D. Gay Cutchin (M.S., Virginia Commonwealth University, 1995)

Bird House, room 106
Tel.: (804) 827-2417
Fax: (804) 828-1027
E-mail: dcutchin@vcu.edu

Specialty Areas

Sexual and Domestic Violence, Marriage and Family, Sexuality, Community Advocacy

Biographical Sketch

I received my B. S. in psychology and my M. S. in sociology here at VCU and worked for the Office of Health Promotion for over twelve years in the areas of sexuality, sexual and domestic violence and healthy relationships. As the Coordinator of Sexual and Domestic Violence Services here at VCU I was an advocate for students who were victims, and did awareness and prevention programming both on and off campus. I taught Marriage and Family Relations for over ten years and recently developed a service- learning course entitled Violence Against Women. I currently coordinate a Resource Center with information on domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking which is located in Room 109, Bird House. I am also the Coordinator of the Certificate in Gender Violence Intervention (www.has.vcu.edu/soc/cgvi/)

It is my belief that being involved with community agencies is an essential part of being a good advocate. I was one of five community partners who opened a shelter for battered women and children in Henrico County, Safe Harbor, and I still serve on their Board of Directors. I also serve on the Board of James House, a sexual and domestic violence program in Hopewell. I am on the Governing Body of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Action Alliance and represent VCU on the Richmond Domestic Violence Coordinator Committee, the Henrico Domestic Violence Task Force and the Petersburg Domestic Violence Task Force. I co- chair the Virginia Coalition Against Campus Sexual Assault with Connie Kirkland from George Mason University and each year this group hosts a statewide conference on campus sexual and dating violence.

I was privileged to receive two state-wide awards in recognition of my work in the area of violence against women: The Vanguard Public Awareness Award from Virginians Aligned Against Sexual Assault in 2001 and the North Star Peace Award from Virginians Against Domestic Violence in 2003. My recent change of positions within VCU will enable me to focus more on research and academic pursuits related to violence against women while still remaining active in the community organizations that work directly with victims.