Clark State faculty member named vice chair of Project Woman of Ohio

Karen Benton starts this month; mentor role envisioned.

Clark State College’s Karen Benton, assistant professor and criminal justice program coordinator, has been appointed to the board of Project Woman of Ohio, the school said in a release.

Benton has been named vice chair and her position is effective this month.

“It is anticipated that I will be training advocates at Project Woman regarding case management strategies this year,” Benton said. “My participation on this board will help me provide the most current information regarding victimization issues and options available to future criminal justice practitioners.”

Laura Baxter, executive director of Project Woman, said Benton is a dynamic professional, excellent mentor and “very well-suited” for the role.

“Though Karen is fairly new to the Project Woman Board of Directors (joined May 2020), she is now part of the leadership of the board and begins her first term as vice chair,” Baxter said. “Karen has always been a champion for the mission of Project Woman. She works to engage students and the community toward ending violence and empowering victims/survivors and their families.”

Benton has been a longtime victim’s advocate and worked in the juvenile justice system and trained as a mediator before becoming an educator, the release stated.

“I believe that criminal justice practitioners must speak and advocate for those who cannot do so themselves. It is my hope that our criminal justice graduates will have a better understanding of the dynamics of abuse and domestic violence and have more awareness of the services available to the victims,” Benton said.

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