Who We Are

UpRoot is a project of the prevention education team at HAVEN, Oakland County’s center for the treatment and prevention of sexual assault and domestic violence.  UpRoot is the online component of our persistent efforts to address the root causes of gender-based violence, and create a world where all women and girls are valued, respected and loved.

The contributors are:

Cristy C, Program Director of Prevention Education.  Cristy is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has worked in the field of ending gender-based violence since 1997.  Cristy has three kids, all of whom she is happy to share (gross or funny or weird, whatever) stories about any time. She is an avid fabric artist in addition to being a loudmouth feminist. Cristy is the 2012 winner of the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence Wave of Change Award, honoring excellence in social change and prevention of gender-based violence.

Kathryn K, Prevention Education Specialist.  Kathryn received her undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University where she studied Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Gender and Women’s Studies. She is now pursuing a Masters degree in Sociology with a certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University. Kathryn’s special talent is relating almost every conversation to an episode of The Office or 30 Rock. She spends her spare time singing show tunes, going to concerts, obsessing over the Detroit Tigers, and talking about her dog.

Mark N, Prevention Education Specialist Emeritus. Mark grew up in the Upper Peninsula (of Michigan), but studied Psychology and Philosophy at Michigan State University where he began his work in gender-based violence prevention before coming to HAVEN. He is a proud feminist who enjoys playing music, cycling, craft beer, baseball, learning new things, and making friends. Rarely at a loss for words, frequently running out of time. Mark is currently a PhD student at the University of Nevada-Reno.

Leah T, Prevention Education Specialist. Leah is an alumna of Michigan State University where she studied International Studies and French, but spent most of her time frequenting coffee shops and facilitating discussions about feminism. She loves the following: spoken word, meditation, music (especially if there’s a banjo or harmonica involved), running long distances, trying to be funny, and stringing words together in order to craft meaningful poetry. If you find yourself in need of an opinion, Leah is sure to have some to spare.

Kristopher Kole, Prevention Education Specialist. Kole pursued undergraduate study at Olivet College, double majoring in Psychology/Sociology and minoring in Anthropology. Upon completion he followed his life-long military aspirations and joined the Army. In the Army, he trained as a combat medic and mental health specialist working in Combat Stress Prevention, while taking on the additional responsibility of preparing his unit for the physical rigors of combat readiness. He was sent to the Commander’s Total Fitness Course and this is where he first discovered a fundamental fascination with human Physiology, Anatomy and Kinesiology. Kole is an Iraq war veteran, NPTI certified personal fitness trainer, trained myomassologist and is an active volunteer, self-proclaimed feminist and social justice activist. He prefers to consider himself an individual and personal motivator/caregiver by day and a vivid illustrator and spoken word titan by night. To some degree some might say that his reserved, complex and subtle natures often times veil his inner enthusiasm and vigor. It is his aspiration to respectfully be a part of an all-encompassing social movement toward a healthier and engaging involvement in a socially just culture. He dreams of a collective consciousness and culture that embraces individual and social accountability, responsibility, personal health, individual strength, and spiritual contentedness.