Lisle, IL - Benedictine University is honored to partner with area officials and experts to host a panel presentation on the crime of stalking. The free “Talking about Stalking” event will take place Thursday, February 13, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Goodwin Hall 411 on the Lisle campus.

Panelists will explore myths and facts about stalking and discuss strategies of prevention and response. Speakers will include the Honorable Judge Ann Celine Walsh, chair of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court Family Violence Coordinating Council; the Honorable Judge Christine Cody Orel, 18th Judicial Circuit Court; Amy Leisten, Family Shelter Service; Cortney Klein, YWCA; Mike Drugan, DuPage Co. Sheriff’s Office Mental Health Services; and Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Fisher.

“January 2020 was the 16th annual National Stalking Awareness Month, which calls us all to stand up and educate ourselves and others about stalking as a serious crime,” said Bernadette Muloski, Benedictine’s Violence Against Women Act Grant Coordinator and chair of the University’s PEACE (Promoting Empowerment and Community Engagement) Team. “This panel will help us address the issue in a comprehensive way.”

Funded by a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, the event is sponsored by the 18th Judicial Circuit Court Family Violence Coordinating Council Community Intervention and Education Committee, composed of YWCA, Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage, DuPage County Family Center, Walter Jackowiec III, Adult Protective Services, and DuPage County Health Department.

“At Benedictine,” Muloski says, “we are deeply grateful for strong relationships with community partners, as well as for this opportunity to serve our community by hosting such an event.”

The panel presentation is free and open to the public. Local professionals will be able to receive continuing education credits. CEUs will be available for CDVPs, LSWs, LCSWs, LPCs, LCPCs, and RNs.

For more information, contact Colleen Zavodny, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, at Colleen.zavodny@ywcachicago.org or Bernadette Muloski, Benedictine University’s Center for Mission, Ministry, and Inclusion, at bmuloski@ben.edu. Find additional resources at www.ben.edu/peace or www.stalkingawareness.org.