UMass Boston

Kate Ranta is a survivor of intimate partner and gun violence. In 2012, after leaving her abusive marriage, her ex-husband stalked Kate to her apartment, where he shot her and her father in front of her then 4-year-old son – miraculously, everyone survived the attack. Her abuser was sentenced to 60 years in prison, which is the rest of his life. Kate has been an advocate and activist for many years since this traumatic event, appearing in documentaries, television series episodes, podcasts and other outlets including Rolling Stone and New York Magazine’s The Cut; testifying before Congress; participating in expert panels, and more. Kate is the co-author of “Killing Kate: A Story of Turning Abuse and Tragedy into Transformation and Triumph,” available on Amazon.

Brikitta Hairston, a Title IX and Civil Rights compliance professional, upholds the Title IX Amendment of the Federal Education Act of 1965 by directly addressing sexual assault, harassment, and gender-based violence on college campuses through administrative investigative processes. She oversees the Title IX Office for Students at UMass Boston, and is responsible for the formal and informal sex-based discrimination and harassment complaints as well as the training and prevention education for the UMB student community. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing, and received her Master of Science from the University of New Haven in Criminal Justice with a specialized Minor in Title IX and Civil Rights Investigations. She is a Juris Doctorate candidate at New England Law | Boston.

Jen, MSW, LICSW (she/her) is the Director of Prevention and Education and has been working at DOVE since 2009 giving presentations, trainings and workshops to community members, professionals and students on domestic violence. She holds a masters in social work and maintains a small caseload supporting survivors of domestic violence in group and individual settings.

Tiffany Alford is the first Director of Community Engagement and Inclusive Excellence at the University of Massachusetts Boston after serving as the Associate Director of Academic and Membership Affairs for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In her role, Alford is responsible for the development and execution of the UMass Boston Athletics and Recreation community engagement program and supporting the vision, management, planning, and execution of the department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. She also serves as the NCAA Athletics Diversity and Inclusion designee (ADID). Alford holds a Juris Doctorate from Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wagner College in N.Y., where she graduated magna cum laude and was a four-year member of the track and field team, serving as the captain for her final two years.