MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the Penn State Harrisburg School of Behavioral Sciences and Education will host a multi-speaker event to promote awareness of domestic violence from a trauma-informed perspective from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 27. The event will take place in Room C213 in the Olmsted Building on campus.

Maria Turkson, associate professor of psychology at Penn State Harrisburg, will facilitate this event, which includes a viewing of the short version of the Penn State film, “Telling Amy’s Story,” and a panel of speakers involved in the criminal justice system, community advocacy agencies, and personal finance.

Speakers include: Jennifer Gettle, Dauphin County chief deputy district attorney; David Zayas, victim’s advocate for the Victim/Witness Assistance Program in Harrisburg; Jeffrey A. West, financial planner and founder/partner of Freedom Financial Wealth Management in Lemoyne; and Becca Zelner, advocate and former field staff member for Marsy’s Law for PA.

For her efforts to raise awareness on campus about the issues impacting women, Turkson received the Kathryn Townes Women’s Award from Penn State Harrisburg in 2018. She teaches courses in gender psychology and domestic violence. In the Washington, D.C., area, where she held a private practice, Turkson gained valuable expertise at a women’s center where she regularly assisted women and their families with negotiating the difficulties they may face because of gender socialization and victimization, including domestic violence.

Attendees are encouraged to wear something purple to symbolize domestic violence awareness as well as the unity that is required to make social change.

This event qualifies as a First Year Seminar and is free and open to the public. For questions or to RSVP, contact Turkson at mat17@psu.edu.