Beyond the Shadows

Yvette is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology, from Trinity College and her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Cambridge College. Yvette has twenty – two years of experience working for non-profit organizations as a leader, director, trainer, advocate, and clinician. She is currently working as the Associate Vice President of Programs and Advocacy at the Village for Families & Children. Yvette worked as the Human Anti-trafficking Response Team (HART) Coordinator for five years and is currently one of the co-Chairs for HART. She provides leadership oversight for the Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children, the Juvenile Review Board and Residential programs at the Village. She is an appointed member of CT Advisory Council for Victims of Crime and the Trafficking in Person Council. She is a board member for the YWCA of the Hartford Region, the Underground New England and a member of DCF’s Statewide Racial Justice Committee. She is a consultant for the National Human Trafficking Technical Assistant Center. Yvette has expertise related to racial justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Yvette is a TEDX speaker on the topic of human trafficking. She is a published Forbes author on the topics of Human Trafficking and Anxiety.

   In this segment, we will meet Karen Jarmoc, Chief Executive Officer of CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Karen is a results-driven leader experienced in transformative change and policy impact. She has a track record of leading organizational change that dramatically improved service delivery, increased funding and strengthened messaging at CCADV. She will discuss the many facets and impact of domestic violence as well as the services CCADV provides. 

   In this segment, Sheila Rivest, Director of the Carol Rivest Memorial Foundation, will talk about her experience with intimate partner violence. Sheila’s sister, Carol, was shot and killed by an estranged boyfriend at the age of twenty-two. Sheila will talk about how Carol lived her life as well as the effect of domestic violence on family members of the abused.  

Sheila is an advocate against domestic violence who gives presentations about the issue to prison inmates, focusing on the damage done to those left behind after a fatal attack. She created the Carol Rivest Memorial Foundation in her sister’s memory. The foundation promotes awareness about domestic violence and raises funds for various programs and services.