Shaun Whitaker was once the fastest kid in her fourth-grade class and is now the Policy and Programs Coordinator at the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She is responsible for supporting RICADV’s public policy strategies and campaigns, research and writing projects, legislative advocacy, and key programs in partnership with RICADV member agencies. Shaun was born and raised in the pizza capital of the country (southern Connecticut) before moving to California for her undergraduate studies at Pitzer College, where she majored in Political Studies. At Pitzer College, Shaun discovered her passion for advocating with survivors to change culture and advance policies that promote safety, healing, and justice for all impacted by gender-based violence. After college, she spent a year with the Bay Area JusticeCorps providing free legal information to self-representing litigants in Alameda County, CA, specializing in civil restraining orders for survivors of violence. She has also spent time working with Futures Without Violence, a national gender-based violence prevention nonprofit, mainly supporting the implementation of programs that engage boys and men as part of the movement to end violence. Most recently, she graduated from Brown University’s MPA program, and has been enjoying exploring the ocean state’s many state parks with the sweet dogs she fosters.