For thirty years, Graham was a Scottish police officer and Chief Investigator specializing in criminal investigation, drug investigation, training and crime prevention. For the last eight years of policing career he was a key member of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit.

In 2010 Graham introduced The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) into high schools across the Scotland. Graham continues to support MVP development in Scotland as well as a trainer for the US MVP organization.

Graham has delivered bystander prevention trainings in many different settings including high schools, colleges universities, in work places, in prisons, with military and police and with professional and amateur sports in the UK and United States. Graham has worked with many different individuals and groups using bystander activities to engage audiences in the prevention of abuse.

In addition to conducting bystander trainings, Graham has expert knowledge and experience in embedding violence prevention programs within local government. He has been able to build sustainable models for the longer term.

Graham is a passionate advocate of the bystander approach. He is committed to engaging individuals making it clear that we all have a role in the prevention of violence in our communities.

Since retiring from the police service, Graham has set up the organization ‘Cultivating Minds UK’ with the primary aim of starting conversations in many different settings and communities to promote healthy relationships and successful outcomes. He continues to work with the violence reduction unit in prevention work across Scotland and the UK. Graham is also an associate trainer with the Heroic Imagination Project.

Alan is the director of the Center for Violence Prevention and the MVP Leadership Institute at UNI. Prior to assisting the launch of CVP, Alan served as a consultant with the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention from 2007-2011 and as the principal investigator on a four-year case study, The Sioux City Project. He was the education consultant on the award-winning film documentary, BULLY. He also co-facilitated research on the Coaching Boys Into Men program in 2007 and continues to instruct school and community leaders in gender violence prevention and the bystander approach using the Mentors in Violence Prevention Model (MVP). Alan served as a public school administrator, school counselor, teacher and athletic coach for 23 years.

Chad, Iowa High School Athletic Association assistant director, has worked in the communications field for more than 25 years. Prior to his work with the IHSAA, he was an editor, writer, and photographer for newspapers in Minnesota and Mid-Iowa. He has also worked with students as an instructor with Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), teaching in the areas of business, marketing, and visual communications. For the past 10 years, he has been involved with IHSAA educational outreach efforts, including student leadership workshops in high schools across the state. He has presented at the NFHS National Conference on the issues of sportsmanship and leadership. He is also a member of the National Association of Workshop Directors (NAWD).

David Harris serves as director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to coming to UNI, Mr. Harris served as senior associate athletic director at Iowa State University. Mr. Harris is deeply immersed in NCAA committee work and volunteerism. He has participated in the Division 1A Athletic Directors Association – Fellows Program since 2011. He has also participated in the NACDA Mentoring Institute, NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference, NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Conference. He earned the 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advancing One Community Award for his commitment to helping establish a multicultural community in Ames.

Caleb Gipple is a senior at the University of Northern Iowa majoring in Public Administration with minors in Ethics and Economics. On campus, Caleb is involved with Northern Iowa Student Government, Student Admissions Ambassadors and the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Outside of school, Caleb runs his own organization, Readers Today Leaders Tomorrow, which addresses barriers to literacy in Iowa. Caleb is a TEDx speaker, an author and a runner with a strong passion for MVP and the work that mentors do across our state.

Bobby Dennis is a graduate student at Lamar University earning a M.Ed. degree in clinical mental health counseling and works as a para-professional in the Ames Community School District. Formerly, Bobby served as a sexual abuse advocate, violence prevention coordinator, and male-engagement specialist at ACCESS in Ames, Iowa. Bobby worked at ACCESS for 5 years, with 8+ year’s total experience in male-engagement work and aspires to serve individuals who are experiencing vicarious trauma and burnout. Bobby first got involved in advocacy and prevention as a sophomore at Simpson College with SARA (a campus-based sexual assault response and awareness program). Bobby’s past work includes; serving as the interim chair at the Iowa Men’s Action Network, working with Futures Without Violence in adapting their program CBIM to a fraternity-specific violence prevention program called Building Up Brothers, and hosting a weekly podcast on healthy masculinity called Men in Progress.

Lynne Cornelius is the Violence Prevention Coordinator at Drake University. She works with several student groups to create programming to address sexual and dating violence prevention across campus. Prior to coming to Drake, Lynne worked for Polk County for 17 years. She held roles at the Juvenile Detention Center, Polk County Attorney’s office and Polk County Crisis Advocacy throughout her career. Most recent to coming to Drake, Lynne was a sexual assault and violent crime victim advocate. This position allowed her to gain a true understanding of the complexity of these difficult situations. Lynne’s experiences allow her a greater understanding of relationship building and true empathy for all students.

Orion is a master's student in Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating spring 2021 (pronouns: he and they).

Right out of high school, Orion got a full-time job with a small theatre company in Iowa. For the next seven years, they helped to make original theatre for the community. Orion then went back to school to earn a BA in General Studies from the University of Northern Iowa, while working in five different positions at Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

In their last year of undergrad, Orion co-founded a theatre project, Scene D. After COVID-19 made in-person theatre unsafe, Orion pivoted their theatre work to create an all-online documentary theatre project, GenderTalks. Orion connected trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming folks in online dialogues about gender experiences during COVID-19. Rising Fire Theatre of Cedar Falls, Iowa, produced the play in two online performances directed and performed by trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming artists.

Raechel is a University of Northern Iowa graduate who has been part of the sexual assault prevention and advocacy field since 2015. She has spent the past four years assisting with MVP and Coaching Boys Into Men with the Center for Violence Prevention and local organizations.

Emilee has been with Catholic Charities for seven years and modeling MVP in Southwest Iowa since 2014. She uses MVP in middle and high schools and has found it to be an amazing platform to help create a safe environment for kids to have conversations that they don't normally get to have. Emilee is a single mother of two autistic kiddos and nothing is more dear to her than making EVERY kid feel safe and wanted in every environment they are in.

Alysa has spent her professional career in the victim services field working as an advocate and prevention educator and has certification as a sexual health educator. She has an extensive background in program development, facilitating workshops, and conducting research and policy audits on gender equity and anti-violence issues. She has been using the MVP model for over seven years and is a master trainer. Alysa has an educational consulting business called Blossoming Pathways and is an adjunct instructor in sociology and psychology.

Chad McGehee, M.A., M.Ed is a meditation teacher who creates, teaches and researches the impacts of meditation practices on well-being and performance. Chad’s work has been featured on ESPN, NPR and many other media outlets. Chad has taught meditation in various settings including with current college athletes, retired professional athletes, police officers and K-12 students and teachers. Chad uses a teaching approach that incorporates findings from modern neuroscience along with accessible ways to incorporate the practice into our daily lives. At the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department, Chad became the first ever Director of Meditation Training in major college sports. Chad is an honorary affiliate of the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison and offers trainings through McGehee Meditation Consulting.

Melissa Vine, MA, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor with 12 years of experience in business ownership and startups, passionately empowers people to act with courage in the face of emotional threats. She received a Bachelors in Communication Studies in 2002 and graduated summa cum laude with a master's in Professional Counseling in 2016. Melissa was the 2014 recipient of "Service Business of the Year," 2016 recipient of "20 Under 40," 2018 recipient of "One to Watch" Chamber of Commerce awards, and was a speaker for the Iowa Board of Regents Campus Safety and Security Summit, Banker's Trust, UnityPoint Clinic, the Iowa State University Extension Entrepreneur Program, and the Iowa Small Business Summit. Melissa lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her four boys and is an active volunteer in her community.

Soumya Palreddy, Ph.D., lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her partner and two children. Dr. Palreddy is a consultant, national Youth Mental Health First Aid trainer, and author addressing organizational needs in mental health literacy, equity and social justice, and curriculum development.

Kimberly Fitten is an ordained elder and minister of education. She is also a published author, blogger, motivational speaker, serial entrepreneur and high school administrator. Kimberly is dedicated to helping people become the absolute best versions of themselves. She loves working with teens and young adults as they navigate life's endless challenges and rewards. Empowered by her desire to eradicate impoverished mindsets, Kimberly travels the nation spreading the truth and freedom of our unclaimed greatness.

Adara Opiola is a Political Science major at UNI with minors in Politics and Law, Philosophy, and Ethics. After a lot of work (and a pandemic), she will be attending law school at the University of Iowa in the Fall of 2021. In her time at UNI, she has become an active member amongst her peers. Along with being a member of the UNI Softball team, she is also a member of the Pre-Law Club and the Minority Student-Athlete Leadership Team (MSALT). Her experiences as a student-athlete has given her a voice on campus and provided her with many wonderful opportunities.

Terese Jurgensen is an Educational Program Consultant (Bullying) for the Iowa Department of Education. Prior to working at the department, Terese served as a Director of Student Services/Special Education, Elementary Principal, Dean of Students and Director of an Alternative High School. Terese helped bring the MVP model to the Lisbon School District in 2012. Ms. Jurgensen has a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a secondary English/Psychology teaching license, and a Masters in Administrative Leadership/Special Education. Mrs. Jurgensen believes that everyone is created for a purpose - to do great things! Terese is honored to be involved in Mentors in Violence Prevention.

Vanessa McNeal is a tenacious and thought provoking national speaker, film producer, and business owner.

She speaks nationally on how to confront adversity with grace using her personal story as a vehicle to inspire and empower others. She is known for her investment and wisdom in topics that are often difficult to talk about. Her message has resonated with audiences around the world through the influential topics of overcoming adversity, sexual violence, social change, leadership and empowerment.

At an early age, Vanessa experienced child sexual abuse and neglect. Due to the neglect, she wasn’t taken to school regularly, so she was placed in a remedial class. She spent time in foster care before she was raised by her grandparents. At age 15, Vanessa was sexually assaulted at a college preparatory program and overcame the many faces of rape culture. Vanessa was the first in her family to graduate high school and went on to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Iowa State University. She received her Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa.

In 2017, Vanessa founded her production company McNeal Media with the goal of creating social change through the art of storytelling. She is the director and producer of the internationally recognized documentary, “The Voiceless”. The film features the stories of male survivors of sexual violence. She won "Best Director" for the documentary at the Newark International Film Festival. At Indiefest she received Women Filmmaker Award of Recognition. She is currently Directing “Gridshock”, a documentary that investigates the flourishing sex trafficking industry in Iowa.

Vanessa won the 2017 YWCA "Woman of Tomorrow" award. She was also honored with the 2018 STATEment maker award in the entrepreneurial spirit category. She has also been featured in numerous publications, articles, and news broadcasts.

I am a 2020 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa. I majored in Family Services with a minor in Mental Health. Violence prevention and advocacy has been a long-time passion of mine. During my studies at UNI I completed coursework to become a certified victim service provider worked as an intern at Riverview Center - eastern Iowa's sexual assault victim service provider. This is the area in which I see myself working professionally. At every opportunity available, I advocate for schools and community partners to adopt the MVP Strategies gender violence prevention model and the bystander approach. Providing support and assistance to victims of violence and abuse is my passion.

My name is Kate Riley and I am a survivor of an abusive relationship. I consider myself an optimist and I tend to see the good in everything and everyone. Growing up I didn’t have it particularly easy, but despite the odds faced against me I was a good kid and a good student. All through middle and high school I was passionate about joining the military and did so right after I turned 17. While in the military I met my abuser. I let my dreams go. As you will learn while watching, “Running Red Lights" things became extremely tumultuous between my abuser and me. This threw a wrench in quite a few of my dreams.

Fast forward to after the fatal attack - I am now a career woman with a BA degree in management, a wife, and a mother. I have a beautiful family that consists of my husband, our daughter, our son, a puppy, and a lizard. I work for the John Deere Corporation as a supply management specialist and couldn’t be more content with how my life has panned out. My hobbies include road biking, golfing, shooting billiards, and basically anything outdoors. I learned through my trauma to never give up on hope and to always move forward. My advice to you is to always be better and do better.

After graduating from Mount Mercy, Jenny began working at Kennedy in 2004 as a special education teacher. In 2012, she transitioned to her role as the at-risk interventionist working to support freshmen through our Check and Connect student engagement program. Her leadership with MVP began in 2016, and the school celebrates three years of implementation. To help infuse MVP in other areas within the school culture, she contributes to her building leadership team (High-Reliability Schools), learning supports team, district wellness council, and as the staff sponsor of the Gay-Straight Alliance student club.

Jason is currently in his 13th year of education and 5th year as an instructional coach at Southeast Polk High School. Prior to being an instructional coach, he spent 8 years teaching various high school social studies classes. He also serves as high school's head boys' track & field coach, an assistant varsity football coach, speed/agility coordinator, and MVP program coordinator. He earned his master's degree in educational leadership from Iowa State University (2014) and holds a BA in psychology and secondary social studies education teaching certification from the University of Iowa (2007).

Jocelyn has been teaching for several years and continued to develop her craft with an AA (Marshalltown Community College), BS (Buena Vista University), MAEd (Buena Vista University) with multiple endorsements in 5-12 English Language Arts, 5-12 Reading, 5-12 Psychology, 5-12 Instructional Strategist I (Mild/Moderate), K-12 English as Second Language, 5-12 English Language Arts ALL. If that were not enough, she also serves on committees at MHS such as IPI, Tech Integration, MTSS, MVP, 8th hour credit recovery, Saturday Academy, Wellness, Teacher Quality, Equity. She excels at reaching at-risk students, providing interventions and extensions by differentiating her instruction and assessments, integrating technology into her lessons, and collaborating with her peer course-alike teachers. In her spare time, she loves to crochet, tat, spend time with her family, do things at church, travel and go to the movies.

Chad is a proud member of the Marshalltown High School faculty and teaches I-JAG, or Iowa's Jobs for America's Graduates. I-JAG is a course dedicated to helping at-risk youth graduate from high school and make a successful transition to post-secondary education or meaningful employment. Mr. Weir co-facilitates the MVP program at MHS with colleague, Jocelyn Frohwein, and enjoys watching student mentors develop their confidence and voice as a leader in their school and among their peers.