety of roles including front line worker, supervisor and business analyst. In her current role as a Program Specialist, Rhonda is a passionate advocate for families affected by domestic violence and a strong supporter of staff who work with these families. Rhonda has utilized the Safe & Together™ Model in her work since 2014, writing policies, coaching and mentoring staff and trains internationally for the S&T Institute. In her personal time, she also creates educational material and videos for the community on gender-based violence and prevention.

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Kristi Burre, MA

Kristi Burre began her professional career over 22 years ago in local and state government, community partnerships, and system transformation. Most recently, she served as the Director of Children’s Initiatives for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, focusing on child well-being and driving improvements with communication and coordination across all state agencies providing services to children and families. In this role, she prioritized system enhancements and advancing policy with early childhood education, early intervention and prevention services, maternal and infant health, child physical and mental health, and children services. Kristi has vast experience collaborating with local, state, federal, and private sector partners to align efforts and investments to have the largest possible impact on improving outcomes for children, families, and communities.

Kristi has worked extensively in the child protection and foster care system in the capacities of caseworker, supervisor, manager, and director. In addition to her public service work, she has held various roles teaching, training, and coaching for the last 22 years, to include roles as a social and behavioral sciences adjunct instructor at Columbus State Community College, and a trainer and executive coach with the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program.

Kristi has been a Safe & Together Institute Senior Faculty and certified trainer since 2011 and is committed to guiding child and family serving agencies to become more domestic abuse-informed. She has trained professionals in North America, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom from various disciplines, to include child protection, domestic violence advocacy, law enforcement, education, behavioral health, juvenile justice, health care, and the legal community. She also coaches and mentors professionals from across the world involved with the trainer certification program and observes training sessions for evaluation, feedback, and approval for certification.

Additional leadership roles have included chairing the Ohio Governor’s Children Services Transformation Advisory Council and Eliminating Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality Task Force. Kristi has also held leadership positions and appointments for many other state and local entities committed to protecting children and strengthening families, including the Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Board, Ohio Children’s Trust Fund Regional Prevention Council, Ohio Intimate Partner Violence Collaborative, and Ohio Early Childhood Advisory Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, criminology and psychology from Capital University and a master’s degree in sociology from Ohio University.

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Ashley Bowers, MSW, LSW

Ashley Bowers, MSW/LSW, has been a Trainer with the Safe & Together Institute since 2012. She facilitates training and consultation services around the Safe & Together™ Model for child welfare professionals. Ashley is a licensed social worker who has worked throughout the child welfare field for over eleven years. She has worked as a Child Welfare Intake Supervisor in both intake and ongoing departments. In addition to training on the Safe & Together Model, Ashley has utilized the Safe & Together Model directly with families as a child welfare professional, coaching and consulting on cases with domestic violence. She continues to be committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and families through practice changes through the Safe & Together Model.

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Kari Akins

Kari Akins is the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office of Families and Children at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services responsible for state level administration and oversight of child and adult protective services.  Prior to this position, Kari was appointed to the Office of Children Services Transformation leading children services and foster care efforts in Ohio. With 20 years’ experience in the child welfare system, Kari has served in multiple capacities including screening, intake and assessment for direct service, and community response and outreach at an administrative level. In addition, Kari’s work has emphasized community collaboration and education regarding child maltreatment and trauma, the intersection of domestic violence and child welfare practice, and coaching/supervision in child welfare. In 2010, Kari began her work with the Safe & Together™ Model as part of a pilot county in a statewide rollout of the Model, allowing her to be at the forefront of this practice in her state. Kari has served as an advocate on numerous local and state-level workgroups to address best practice policy around Intimate Partner Violence while providing education and training at the state and national level as Faculty for the Safe & Together Institute.

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Alison Simari

Alison joined the Safe & Together Institute in August 2021 as an Administrative Assistant for the Trainer Certification Program. Prior to this, she provided almost a decade of support to the Certified Trainer community at the Center for Nonviolent Communication in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Alison thrives in an environment where she can support the work of those positively impacting the world for the greater good. She is thrilled to be part of Safe & Together’s mission to be an agent of systemic change in the domestic violence field.

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Minh-Chau Truong

Minh-Chau has been with the Safe & Together Institute since June of 2021 as the Virtual Academy Customer Experience Specialist. Her time with eLearning in the non-profit sector, with patients experiencing chronic pain and illness, and 15 years of customer service, back her lifelong goal of helping individuals pursue personal sustainability. Her goal at the Institute is to make the online learning process as easy as possible so that learners can focus on what matters most: maintaining themselves and peace at home.

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Colleen Jameson

Colleen has 20 years of experience working at the intersection of mental health, domestic violence, and education. She has worked as an educator and advocate in DV shelters, teen safe houses, residential programs for at-risk youth, and programs for adults with disabilities. For the past 10 years, Colleen has worked in rural Mississippi with children and families impacted by mental health. She serves on the inaugural Board of the domestic violence shelter in Oxford, Mississippi. In 2010, she authored a curriculum that was awarded an Iowa Women’s Foundation grant for implementation state-wide. Colleen is passionate about making tools that equip individuals to be agents of positive change in the systems where they work and live.

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Lindberg Chambliss

Lindberg joined Safe & Together Institute in June 2021 as Events Logistics Administrator. His  professional career includes over fifteen years of experience in live music event coordination and marketing, artist management, and tour logistics. As an activist with a focus on equity for youth and equity through education, he volunteers with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and participates in projects that advocate for systemic and equitable policy change in K-12 education. Lindberg is passionate about social justice, personal growth, love, art, and adventure.

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Jacob Linzenbold

Jacob Linzenbold has been with the Safe & Together Institute Staff since March, 2021 and currently holds the title of Resource Development, Events & Evaluation Administrator. He works across the organization with each department to ensure that each team is on the same page and best serving survivors and advocates. Jacob graduated from Penn State University and has been involved with several start up companies, giving him the skill set necessary to help with the different aspects of the organization. Jacob excels in providing mentorship and advice to prospective business founders and enjoys teaching students. In his spare time, he enjoys going on adventures and exploring nature with his fiancé and their dog.

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Dana Schmersal, MSW – Resource Development Specialist

Dana Schmersal has been involved in child and family policy and programs for nine years, most recently managing Safe & Together trainings for child welfare staff across the state of Ohio. She has worked directly with families impacted by the juvenile justice system, provided training for child support staff working with families impacted by domestic violence, advocated for women’s reproductive rights, and served as communications director for a state and federal child advocacy organization and taught as an adjunct professor for the Interdisciplinary Child Welfare Institute at Capital University Law School. Currently, she is a member of the Institute’s Resource Development Team and coordinates the certified trainer mentoring program. She has completed both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in social work as well as a B.A. in criminal justice and has made advocacy for vulnerable populations and improvements in community and system responses the focus of her macro practice.

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Peju Thompson

Peju Thompson has been with Safe & Together Institute since July 2020 providing international accounting support for Safe & Together Institute’s business overseas.  Peju holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Rutgers University and a Master of Science Degree in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Prior to working for Safe & Together, Peju was a staff accountant for both a mid-size CPA firm and in city-government. In addition to her diverse professional experience, she enjoys working with people and endeavors to always positively impact others.

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Leah K. Vejzović, LMSW

Leah has been working as a social worker in the fields of child welfare and domestic violence victim advocacy since 2007. She has experience as a child welfare services provider, a domestic and sexual assault victim advocate, a therapist specializing in work with adult and child survivors and perpetrators, a men’s behavior change program facilitator and the coordinator of domestic violence training and response for the Department of Human Services in Iowa. Leah first became connected to the Safe & Together Institute during her tenure as state coordinator when she helped facilitate the implementation of the Safe & Together Model across the state. She came on board in 2020 as a Resource Development Specialist, creating DV-informed curriculum, eLearning and practice tools. She also worked to coordinate programming for our Events. Leah is passionate about equipping professionals with the tools they need to do effective work with families and engage in larger agency and systems change.

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Ingryd Flores

Ingryd commenced her tenure at the Safe & Together Institute in June 2019. With a background in Social Behavioral Science, she furthered her education by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in History from the University of California, Irvine. Proficient in Spanish, she possesses fluent speaking, writing, and reading skills in the language.

Her professional journey commenced at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), where she contributed to a national leadership program aimed at supporting and training Latino elected and appointed officials on pertinent issues. Here, she developed a passion for empowering the Latino community towards naturalization and active civic engagement. Concurrently pursuing her education, she earned a Paralegal diploma and subsequently served in roles focused on Criminal and Immigration Law, conducting comprehensive research on various legal matters.

Ingryd’s conviction in the transformative power of education is evident in her role as a Per Diem Substitute Teacher, where she fosters a positive learning atmosphere and nurtures students’ desire for knowledge.

Currently serving as the TCP and Technology Administrator, Ingryd delivers top-tier technological support, demonstrating adeptness in managing event registrations and facilitating pre- and post-event evaluations with finesse. She prioritizes effective communication with learners and participants, ensuring their comfort and engagement throughout online courses and event proceedings.

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Shelly Napoletano Flynn, MSW

Shelly Napoletano Flynn, MSW began at Safe & Together Institute in July 2018 as the Trainer Certification Program Manager overseeing the Institute’s Certified Trainer Expansion. Shelly’s professional career includes over twenty years of experience in the field of child welfare with a dual focus on direct practice with children and families and systems-level social work practice. With the focus on children birth through age eight and their families, her career included direct service, case management and administration which included intersections with statutory child protection, juvenile and family courts, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and local crisis response teams.

Shelly’s experience in systems-level practice involved projects such as the evaluation and development of a community’s local capacity to holistically serve its at-risk population of children and families. Additionally, she evaluated and reported on the state-wide supervision practices of Connecticut Certified School Social Workers. As a result of this research, Shelly served on the State of Connecticut Department of Education’s Task Force to develop and implement properly aligned and discipline-specific evaluation standards for school-based social workers in the State of Connecticut. Additionally, her work in systems practice led to the honor of being invited to present on local capacity development of a Birth through Age Eight Children and Family Initiative to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in Washington DC.

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Anna Mitchell

Anna Mitchell’s interest in women’s issues began when she studied for a degree in Geography with Gender Studies at Edinburgh University in 1996. After working in various women’s organisations she went on to gain her Social Work Masters and began to think about the importance of engaging with men who abuse in order to increase the safety of women and children. She worked as a Women’s Service Worker with the Caledonian System; an integrated approach to addressing domestic abuse combining a court-ordered programme for men, aimed at changing their behaviour, with support services for women and children. Anna co-authored the Caledonian System Women’s Service Manual and was seconded to the Equality Unit in the Scottish Government as a Professional Advisor to support the roll-out of this innovative system across Scotland. Since 2012, she has been employed as Domestic Abuse Lead Officer for Edinburgh’s Public Protection Partnership with the remit to help coordinate domestic abuse services across the council, police, health and the voluntary sector. Anna has completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Services Leadership and led a number of initiatives in Edinburgh to improve systemic responses, not only to adult and child victims but to domestic abuse perpetrators; including the development of auditing tools, improvement plans, service pathways, policies and training.

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Ruth Reymundo Mandel, Co-owner and Chief Business Development Officer

Ruth has been in training and implementation since 1995. Her career began as a middle school teacher in post-revolutionary Nicaragua. As a teacher in a developing, post-war country, she became dedicated to issues surrounding social justice and violence. She later transitioned to higher education and worked at the Bryman School and at The Art Institute of Phoenix as an Assistant Director of Admissions. Her responsibilities included vetting prospective students and identifying barriers to enrollment and to matriculation.

After taking a break to raise her three children, she began working as a trainer and technical support for a national professional-line nutritional company and an international professional-line herbal company, which trained medical professionals in alternative therapies.

In her role, she trained doctors and medical professionals in clinical application and provided ongoing support for successful implementation through patient outcomes. She developed systems for practice management, patient support, and managed, created and promoted cyclical education events for clinical success. She developed training strategies to respond to a variety of real-time field challenges.

Ruth also worked as a professional business coach specializing in systems and practice management. Her dedication to understanding root challenges, institutional, structural and personal impediments that keep people from applying their skills and knowledge in a targeted and successful way helped many of her clients increase their business success.

Aside from her professional accomplishments, Ruth is a published poet, writer and public speaker. Ruth has worked with clients using various energy medicine and body-centric coaching techniques for trauma recovery. Drawing on her childhood experiences growing up in an abusive religious cult and as a survivor, she is a fierce advocate for those who have experienced abuse. She is dedicated to helping survivors and allies understand behavioral coping mechanisms arising out of trauma and mitigating societal and personal judgments surrounding common human responses to violence and harm. This transformative approach helps those who have experienced violence and their allies better understand how to support, nurture and nourish survivors in a common-sense manner and without blame.

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Brittany DiBella, MSW, DVS

Brittany DiBella has been with the Safe & Together Institute since 2015. Brittany has extensive experience developing curricula, e-learning content, and resources, as well as with providing consultation and training facilitation on the Safe & Together™ Model for a wide range of family-serving professionals. Brittany has over 10 years of experience in the field of domestic violence work including research and evaluation of New Jersey’s co-located advocate program; educating advocates, child welfare professionals and social work students on issues related to violence against women and children; direct-practice experience with survivors of trauma and interpersonal violence and work with adolescents impacted by violence. Brittany also served on New Jersey’s Child Fatality Review Board in 2017, is certified in Violence Against Women & Children from Rutgers University School of Social Work and is certified in New Jersey as a Domestic Violence Specialist.

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Heidi Rankin, MPA – Associate Director

Heidi has over 30 years of experience in the sexual and domestic violence fields and social justice. She has worked in crisis counseling, program and policy development and advocacy in both the United States and Canada. Heidi received a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in domestic violence from the University of Colorado at Denver, the only program of its kind in the country. In her current role as Associate Director and North American Lead, she helps agencies navigate plans for systems change and supports efforts to build capacity through training and collaboration.  Heidi also oversees the Institute training staff, faculty and mentors, manages training for Certified Trainers and presents nationally and internationally.

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With over 35 years of experience in the domestic violence and child welfare fields, David is the creator of the Safe & Together Model, a transformational approach to changing how systems and practitioners respond to domestic violence when children are involved. He has identified how a perpetrator pattern-based approach can improve the ability to partner with survivors, intervene with perpetrators as parents, and improve outcomes for children.

David is the founder of the Safe & Together Institute, which works with governments and NGOs across the globe, including Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Through their live training, organizational consulting, e-learning, and trainer certification, the Safe & Together Institute provides organizations and systems with a wide range of practice change tools. Currently, the Institute supports almost 300 Certified Trainers and 80 Partner Agencies worldwide. The Model has proven its relevance to multiple sectors, including family court, substance use, law enforcement, mental health, multi-agency efforts, and other disciplines.

David has written or co-written numerous journal articles, book chapters, and white papers, including his most recent one on the alignment of the Safe & Together Model with the children’s best interest framework. The Institute’s work is regularly the subject of research studies, including a current project examining the relevance of the Model in a First Nation context in Australia. He has just published his first book, “Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to Transform the Way We Keep Children Safe from Domestic Violence,” which is available online through Amazon.com.