April 06, 2023
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THE OFFICE FOR THE PREVENTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KELLI OWENS RECEIVES CITY & STATE ABOVE & BEYOND WOMEN AWARD |
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For Immediate Release: 4/6/2023
THE OFFICE FOR THE PREVENTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KELLI OWENS RECEIVES CITY & STATE ABOVE & BEYOND WOMEN AWARD
On March 28, 2023, the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) Executive Director, Kelli Owens, was one of the recipients of the 2023 City & State Above & Beyond Women Award. This award honors prominent women who show exemplary leadership in the fields of business, public service, media, the nonprofit sector, and organized labor. Read more about the 2023 City & State Above & Beyond Women Award here. Executive Director Owens said, “I am humbled to be included in a group of such extraordinary women and it is truly an honor to be a recipient of the 2023 City & State Above & Beyond Women Award. I am proud to have led a career focused on fighting for gender equity, women’s rights, and eradicating gender-based violence and look forward to continuing to further this work. I am grateful to have been nominated by and have the respect of three young women who are the future of this field.” Kelli Owens is the Executive Director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, the nation’s only executive-level agency solely dedicated to improving the state’s response to and prevention of domestic violence. Prior to her appointment to lead OPDV, Ms. Owens served as New York State’s Director of Women’s Affairs, where she played a significant role in launching the state’s first-ever Council on Women and Girls. This inaugural Council was a coordinated, statewide response to issues affecting the lives of women and girls in the areas of education, economic opportunity, workforce equity, leadership, health care, childcare, safety, STEM, and intersectionality. Also in that role, she was involved in advancing the state’s Women’s Agenda, which has resulted in significant changes to state law to improve services and protections for women and girls, and reproductive healthcare. Prior to her work in government, Ms. Owens was the former Vice President for External Affairs for Family Planning Advocates of New York/Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York. She also served as the Government Relations and Public Policy Director of the YWCAs of the Northeast Region, where she advised YWCA regional leadership in NY, NJ and Massachusetts on policy issues and appropriate action, and served as the organization’s principal lobbyist in all four state capitals. During her time at the YWCA, she served on the National YWCA Advocacy Committee. Ms. Owens has also acted as the Chief Public Relations and Fundraising Executive for local non-profit organizations focusing on women and family issues, and diversity. She began her career in Washington D.C. as a Congressional Staff Assistant to U.S. Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, moving on to become the Human Services Coordinator for the Office of the Oneida County Executive, and then Director of Operations for New York State Senator, Raymond Meier. Ms. Owens was also Regional Administrator for the New York State Department of Labor’s Central New York and Mohawk Valley offices. |
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