What We’re All

About

What We’re All

About

Our mission is to unite professionals, advocates, and survivors in a collaborative effort to address and prevent all forms of harm that disrupt family dynamics and personal safety. Through education, awareness, and shared solutions, we aim to empower communities, strengthen support systems, and create safer environments for individuals of all ages, fostering healing and resilience for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse, and all forms of violence that disrupt and harm the family structure.

The NESD Family Violence Prevention Conference began Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 2013, with a group of community agencies with the initiative to address family violence. Living in a Rural South Dakota community, we understand that education can be limited. The leaders wanted to provide evidence-based trauma-informed education that was affordable to professionals to the region. Throughout the years we have brought Nationally recognized speakers, such as Casey Gwinn, Jonathan Hatami, and the detectives that worked the Christopher Watts case.

Throughout the years our conference continues to reach a diverse group of professionals including:

  • victim advocates,
  • law enforcement,
  • court services,
  • social workers,
  • judges,
  • medical professionals,
  • prosecutors,
  • mental health professionals,
  • Child Protection Services,
  • and community members.

 

Our goal is to address issues related to our population by providing skill-based training to professionals that work with family members that have been impacted by violence.

 

 

Thank you to our Sponsors for making this event possible!

Conference Board Committee

Gina Karst

Gina has been the Executive Director of Safe Harbor, a women’s shelter in Aberdeen, South Dakota, since December 2009. Gina is passionate about advocacy, education, and providing awareness and prevention for victim/survivors of violence. As the Executive Director of Safe Harbor, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations to ensure victim/survivor needs are being met. Gina also handles the more technical aspects of a non-profit through grant writing, evaluations, budgets, and public speaking. Gina served on the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (The Network) Executive Committee for 7 years, two years as President. In her time at Safe Harbor she has worked with many victims/survivors of violence within the organization’s service area, as well as advocated for them in Pierre during the legislative session. Gina is proud to be working with the NESD Family Violence Prevention Conference to bring educational speakers, networking, and more to the region.

Brittany O’Day

Brittany O’Day is the Victim Specialist for the FBI, serving through the Minneapolis Division. Prior to that Brittany was employed as the Victim Specialist at the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office. She has also worked as a Program Manager at NSU, Family Service Specialist with CPS and the Rural Advocate with Safe Harbor. Brittany has extensive experience working with victims of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault and child abuse. In 2020, Brittany graduated from USD with her Masters of Social Work and is a licensed Social Worker in South Dakota. Brittany is passionate about collaborating with agencies to improve victim services. She wants to increase education amongst professionals and community members to best serve victims of abuse.

Jodi Brown

Jodi Brown was a Special Prosecutor for the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office for twelve years. During that time she specialized in the prosecution of crimes of family violence. Jodi handled roughly 4,000 cases involving family violence during her time as a Special Prosecutor. Jodi continues to assist victims of family violence and continues to advocate for strict prosecution of family violence. Jodi is very passionate about the prosecution of domestic violence and the protection and involvement of victims/survivors of domestic violence. Jodi was awarded the “You Make a difference” award from Safe Harbor in 2007 and the Volunteer of the Year award from Safe Harbor in 2010. Jodi graduated from Northern State University in 1998 with honors and with a degree in criminology and sociology. Jodi then went on to get her Juris Doctorate from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2002. Jodi continues to be in private practice wherein she specializes in family law cases. Jodi has also been awarded the divorce attorney of the year in 2020 and 2021 from the Aberdeen American News.

Kelsi Vinger

Kelsi Vinger has served as the Diversion Specialist at the Brown County State's Attorney's Office since 2019. Before this role, she gained valuable experience with the Department of Corrections, where she supervised both juvenile and adult offenders in the community. Recognizing a critical gap in services for those at the "front end" of the criminal justice system, Kelsi has been dedicated to preventing re-offending and enhancing community safety. She works directly with defendants to create individualized plans that connect them with community resources, aiming to divert them from the traditional criminal justice path. Additionally, Kelsi is committed to developing trauma-informed and culturally responsive detention alternatives within Brown County.

Becky Kuch

Becky works primarily with ages 18 and older. She has over 20 years of experience working with individuals and couples. She assists people with a wide range of issues, including, but not limited to depression, anxiety, relationships, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), grief, personality disorders, and stress management. While she has a varied range of experience, she primarily practices Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Becky is a certified facilitator for Prepare Enrich (www.prepare-enrich.com). She is also certified in Critical Incident Stress Management and Debriefing (www.icisf.org) as well as being a Certified First Responder Counselor (www.firstrespondercounselor.com).

Amy Rehder

Amy Rehder has been the Social Worker and Patient Relations specialist at Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center since January, 2012. Prior to her employment at Sanford Health, she was the Therapeutic Foster Care Director at Northeastern Mental Health Center in Aberdeen, SD for 12 years working with and advocating for multiple victims of abuse. Amy has a passion working with victims of abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. She is an advocate for victims, as health care providers have a unique opportunity to support survivors and prevent domestic and sexual violence. She plays an important role in the health and well-being of our patients. Amy was voted Social Worker of the year in 2015 by the South Dakota Social Work Association of Health Care. She is proud to have community partners that work together to bring awareness, education and prevention to our community and to the state of South Dakota.

Karla Nelson

Karla Nelson has been employed with the Brown County State’s Attorney’s Office since 2020 and currently serves as Senior Deputy State’s Attorney. Karla’s caseload primarily consists of Abuse and Neglect cases, Juvenile Court matters, as well as sitting on Brown County’s Problem Solving and Specialty Courts. Karla graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 2016 and went on to graduate from University of South Dakota in 2019 with dual degrees of Juris Doctor and Master of Public Administration. She was recently nominated for and selected as a member of USD’s 30 Under 30 class in 2023. She has a passion for juvenile justice and child welfare and focuses her work on making the Aberdeen community a safe place to live and raise families. She currently serves as the President to the Aberdeen Area Child Protection Team and Chair of the Brown County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Collaboration.

Arika Kline

Arika Kline is a seasoned law enforcement officer with 18 years of service in the City of Aberdeen. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from St. Cloud State University, she has progressed from a Patrol Officer to a General Crimes Detective and Field Training Officer. Currently, Arika serves primarily as a School Resource Officer (SRO) in elementary schools, where they not only ensure safety but also mentor young students. She is also a certified ALICE Instructor, enhancing their skills for handling critical situations.

LaVonne Walker

LaVonne Walker has served as the Assistant Executive Director of Safe Harbor since November 2009. LaVonne’s passion for helping those in need plays a pivotal role in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault. LaVonne is the administrator of all grants awarded to Safe Harbor. She ensures that all funds are allocated appropriately to support the organizations mission. Throughout her tenure, she has provided financial assistance to countless victims, empowering them to rebuild their lives and reintegrate as contributing members of Society. Her commitment to fostering resilience and hope has made her an invaluable asset to Safe Harbor and the communities it serves.

Register now!

Get your ticket for the conference. Once the form has been completed, you will be taken to a new screen to purchase your ticket.

There are four ticket options:

  • $150 for conference and dinner
  • $125 for conference only
  • GROUP RATE: 3 or more attendees from the same office can attend conference only for $100/unique registrant
  • Please email us to inquire about a student discount
Registration Form 2025

Registration Form 2025

Register for the conference!

Once the form has been completed, you can choose to continue on to PayPal (where you can pay with a credit card) or to be emailed an invoice.

Scholarship Application: To help facilitate broad participation in our Annual NESD Family Violence Prevention Conference, we are offering a limited number of full scholarships to support those who are unable to attend the event without financial assistance. Our goal is to bring together a wide range of voices and perspectives, enriching our community, and the event experience.
Click Here to Apply

Please note that refund requests will not be accommodated for cancellations made within four weeks of the event.

If you have any further questions, please email us at nesdfamilyviolenceconference@gmail.com.

Name
Name
First
Last
Registration Type (Please ensure box is checked next to Conference)
Registration Type
Additional Attendee
Additional Attendee
First
Last
Registration Type
Registration Type
Additional Attendee
Additional Attendee
First
Last
Registration Type
Additional Attendee
Additional Attendee
First
Last
Registration Type
Additional Attendee
Additional Attendee
First
Last
Registration Type
Total

Payment Method
Where did you hear about our conference? (Check all the apply)
Your registration authorizes pictures taken during the event to be used for future marketing materials.
Hidden Product