Below is a resume / curriculum vitae that includes highlights and main areas of work of Melissa. For the PDF and printable version of the resume / curriculum vitae, click on the link: Melissa J. Scaia - Resume / Curriculum Vitae
Melissa J. Scaia
EDUCATION
Certificate for Advanced Studies in Public Administration Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota – GPA 3.9
• Coursework complete for Doctorate in Public Administration / Dissertation proposal complete entitled: “Examining the Administrative and Programmatic Designs of Supervised Visitation Centers to Meet the Safety Needs of Battered Women” - Final dissertation incomplete
Master of Arts in Public Administration
Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota – GPA 4.0 - 1999
EXPERIENCE
GLOBAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN Minneapolis, MN
Director of International Training January 2017 - present
www.globalrightsforwomen.org
DOMESTIC ABUSE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS
Executive Director “The Duluth Model” - Duluth, MN January 2014 – December 2016
National and International Training Consultant 2006 - 2014 www.theduluthmodel.org
Executive Director. Serving St. Louis and Itasca Counties in MN 2001 – 2016
Women’s Advocacy Program Manager / Youth Advocate. 1999 - 2001
www.stopdomesticabuse.org
o EffectiveProgrammingwithVoluntaryServicesforOVWTransitionalHousinggrantees–program panel presenter – National Network to End Domestic Violence – Washington, D.C. – May 26, 2010
o Advocacy Learning Center: Systems Advocacy Institute – Praxis International – Chaska, MN – April 9-11, 2013
o Conducted training on the Development of Batterers Intervention Programs (BIPs) in the Pacific Island Region – UN Women Pacific region – September 2019
o Minnesota Prosecutors Association statewide training Prosecuting Domestic Violence – September2019– organized by Stearns County, MN
Served as member of the Judicial Roundtable on Differentiating Domestic Violence in Family Court through the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – November 6, 2008 – Washington, D.C.
Served as member of the Judicial Roundtable on Batterers Intervention Programs through the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – August 5-6, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
Participant in Minnesota Criminal Justice System Collaborative for Accountability and Safety Advisory Group – February 28, 2011 – St. Paul, MN
Served as member of Roundtable on the Supervised Visitation Grant Program’s Guiding Principles for the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – hosted by Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community – March 15-16, 2011 – Washington, D.C.
Served as member of National Child Custody Differentiation Project at the workgroup meeting on June 20- 21, 2013 for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP)
PUBLICATIONS
Author, co-author, contributing writer and/or editor to the following professional and academic writings related to violence against women:
Examining the Programmatic and Administrative Designs of Supervised Visitation Centers to Meet the Safety Needs of Battered Women - 2003
Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Immersion Training Curriculum
Expert Witness Policy for Anti-Domestic Violence Organizations – Questions and Features - 2017
• Contracted author for the National Clearinghouse on the Defense of Battered Women
In Their Own Words: Victims of Battering Talk About Being Arrested and Convicted – May 2017
Melissa J. Scaia
EDUCATION
Certificate for Advanced Studies in Public Administration Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota – GPA 3.9
• Coursework complete for Doctorate in Public Administration / Dissertation proposal complete entitled: “Examining the Administrative and Programmatic Designs of Supervised Visitation Centers to Meet the Safety Needs of Battered Women” - Final dissertation incomplete
Master of Arts in Public Administration
Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota – GPA 4.0 - 1999
- Masters’ Thesis: Hidden Victims: The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
- Gladys Sinclair Brooks Scholarship recipient - given to a woman who is recognized for scholarship and service in
the advancement of women for the public good
Bachelor of Arts
College of St. Benedict - St. Joseph, Minnesota
EXPERIENCE
GLOBAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN Minneapolis, MN
Director of International Training January 2017 - present
www.globalrightsforwomen.org
- Provide international training and technical assistance to government agencies, UN Women offices and women’s NGOs to promote women’s human rights and achieve systemic reform in government and community responses to violence against women.
- Work with national agencies to develop a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to violence against women.
- Directed and lead the institutional and systemic analysis of the CCR response to domestic violence in Moldova.
- Developed statewide domestic violence offender program as first direct service program of GRW
- Co-facilitate two domestic violence offender groups each week.
- Work with communities around the world to centralize the lived experience and voices of victims when developing prevention and intervention strategies to address violence against women.
Highlights:
- 2017 – Partnered with UN Women Georgia to provide leadership in the development of the Georgia Risk Assessment for Domestic Abuse (GRADA) for use by police to assess risk of domestic violence offenders. Coordinated and conducted focus groups with victims in the Republic of Georgia to incorporate their experience and voice into the development of GRADA.
- 2019 - Provided analysis and evaluation of phase one of the United Nations Joint Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence, a partnership by UN Women, UNFPA, WHO, UNDP and UNODC.
- 2020 - Co-authored Challenges and Strategies to Implementing Gender-Responsive Policing to provide guidance for middle managers in police organizations on implementing analytical methods to achieve gender- responsive policing in coordination with UN Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) and UN Women.
- 2020 - Currently developing a comprehensive Training Package for Prosecutors Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls in Asia and the Pacific Island Region.
DOMESTIC ABUSE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS
Executive Director “The Duluth Model” - Duluth, MN January 2014 – December 2016
National and International Training Consultant 2006 - 2014 www.theduluthmodel.org
- Provided leadership and training on the Duluth Model response to violence against women around the world, nationally, and locally.
- Developed training curricula and materials on Coordinated Community Response (CCR).
- Provided leadership and management of the Battered Women’s Justice Program, a program of DAIP and
technical assistance provider for the Office on Violence Against Women. - Managed Office on Violence Against Women technical assistance grant and the Blueprint for Safety
Demonstration project. - Supervised 32 employees and a budget of nearly $4 million of federal, state, local and private funds.
- Local co-organizer for the Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to domestic violence in Duluth.
- Organized focus groups of abused women to inform and provide information about the impact and disparate
effects of violence against women interventions. - Provided advocacy services to abused women and children, facilitated domestic violence offender groups,
facilitated women’s group, and provided supervised visits and exchanges.
Highlights:
- 2014 World’s Best Policy to Address Violence Against Women and Girls. DAIP and the city of Duluth pioneered the concept of a Coordinated Community Response (CCR). This policy was chosen for the Gold Award for the “World’s Best Policy to Address Violence Against Women and Girls” by the World Future Council and UN Women.
- 2015 Blueprint for Safety National Demonstration Project. The city of Duluth and DAIP were chosen by the United States Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women to provide national leadership on the development of a Blueprint for Safety to enhance our criminal justice response to domestic violence. At DAIP, I directed, edited and developed the Duluth Blueprint for Safety. Provided assistance and coordination to all project partners in drafting, researching and developing the endorsed policies. Coordinated focus groups with abused women and administrated the grant on behalf of the city of Duluth.
Executive Director. Serving St. Louis and Itasca Counties in MN 2001 – 2016
Women’s Advocacy Program Manager / Youth Advocate. 1999 - 2001
www.stopdomesticabuse.org
- Provided leadership on violence against women in northeastern Minnesota communities.
- Local organizer for Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to domestic violence in Itasca County and northern
St. Louis County. - Supervised 14 employees, completed a capital campaign project for safe and emergency housing for abused
women and children, and managed a budget of nearly $1 million of federal, state, local and private funds. - Planned and implemented two national model programs: therapeutic supervised visitation and Fathering After
Violence Project. - Local project director for the following federal Office on Violence Against Women grants to Itasca County, MN:
Grants to Encourage Arrest and Enforcement of Protective Orders, Safe Havens Supervised Visitation Program
and Transitional Housing for Abused Women and Children. - Provided advocacy services to women and children, facilitated domestic violence offender groups, facilitated
women’s group, and provided supervised visits and exchanges. - Provided training and education to staff, volunteers, and community partners.
- Co-authored international curriculum to work with men who batter as fathers entitled Addressing Fatherhood with
Men Who Batter.
- 2005 Fathering After Violence – Working with Abusive Fathers in Supervised Visitation. Chosen to be a part of national model program with the Office on Violence Against Women for working with abusive fathers in a supervised visitation setting. Contributing writer/editor to national publication with the Family Violence Prevention Fund publication (Futures Without Violence).
- 2007 Therapeutic Supervised Visitation Program. Chosen to be a part of national model program with the Office on Violence Against Women for working in a therapeutic setting with domestic violence offenders and their children. Contributing writer / editor to national publication with the Family Violence Prevention Fund publication (Futures Without Violence).
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TURNING POINTS Duluth, MN Co-founder with Ellen Pence, PhD and Laura Connelly, MPA January 2010 - present
- Provide leadership on issues related to women’s arrest, conviction, and incarceration for domestic violence.
- Provide national training and consultation on working with women who use violence in intimate partner
relationships. - Provide consultation to local communities in addressing systemic responses to women who use violence.
Highlights:
- May 2017 In Their Own Words: Victims of Battering Talk About Being Arrested and Convicted. Contracted as a researcher and author for the National Clearinghouse on the Defense of Battered Women. Conduct extensive research through interviews and focus groups of women who were arrested and convicted of domestic violence.
- 2017 National Roundtable Discussion on Working with Offenders of Domestic Violence. Invited to attend national roundtable discussion by the United States Department of Justice to provide input on working with offenders of domestic violence.
- 2011 Turning Points: A Non-Violence Curriculum for Women. Published and co-authored international curricula to work with women who experience and use violence in intimate partner relationships.
EXPERT WITNESS AND CONSULTANT ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 2006 – present
www.domesticviolenceexpert.net
- Have provided training and technical assistance with numerous national and international organizations, including, but not limited to: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), Praxis International, Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women, Minnesota Department of Corrections, National Network to End Domestic Violence, Texas Council on Family Violence, Center for Court Innovation, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, and the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition.
- Examples of trainings include:
o EffectiveProgrammingwithVoluntaryServicesforOVWTransitionalHousinggrantees–program panel presenter – National Network to End Domestic Violence – Washington, D.C. – May 26, 2010
o Advocacy Learning Center: Systems Advocacy Institute – Praxis International – Chaska, MN – April 9-11, 2013
o Conducted training on the Development of Batterers Intervention Programs (BIPs) in the Pacific Island Region – UN Women Pacific region – September 2019
o Minnesota Prosecutors Association statewide training Prosecuting Domestic Violence – September2019– organized by Stearns County, MN
- Deemed an “expert on domestic violence” by numerous district court judges in Minnesota.
- Provide expert witness testimony on Domestic Violence and Its Effects in criminal court cases for prosecutors
and defense attorneys in Minnesota.
HONORS, INVITES, BOARDS, and NATIONAL COMMITTEES
Voices for Ethnic and Multicultural Awareness (VEMA) – 2020 – Board of Directors Treasurer and Executive Committee member.
Inspiring Everyday Hero award recipient – March 2016 award recipient for local work in Minnesota on national NO MORE campaign – nominated by staff of NO MORE
21st Anniversary reception of the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) – Invited to Vice President Joe Biden’s residence – Washington, D.C. – September 28, 2015
World’s Best Policy to Address Violence Against Women and Girls – UN Women and World Future Council - Executive Director in 2014 when Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs and the city of Duluth received the Gold Award from UN Women and World Future Council for the World’s Best Policy to Address Violence Against Women and Girls for its development of the concept of Coordinated Community Response (CCR).
Served on actress Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation National Advisory Committee to develop domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse interventions and retreats to address trauma and healing. – 2013 – 2017.
EXPERT ROUNDTABLES
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner – New York, NY – March 2017. Invited to provide consultation during a roundtable discussion on enhanced collaboration between the international and regional mechanisms on women’s rights.
National Roundtable Discussion on Working with Offenders of Domestic Violence – Washington, DC. US Department of Justice – January 2017.
UN Women Expert Meeting on Coordinated Community Response - Invited as US expert on Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to violence against women - June 9-11, 2015 – Madrid, Spain
Served as member of the Roundtable Discussion on Custody and Domestic Violence through the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – August 26 – 27, 2008 – Washington, D.C.
Served as member of the National Workgroup of the Custody and Domestic Violence Project for the Battered Women’s Justice Project - June 20-21, 2013 - St Paul, MN
UN Women Expert Meeting on Enforcement of Domestic Violence Legislation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) January 23-24, 2012 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Presented to national leaders on organizing and implementing a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to domestic violence.
Served as member of the Judicial Roundtable on Differentiating Domestic Violence in Family Court through the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – November 6, 2008 – Washington, D.C.
Served as member of the Judicial Roundtable on Batterers Intervention Programs through the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – August 5-6, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
Participant in Minnesota Criminal Justice System Collaborative for Accountability and Safety Advisory Group – February 28, 2011 – St. Paul, MN
Served as member of Roundtable on the Supervised Visitation Grant Program’s Guiding Principles for the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice – hosted by Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community – March 15-16, 2011 – Washington, D.C.
Served as member of National Child Custody Differentiation Project at the workgroup meeting on June 20- 21, 2013 for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP)
PUBLICATIONS
Author, co-author, contributing writer and/or editor to the following professional and academic writings related to violence against women:
Examining the Programmatic and Administrative Designs of Supervised Visitation Centers to Meet the Safety Needs of Battered Women - 2003
- Doctoral dissertation proposal – Hamline University – St. Paul, MN
- Researcher and Author – Dissertation expert committee member: Ellen Pence, PhD
Hidden Victims: Children and Domestic Violence - 1999
- Master of Arts in Public Administration thesis – Hamline University
- Researcher and Author
Addressing Fatherhood with Men Who Batter - 2010
- Co-author with John Downing and Laura Connelly
- Advocates for Family Peace and the Duluth Model – 2010
- International curriculum for working with men who batter as fathers. Available at
www.theduluthmodel.org
With ‘Equal Regard’: An Overview of How Ellen Pence Focused the Supervised Visitation Field on Battered Women and Children
- Co-author with Laura Connelly
- SAGE Publication – Violence Against Women 2010 16: 1022
- Online version available at: http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/16/9/1022
Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Immersion Training Curriculum
- Contributing writer and editor
- Inspire Action for Social Change curriculum - September 17, 2010
Turning Points: A Nonviolence Curriculum for Women - 2011
- Co-authored with Ellen Pence, PhD and Laura Connelly - Domestic Violence Turning Points
- International curriculum for working with women who use violence in intimate partner relationships.
Available at www.dvturningpoints.com
The Duluth Blueprint for Safety – January 2015
- Executive Director of Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs / Leader of Duluth Blueprint for Safety
- Provided assistance and coordination to all project partners in drafting, researching ad developing the
endorsed policies.
Domestic Violence Expert Witnesses: Tips to Help Prepare for Your First Case - 2016
Expert Witness Policy for Anti-Domestic Violence Organizations – Questions and Features - 2017
• Contracted author for the National Clearinghouse on the Defense of Battered Women
In Their Own Words: Victims of Battering Talk About Being Arrested and Convicted – May 2017
- Contracted researcher and author for the National Clearinghouse on the Defense of Battered Women
- Conducted extensive interviews and focus groups with women who were arrested, convicted and
incarcerated related to domestic violence.
Draft Adaptation of the European Network Guidelines for Working Responsibly with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic for Consideration for United States Perpetrator Programs – 2020
- Co-authored with Jon Heath
- Consulted with victims of domestic violence, advocates, and leaders in the field of domestic violence
perpetrator programming to write adaptation to European Network guidelines.
Challenges and Strategies to Implementing Gender-Responsive Policing - 2020
- Co-authored with Laura Wilson
- Developed as a chapter in a comprehensive police manual
- Provides guidance for middle managers in police organizations on implementing analytical methods to
achieve gender-responsive policing - Developed in coordination with UN Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) and UN Women.
