Fighting street & sexual harassment in DC! CASS staff from l-r: Chai Shenoy, Renee Davidson, Zosia Sztykowski, Julia Strange.

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CHAI SHENOY
Co-founder, Executive Director

Chai Shenoy co-founded Collective Action for Safe Space, originally called HollaBackDC!, in April 2009. As the co-founder, Chai wears the “overseer”, “connector”, & “making people happy” hats (sometimes she wears the “this makes me angry” hat…). On behalf of CASS, she’s appeared in several media outlets, including ABC7, FOX5, WTOP. She was also featured in Washington Post, Huffington Post, Mother Jones, and several blogs. By trade, Chai is an attorney who has represented sexual assault survivors in court and at educational hearings.  She is also an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Women’s Studies program, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on gender-based violence.

Chai’s worked in several non-profit organizations, including WEAVE, Break the Cycle, and Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In addition to the non-profit world, Chai worked at a political office, as the Domestic Violence Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. During her time there, Chai authored Hidden in Plain Sight: Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in the New York City Subways, a report that studied the prevalence of sexual violence occurring in New York City subways trains and stations. The report garnered international media attention prompting NYC’s Metropolitan Transit Authority to issue public service advertisements encouraging people to report sexual assault or sexual harassment to appropriate parties. Chai received her B.A. at UCLA and her J.D. at American University, Washington College of Law.

SHANNON LYNBERG
Co-founder

For the last five years, Shannon has worked with nonprofits and public health agencies on women’s empowerment, women’s health, and ending gender-based violence. She currently serves as Program Manager for Empowering Women International (EWI). Prior to joining EWI, Shannon served as the Program Director of the Younger Women’s Task Force under the National Council of Women’s Organizations, where she worked with younger women across the U.S. to develop leadership trainings and raise awareness about the issues affecting women in their 20s and 30s.  In 2007, Shannon worked at PR Solutions, an organization that develops strategies to help nonprofit advocacy groups educate the public.

For the last five years, Shannon has worked with nonprofits and public health agencies on women’s empowerment, women’s health, and ending gender-based violence. She currently serves as Program Manager for Empowering Women International (EWI). Prior to joining EWI, Shannon served as the Program Director of the Younger Women’s Task Force under the National Council of Women’s Organizations, where she worked with younger women across the U.S. to develop leadership trainings and raise awareness about the issues affecting women in their 20s and 30s.  In 2007, Shannon worked at PR Solutions, an organization that develops strategies to help nonprofit advocacy groups educate the public.

In college, Shannon was awarded the Tonya Fellowship by Sewanee, the University of the South in order to work the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she worked to tailor sexual assault prevention programs for college and university campuses. She also worked with Dekalb County Board of Health designing cardiovascular health outreach initiatives for Latina’s in Atlanta.Shannon has volunteered as an advocate for sexual assault survivors at the DeKalb County Rape Crisis Center (in Atlanta) and the DC Rape Crisis Center, spent time researching femicide in Guatemala, and is the co-author of the 2010 report Understanding Sexual Violence at a Large, Urban University. Shannon holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. She was featured as one of “Tomorrow’s Leaders” in the November 2008 issue of “O, The Oprah Magazine” and nominated for the “Young Woman of Achievement” award by WIN in 2009. Shannon has spoken at numerous conferences across the U.S. about women’s issues, women’s empowerment, and gender-based violence.

JULIA STRANGE
Director of Programs and Policy

For over nine years, Julia has addressed domestic violence and sexual assault through direct victim advocacy, outreach and education, and policy advocacy at the local and federal level.  She currently works at Zeiders Enterprises as a Program Analyst for the Navy’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program. In May 2011, Julia received her Master’s degree in Social Work The Catholic University of America’s National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS), with a concentration in Social Justice and Social Change. Prior to accepting her position with the Navy SAPR program, Julia led efforts to form a public policy department at the DC Rape Crisis Center, completed a year-long policy-focused MSW field placement at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), and supervised on-call victim advocates at Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment (SAFE) in Washington, DC. Julia has also previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence.

Prior to moving to DC, Julia received her BA in English Literature and Women’s Studies from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. After graduating, Julia served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uzbekistan where she worked on grant-funded health education projects and taught English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to secondary school students.