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Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network
Vickii Coffey is the Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network. The “Network” is a membership coalition representing over 100 domestic violence service providers and allied professionals throughout Cook County. The “Network” advocates for systems change, speaks as the collective voice of Cook County domestic violence programs, provides through it's Centralized Training Institute comprehensive domestic violence training and operates the City of Chicago Domestic Violence Helpline. The Helpline receives over 22,000 calls annually from victims of domestic violence who are seeking support, information and referrals.
Ms. Coffey's experience is multi-faceted. As a survivor of domestic violence, Vickii continues to draw upon a wealth of personal experience and professional expertise to advocate for social and systemic change and, to build and expand programs for abused women and their children. From 1989-1996, she served as the Executive Director of the Chicago Abused Women Coalition and during her tenure CAWC grew from a single site shelter to a multi-site agency providing a broad spectrum of services and supports to victims of domestic violence. From 1996 – 2004, Ms. Coffey was the principal owner of Vickii Coffey & Associates (VCA), a consulting firm specializing in domestic violence community education, organizing, public policy and advocacy work. Through VCA, Ms. Coffey provided public speaking, training, technical assistance and conference support to a broad range of local and national organizations, including: the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Medical Association, American Bar Association, Chicago Housing Authority, Illinois Attorney General's Office, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Council on Negro Women, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Family Violence Prevention Fund, Battered Women's Justice Project and many others.
For her outstanding work in the field, Ms. Coffey has received numerous national appointments and awards. She is a past appointee to the U.S. Department of Justice, National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women, and the Department of Defense, Taskforce on Domestic Violence. She received the prestigious National Crime Victims Service Award from President Clinton and Attorney General Reno. Most recently, Ms. Coffey was honored by the University of Illinois as the first recipient of the Alumni Humanitarian Award and she was presented with the Elizabeth Butler Award for Social Service by the University of Chicago.
Her educational accomplishments include a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a M.A. in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago. Currently Ms. Coffey is pursuing a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. |
