A coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to gender-based violence that treats victims with sensitivity and advances evidenced-based practices is easy to wish for and hard to implement. Suzy was on the ground floor of setting up Missoula’s child abuse multi-disciplinary team, which later morphed into Just Response, Missoula’s coordinated community response to sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and child abuse. Suzy used creative solutions to navigate historically difficult relationships between multiple agencies and was integral in confronting and eliminating barriers to effective multidisciplinary work. Missoula’s team has flourished into a high-functioning, cohesive unit that embraces a culture of curiosity and goodwill and uses trauma-informed, victim-centered practices to support victims and improve outcomes. Getting there required hard conversations and a lot of diplomacy, and remains one of the most deeply meaningful parts of Suzy’s prosecutorial career. Suzy can help other communities navigate and eliminate barriers to developing a true coordinated community response and institute practices specific to that community and its resources.   

In the aftermath of an extremely difficult and stressful federal investigation into the handling of sexual assault cases in Missoula, Suzy was a part of the core team that leveled up Missoula’s response to sexual assault by improving knowledge and training system-wide and instituting formal practices and protocols. She is committed to using that experience to help other jurisdictions identify and fix vulnerabilities that can erode public confidence, lead to burnout, and under-serve victims before a crisis develops.

Suzy also has a deep interest in speaking and training opportunities that serve to demystify the criminal justice process for criminal justice professionals and the community as a whole.

Suzy has a wealth of experience reviewing criminal investigations and giving careful, diplomatic feedback. She can provide a deep analysis of individual investigations and system responses to gender-based violence. Suzy also provides training to individual agencies and teams on a variety of subjects.

Subjects within her area of expertise include:

• Developing a victim-centered, offender-focused, trauma-informed coordinated community response to gender-based violence

• Identifying and confronting rape culture in and out of the courtroom

• Preparing victims and their supporters for trial

• Preparing law enforcement and expert witnesses for trial

• Protecting victims through the pretrial process

• Working with advocates to support victims

• Demystifying the legal process for criminal justice professionals