The Mary Byron Project
Fostering Innovations and Strategies to End Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is an epidemic throughout the United States, but few communities are able to find the will to do much more than provide crisis management after the crime has already occurred. Recognizing that domestic violence is a generational crime, producing new batterers who have grown up with batterers as models, the Mary Byron Project knows this approach isn't enough.
Under the direction of our Board of Advisors and Overseers, we foster and support innovative solutions to domestic violence across the country. Our organization receives further guidance from our National Advisory Board, a group of experts within the industry who are committed to the work of the Mary Byron Project. With decades of experience between them, they identify trends in the field and provide valuable input on our award-offering process.
Our board of directors and board of overseers
Marcia Roth, Executive Director
Marcia Roth has been actively involved in women's issues since the 1980s. In 1991 she was appointed the founding director of the Jefferson County (KY) Office for Women where she spearheaded the development of VINE®, the victim notification program. In 2000 she helped create and continues to serve as the Executive Director of the Mary Byron Project.
Ms. Roth served on four different state task forces focused on domestic violence crime. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear appointed Ms. Roth to the Board of Regents of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System where she serves as Vice Chair. She was also appointed to serve on the Kentucky Commission on Women. In 2009 she was designated a "Woman of Distinction" by the Center for Women and Families.
Jerry Bowles, Secretary of the Board
Jerry J. Bowles is a Circuit Judge in Jefferson County where he presides in the Family Court. After his original appointment by the governor, he has been re-elected three times to his current seat. Judge Bowles has done extensive work in the area of domestic violence and trains nationally and internationally on the topic. He serves as the Chair of the Jefferson County Domestic Violence Prevention and Coordinating Council's Fatality Review Committee and has been appointed to numerous state and national committees in order where he provides his considerable expertise.
Pat Byron, President Emeritus
Pat Byron was thrust into advocacy work for victims as a result of her daughter Mary's murder in 1993. She was named the 2005 recipient of the Eastern Kentucky University's College of Justice and Safety Dean's Award. She also received the HER (Honoring Excellent Role Models) from Today's Woman Magazine in 2006. Her work educating young people about dating violence led to the Supreme Court of Kentucky honoring her with the 2011 Law Related Education Award of Achievement.
Ms. Byron continues to use her expertise to speak in communities throughout the nation about dating violence and crime victims' rights. She served as President of the Mary Byron Project from 2000-2008 when she was designated President Emeritus. She recently was appointed to serve on the Kentucky Corrections' Commission.
John Byron, Vice President
John Byron was born and raised in Louisville, KY where he graduated from St. Xavier High School and the Speed Scientific School at the University of Louisville. He has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and is a registered professional engineer. He served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and recently retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District. Since his daughter Mary's murder, Mr. Byron has become a fierce advocate for ending violence against women.
Mike Davis, Board of Overseers
Mike Davis is CEO and co-founder of Appriss, Inc., a technology company specializing in helping criminal justice agencies serve and protect their citizens. He and Yung Nguyen joined forces in 1995 to launch and create the market for the nation's first automated victim notification system known as VINE®. Mr. Davis has received numerous awards for his entrepreneurship as well as his devotion to helping victims. In April, 2009 he was awarded the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus Award from the US House of Representatives.
Phyllis Florman, President of the Board
Attorney-at-Law
Phyllis Florman is an attorney and an arbitrator and mediator in Louisville, KY. She graduated from Russell Sage College and then received her J.D. from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. She has served as President of the Louisville Bar Foundation, the Law School Alumni Association and the Family Place. Ms. Florman has been Vice-Chair of the Kentucky Commission on the Status of Women and served on the National Association of Commissions on Women.
J. William Kingston
Bill serves as Director of Development for the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville. His experience in the community health care field enhances his interest in eliminating domestic violence.
Dr. Renee Campbell Mapp
Executive Director, Wesley House Community Services
Dr. Renee Campbell is the President/CEO of Wesley House Community Services, a social service agency founded 109 years ago in Louisville, KY. Dr. Campbell is a state-approved domestic violence trainer, and serves as adjunct faculty for the University of Louisville School of Education, and Campbellsville University Carver School of Social Work.
Dr. Campbell is Development Chief in the Village of Tolon-Ghana, West Africa. She was given this honor because of her humanitarian work. She works both nationally and internationally to eradicate suffering and violence against women. She has received Spalding University's Outstanding Educational Leadership Award, the Mental Health Association of Kentucky's Leadership and Service Award and recognized by Louisville Metro Council for Outstanding Community Service.
Yung Nguyen
A co-founder of VINE® with Michael Davis, Yung Nguyen patented victim notification technology in 1995. He worked to build the company that provided the VINE service, Appriss, Inc., until 2002.
After the Florida recount controversy in 2000, Mr. Nguyen became interested in voting technology. His research led to the development of Inspire, an accessible voting system for people with visual impairment and other disabilities. He patented the technology and founded IVS to market it in 2002. He is also the Founder and Chair of Lac Viet, a non-profit program that provides after school and tutoring services to Vietnamese children and seeks to empower immigrant parents who speak limited English to get involved in their children's education.
JoAnn Phillips
Executive Director, Kentucky Voice for Crime Victims
Jo Ann Phillips is an account executive for Douglas Exposition and the University of Louisville. She has served as the State Executive Director of the Kentucky Voice for Crime Victims and has recently been re-appointed as Chair of the Kentucky Crime Victims' Compensation Board.
Anne Seymour
Anne Seymour has nearly 30 years of experience as a national victim advocate. She is a Co-founder of and Senior Advisor to the Washington, D.C.-based national non-profit Justice Solutions. She currently serves on the Board of the National Institute of Corrections, on the PREA Review Committee, and as a Consultant to the Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project. She began her career as the Director of Public Affairs for the National Office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and, from 1985 to 1993, as co-founder and Director of Communications of the National Center for Victims of Crime.
Mary-James Young
Senior Regulatory Counsel, Vectren Corporation
Ms. Young's legal career spans private, public and non-profit sectors. She served as an assistant Attorney General and special prosecutor for the Kentucky Attorney General for seven years. In 1994, she was appointed by the chief executive officer of Jefferson County, Kentucky (Louisville) as his general counsel. In this role, she was in the forefront of crafting new domestic violence policies and procedures for police, courts, and corrections.
Ms. Young currently serves as senior counsel, compliance and regulatory, providing legal counsel to Vectren's three regulated utilities and its non-regulated businesses. Before joining the Board of the Mary Byron Project, Ms. Young provided pro bono legal counsel for the organization.
