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Prominent Advocate for Women’s and Civil Rights Selected to Lead National Network to End Domestic Violence

October 23, 2019

Deborah J. Vagins Named President & CEO 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: NNEDV Communications Team (Communications@NNEDV.org)

Washington, DC – The Board of Directors of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) announced today that Deborah J. Vagins has been selected as the President & CEO of the membership and advocacy organization. Deborah brings with her to NNEDV decades of experience working in the women’s and racial justice communities, working to protect and expand civil and human rights for all. Deborah will join NNEDV in early December 2019.

A leading voice for survivors of domestic violence and their advocates, NNEDV is dedicated to creating a social, political, and economic environment in which violence against women no longer exists. NNEDV was founded by the state domestic violence coalitions in 1990 to help write and pass the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Today, NNEDV works closely with the 56 state and territorial coalitions to support strong services and promote survivor-centered legislation. NNEDV also has many internationally recognized signature projects addressing how technology, economic justice, housing, HIV, and legal issues intersect with domestic violence.

“Deborah brings a lifelong commitment to women’s economic justice and combating intersectional discrimination, senior leadership experience, and an extensive background in public policy to her new role. The Board is impressed with Deborah’s passion and energy for advancing human rights and knows she will be a leader who will help us move closer to the goal of ending domestic violence,” said Jenny Backus, chair of NNEDV’s Board of Directors and President of Backus Consulting.

Currently, Deborah is wrapping up her role as the Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Research at the American Association of University Women (AAUW), where she was instrumental in developing strategic campaigns and leading national advocacy efforts with a focus on protecting women’s economic security and educational rights. Most recently, she led the organization’s fight against the Administration’s rollback of sexual assault and sexual harassment protections in schools and for passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the  U.S.House of Representatives.

Deborah has also held top legal and legislative positions with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she provided guidance on workplace protections that address equal pay, sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and racial disparities, among others.

While at the EEOC, Deborah was an agency representative on the White House Council for Women and Girls and the White House Equal Pay Task Force.

During her ACLU tenure, Deb held leadership roles in major national civil rights coalitions, including the Paycheck Fairness Act Coalition, the Democracy Restoration Act Coalition, the Human Rights at Home Campaign, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Reform Task Force, and a national school discipline reform coalition.

“I look forward to working with NNEDV’s extraordinary staff, members, and Board to meet the needs of survivors, to make domestic violence unacceptable in our society, and to bring an end to this national crisis,” said Vagins. “I am excited to build on the incredible work of NNEDV and bring more attention to these vital efforts in order to build more support for survivors and to make a world without violence one step closer. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the compassionate and innovative organizations and individuals who comprise NNEDV’s membership.”

An extensive national search was conducted by a search committee that included several state domestic violence coalition directors and was chaired by David Diggs, NNEDV Board Treasurer and former Executive Director of the CTIA Foundation. The NNEDV Board unanimously selected Vagins.

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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence. NNEDV is a social change organization working to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.