Our partners, supporters, and collaborators of the Waitt Institute For Violence Prevention mean the absolute world to us. There aren’t enough words of admiration that we could write for these groups and individuals that have supported us, worked alongside us, and helped shine the light on our mission.
Alan Heisterkamp
Dr. Alan Heisterkamp
Consultant to WIVP, and head of the UNI Center for Violence Prevention.
Read more about Dr. Alan Heisterkamp
Esta Soler
Esta Soler and Futures without violence.
For 20 years, WIVP has worked extensively with Futures without Violence on the Founding Fathers Campaign, the Ad Council print and broadcast spots on educating men to talk to boys about Violence, and the creation of the on ground research based training program for coaches and young male athletes “Coaching Boys into Men” She was also a catalyst for our involvement in the Peabody award winning documentary “Audrie and Daisy”
Read more about Esta Soler
Read more about Futures Without Violence
Dr. Jackson Katz
Dr. Jackson Katz, author, activist, speaker, trainer, and founder of the Mentors In Violence Program.
Dr. Katz began working with WIVP in 1999, when he brought the first MVP training to Sioux City high schools. He continues his work across the country speaking out about men’s violence against women.
Read more about Dr. Jackson Katz
Read more about MVP Strategies, Mentors in Violence Prevention
Kit Gruelle
Kit Gruelle, survivor, activist, advocate, trainer and the driving force of the film “Private Violence”
Kit was the driving force behind “Private Violence”, the 2014 HBO documentary, supported by WIVP. She was the principal narrator of PV and provides an advocate and survivor perspective throughout the film. She remains involved in some of our new film projects.
Read more about Kit Gruelle
Cynthia Hill
Cynthia Hill, Director Emmy nominated “Private Violence”, “Why We Stayed”
Cynthia Hill became involved in “Private Violence” in 2007, and helped steer us to completion. She also directed our short fim “Why We stayed” with Bev Gooden and 3 other survivors.
Read an interview with Cynthia Hill from Variety
Read an interview with Cynthia Hill from Filmmaker Magazine
Rex Miller
Rex Miller, cinematographer, filmmaker, Emmy nominated Private Violence
Rex Miller’s stunning cinematography brought “Private Violence” to a new level.
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem, Writer, political activist, feminist organizer. Co executive producer, “Private Violence
Gloria became involved in Private Violence in 2008, and helped the film by doing a fundraiser, raising the film’s profile, and helping us see the project to completion. She remains supportive of our new film project, “This is the House where I learned not to sleep”.
Lee Hirsch
Cynthia Lowen
Lee Hirsch, Stanley Kramer award winner, director, cinematographer on the Emmy nominated documentary Bully
Lee came to us in 2009, along with Cynthia Lowen. His involvement with the film lasted from inception, through production, post production, and a robust outreach that reached millions.
Cynthia Lowen, writer, producer on the Emmy award nominated WIVP sponsored documentary Bully
Cynthia, an award winning writer was involved in the inception, production, and post production on “Bully”.
Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, Directors of WIVP sponsored Peabody Award winning Netflix documentary “Audrie and Daisy”
Bonni and Jon began work on “Audrie and Daisy”, which premiered at Sundance in 2016, and broadcast on Netflix in fall of 2016.
Byron Hurt, activist, advocate and trainer, filmmaker, educator
Byron, along with Jackson Katz, was our first trainer of MVP in our home community of Sioux City. He was the director of “ Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes”, “Soul Food Junkies” and is currently filming “Hazing”.
Dr. Michael Fleming, University of Northern Iowa educator, researcher, advocate
Dr. Fleming has been a key supporter of all WIVP films on campus at the University of Northern Iowa, and co wrote the white paper on the “Sioux City Project”
Don McPherson, former Philadelphia Eagles, anti violence advocate, activist, speaker
We first met Don in San Diego in 2005, when he gave his excellent presentation “You throw like a girl”. Don continues to be an advocate and spokesman and was a keynote speaker at our MVP leadership summit in Sioux City.
Marlo Thomas
Marlo Thomas, actor, author, activist and advocate for children across the country and around the world.
Marlo has been a great advocate and partnered with her Free to Be foundation with WIVP and others on an anti bullying Ad Council campaign.
Read more about Marlo Thomas and her work with the Anti Bullying Ad Council Campaign
Drs. Garie and Ruth Namie
Co sponsors with WIVP of the first national workplace bullying study, the Drs. Namie helped initiate our workplace bullying efforts in Iowa and continue to advocate for victims of workplace bullying.
George Boykin
Fitzgerald Grant
George Boykin and Fitzgerald Grant, Sanford Community Center Mentors, educators, activists
George Boykin and Fitzgerald Grant have been with us since 1993. Mr. Boykin was director of the Sanford Center for many years, and recently handed over the reins to Fitzgerald. The mentoring program here in Iowa allows children in need and their families to grow and succeed both in schools and throughout the community of Sioux City.
The Sioux City Community School District
Our partnership with the district began in 1999, when our first MVP training was held at Sioux City West High School under the leadership of Alan Heisterkamp. The District continued to ramp up violence prevention efforts, and in 2007, new Superintendent Paul Gausman added violence prevention to the strategic plan. Trainings and programs were added incrementally to elementary and middle schools.
In 2009, the school board and Paul Gausman showed tremendous courage in allowing our documentary “Bully” to be partially filmed here.
Graham Goulden, former Police Officer, Violence Prevention trainer and activist
Graham Goulden is an experienced and committed leadership and violence prevention trainer. For thirty years he was a Scottish police officer and Chief Investigator in criminal investigation, drug investigation, training and crime prevention. Graham has led many anti violence trainings in Scotland and in partnership with Alan Heisterkamp, introduced the MVP trainings in his home country.