Charlotte Boatwright

Charlotte Boatwright, R.N.,L.P.C., Ph.D., has been Chattanooga's community conscience on the prevention, intervention and the reduction of Domestic Violence, Community Violence and Violence Against Children for three decades.  She embodies the spirit of advocacy and volunteerism and works diligently to stop the violence in our world. 

Charlotte founded the Coalition Against Domestic and Community Violence of Greater Chattanooga in May 1994. The first meeting was held in her living room with about 7 people and grew to over 400 community members.  Charlotte kept the focus of the coalition on education and worked with the Law Enforcement, District Attorney's office, the courts, numerous service organizations, and the community-at-large. 

Charlotte knows the true effects of domestic violence, because her daughter and grandson were victims. When Charlotte realized that her daughter and grandson were being re-victimized by the system which was supposed to help, she began a journey that would improve the response to victims from all parts of the judicial system and the community. Her value to this community is immeasurable. 

She helped coordinate the first Domestic Violence Task Force  that included members from multiple jurisdictions of law enforcement, domestic violence services and the District Attorney's Office all housed in one location. She has  testified before the Tennessee Government Operations Joint Subcommittee on Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice in regard to the need for victims' rights advocacy.  In 2004, she was instrumental in founding the Chattanooga Justice Alliance, which brought together the District Attorney’s Office, Law Enforcement, Legal Aid and the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, the primary domestic violence provider. 

 Charlotte Boatwright has been a BEACON in our community and the driving force  that brought together the community behind so many projects devoted to aiding victims of violence. Her passion and dedication have encouraged so many people to become involved in this cause. 

This award has been created to honor her and the many others whose tireless efforts have aimed to promote a peaceful and safe community for all citizens.  It will recognize a community individual who demonstrates outstanding achievement or extraordinary acts in support of victims and survivors from direct service to access to justice across our community.