Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) are highly regarded as achieving success in communities, improving responses for victims, and increasing prosecution rates. The newly updated SART Toolkit is an online manual that supports SARTs in all aspects of their work, from building a team to responding to victims. The SART Toolkit connects teams with information on topics, resources, and access to experts. In this session, the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center will walk through what this resource is and how to use it.
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Christina Presenti joined the National Sexual Violence Resource Center as the Sexual Assault Response Team project coordinator in March 2016. Before that, Ms. Presenti provided leadership at the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Family Violence Prevention Specialist Program, and the New Hampshire Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program. Ms. Presenti volunteered and later worked at her local domestic and sexual violence support center, Bridges, in Nashua, New Hampshire, where she established a transitional housing program and served as a domestic violence specialist. Both positions spurred a love and appreciation for systems work leading to clear protocols for service providers and consistent outcomes for victims. Ms. Presenti holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and global studies from Assumption College.
Karla Vierthaler is the advocacy and resource director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. She supports the provision of technical assistance to the nation on a wide range of sexual violence prevention and intervention topics. She has been an advocate in the movement to end sexual violence for 20 years. Ms. Vierthaler previously worked for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, where she developed training and technical assistance resources that address sexual violence in populations that are historically underserved, including adults in later life.