Shirley Fessler

Shirley Fessler (she/her) is a senior program associate at Activating Change providing support, training, and technical assistance on the Enhancing Access to Victim Services, Supporting Crime Victims with Disabilities project. Prior to joining Activating Change, Shirley was the Director of Outreach and Accessibility at the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV), where she oversaw the work of the Rural, Housing and Disabilities projects. Shirley has worked in victim advocacy for over 34 years, both in direct service to victims as a prosecutor-based advocate and within her work at KCSDV.

She has trained multidisciplinary audiences on topics including collaboration, the dynamics of sexual and domestic violence, trauma, working with marginalized populations, including survivors with disabilities, providing advocacy services in rural communities, and reducing the disparate impact of co-occurring domestic and sexual violence and homelessness to improve housing and economic stability for survivors.

She has trained police academy recruits and law enforcement officers on responding to sexual and domestic violence, report writing, and how to conduct trauma-informed interviews of sexual assault survivors. Shirley has extensive knowledge and experience in victim-centered and trauma-informed advocacy, as well as forming and sustaining collaborative teams within communities to improve response to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. 

In her free time, Shirley loves to travel and take photos along the way. Shirley is also an advocate for animals and is dedicated to her 17-year-old cat, Maddie.