Sexual Violence Institute
Sexual Violence Institute is a training event we look forward to each year for all of our different disciplines to come together and learn how to serve our relatives, all those who experience violence better collectively.
Each year, we are reminded of the importance of our work, make time to network with other helpers, and remember the necessity of taking care of ourselves. We vow to practice self-care in order to continue helping others find healing in their lives.
Speakers and Bios
Norma Rendon, Oglala LakotaWhere All Women Are Honored
Norma Rendon is a proud Unci, Ina, Tunwin, Cepansi, and Maske of many relatives residing on and off the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
She has been an advocate for ending violence against Indigenous Women for over thirty years. She has vast experience with grass roots organizing in Indigenous Communities. She is currently operating a 501c3 nonprofit organization and Founder of Where All Women Are Honored – Winyan Wicayuonihan Oyanke.
Where All Women Are Honored provides shelter and advocacy for the LGBQT+ community, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence, and sex trafficking by providing culturally relevant programs and community outreach that will contribute to social change through intervention, prevention, education, and community awareness.
Norma Rendon is the 2021 recipient of the Spirit Aligned women lead organization also a recipient of the Dream Award for the National Network to End Domestic Violence for 2023.
She has served on numerous Boards that work for Indian Education, Community, Child Welfare and Wellness. She provides State and National training regarding Sex Trafficking of Indigenous People, Domestic Violence, Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Assault.
She has been an advocate for ending violence against Indigenous Women for over thirty years. She has vast experience with grass roots organizing in Indigenous Communities. She is currently operating a 501c3 nonprofit organization and Founder of Where All Women Are Honored – Winyan Wicayuonihan Oyanke.
Where All Women Are Honored provides shelter and advocacy for the LGBQT+ community, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence, and sex trafficking by providing culturally relevant programs and community outreach that will contribute to social change through intervention, prevention, education, and community awareness.
Norma Rendon is the 2021 recipient of the Spirit Aligned women lead organization also a recipient of the Dream Award for the National Network to End Domestic Violence for 2023.
She has served on numerous Boards that work for Indian Education, Community, Child Welfare and Wellness. She provides State and National training regarding Sex Trafficking of Indigenous People, Domestic Violence, Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Assault.
Tanya Grassel-Krietlow, Lower Brule SiouxFAST Coordinator| SD Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
Tanya grew upon the Lower Brule Indian Reservation along the Missouri River in Central South Dakota. While in high school, Tanya became a mentor for students transitioning from the St. Joseph’s Indian School to the Chamberlain High School, beginning her passion for working with Native Americans. Tanya has been privileged to work with Native Americans and their families for over 30 years. She has experience working with juveniles and adults in counseling, human services, education, law enforcement, health care, and grants management. Tanya currently works for the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault as a program manager and works primarily with tribal partners and partners serving high populations of Native Americans across South Dakota.
Sherriann Moore, Rosebud Sicangu’ LakotaDeputy Director, Tribal Affairs Division
Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)
U.S. Department of Justice
Sherriann Moore, citizen of the Rosebud “Sicangu” Lakota Tribe in South Dakota, is the Deputy Director of the Tribal Affairs Division, Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Moore provides federal leadership, national oversight, and guidance for Tribes and tribal organizations to strengthen their capacity and improve the federal response to end violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. This encompasses administration of tribal funds and programs; enhancing the safety of American Indian and Alaska Native women from domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, homicide, stalking, and sex trafficking; strengthening the federal response to such violent crimes; and improving access to local, regional, state, and federal crime information databases and criminal justice information systems to address violence in our Nation’s tribal and urban Indian communities.
Prior to joining OVW, Sherriann worked in research administration at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, an academic, medical, and research institution. Sherriann also spent many years working at the Department of Health and Human Services. Sherriann earned her Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration from the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, and is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society.
Curt L. Muller, Senior Advisor for Investigative Operations Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Curt is a 33-year veteran of state and federal law enforcement. Curt began his law enforcement career in 1990 as a Patrol Officer. Later being promoted to the position of Sergeant/Investigator in Elk Point, South Dakota. Curt was later appointed to be the Chief of Police and managed the department’s personnel, budget, and Civil Defense Program.
In 2000, Curt joined HHS-OIG’ Office of Investigations as a Special Agent in the Sioux Falls Field Office, where he conducted a broad range of investigations involving health care fraud, child support enforcement, employee misconduct, and crimes against HHS programs and beneficiaries on Indian Reservations.
In 2015, Curt was promoted to Inspector with the Special Investigations Branch at HQ. In this capacity Curt served as OI’s liaison to the Indian Health Service, responding nationwide to investigations and complaints concerning IHS employees, contractors, and grantees. Curt was lead agent in multiple complex investigations related to HHS and Tribal employees, elected officials, and program directors. One of the most notable convictions led to Dr. Stanley Patrick Weber being sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus 63 years of incarceration for his crimes against children.
In 2019, Curt was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of the Kansas City Regional Office, where he leads the investigative and administrative operations of the region, which is composed of Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.
In 2020, Curt worked closely with the Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the IHS System and the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. In July 2020, Curt joined members of the Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the IHS System at the White House and briefed First Lady Melania Trump and others on the findings of their report and the investigation of Dr. Stanley Patrick Weber. This investigation subsequently received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service in Indian Country.
Curt is currently Senior Advisor for Investigative Operations. He received his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Political Science from the University of South Dakota.
Justin C. Christman, IIJA Oversight Coordinator
Office of Inspector General - Office of Investigations
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Justin has been a special agent for 11 years, starting his career in 2012 with IRS-CI in New York, NY and joining HHS-OIG’s Office of Investigations (OI) in 2016 in Sioux Falls, SD where he has conducted a broad range of investigations including crimes against HHS programs and beneficiaries on Indian Reservations. In 2023, he was promoted to Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Oversight Coordinator for OI. Justin earned a B.S. in Business, Accounting Emphasis, and a Master of Professional Accountancy degree from Montana State University, is a licensed Certified Public Accountant, and is a retired Army National Guard officer with 20 years of service.
Jonathan H. Kurland, Attorney Advisor | AEquitas Prior to joining AEquitas, Jonathan worked in the District Attorney’s Office of Berks County, Pennsylvania where he started as a line Assistant District Attorney and prosecuted the range of cases typical for a jurisdiction with a combination of urban, suburban, and rural communities. However, over time, Jonathan’s focus increasingly trended to violent crime and cases involving the most vulnerable and exploited of victims. When Jonathan left after sixteen years in the District Attorney’s Office to join AEquitas, he was the Chief Deputy District Attorney and supervised, advised, and still prosecuted matters involving intimate partner violence and homicides, sexual violence, child abuse, and grand jury investigations. During his time in the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, Jonathan helped to develop collaboration between prosecutors, law enforcement, victim advocacy, medical professional, and other community stakeholders particularly through serving as the office lead for a variety of victim-focused multidisciplinary investigative teams and other community-based collaborative efforts focusing on intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child abuse, and human trafficking.
Gayle Thom, (retired) Victim Specialist Federal Bureau of Investigation
Gayle Thom, was honored to work for 10 years responding to violent crime scenes in Tribal communities as an FBI Victim Specialist (VS). Gayle also served on the FBI’s nationwide Rapid Deployment Team and Evidence Response Team that responded to critical incidents across the country; such as the Red Lake Nation school shooting, Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Gayle and her team received the prestigious Director’s Award for their response to the Red Lake School shooting. Gayle was the first FBI direct-service VS, implementing the program in what DOJ calls “Indian Country”. She was honored to work in Tribal communities, assisting victims, survivors, and their families through the investigative and often through the prosecution phases of the criminal justice system. The program has now grown to 40+ FBI Indian Country VSs. She was one of six FBI employees nationwide to be elected to the FBI Native American Advisory Committee. As Project Director, Gayle developed and implemented the Tribal Resource Tool, funded by Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). This online mapping of programs provides assistance nationwide to American Indian and Alaskan Native victims and survivors of crime and abuse. She also implemented the CAP Crash Assistance Program for the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and assisted with developing the first Victim Assistance Academy training for Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as well as helping to implement both the Basic and Advanced Victim Assistance Academies for the State of South Dakota. She served as an adjunct professor for the SD Law Enforcement Training Academy and was appointed by SD Supreme Court Justice Gilbertson to the SD Crime Victims Compensation Board. While now retired from the FBI, Gayle continues to serve American Indian/Alaska Native and non-Native communities through her consulting work in training and technical assistance roles. She loves being a wife, mom, and grandmother; volunteering in her spare time where she can contribute to help fill community, spiritual, or cultural needs.
Jennifer MarshGrants Management Specialist | Office on Violence Against Women
Jennifer Marsh is a Grants Management Specialist with the Tribal Affairs Division and focuses her time on the Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program as well as serving as the grant manager for the National Tribal Trial College. Ms. Marsh has over 20 years of experience working with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence on the local, state, and national levels. Ms. Marsh and her family live in Lawrence, Kansas.
C. Renée Stapp MVSKOKE (Muscogee Nation)Grants Management Specialist | Office on Violence Against Women
Renee Stapp is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma. Renee currently serves as Grants Management Specialist with the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), U.S. Department of Justice. She previously was the Program Director for the Victim Assistance to Support Tribes (VAST) Center for the National Center for Victims of Crime. Renee was appointed by Muscogee (Creek) Principle Chief to the Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Commission to assist with the ever-growing responsibility of public safety on the Muscogee Reservation.
Renee formerly served as a federal Victim Specialist with the Bureau of Indian Affairs serving victims of violent crimes on numerous reservations across Indian Country. She has held previous positions as a sworn police officer in Oklahoma (tribal and state), tribal domestic violence/sexual assault advocate, and a state investigator for the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. Renee is also a Tribal Court Legal Advocate, certified by the National Tribal Trial College and University of Wisconsin Law School. She has a Master’s of Science Degree in Human Resources (Criminal Justice) from East Central University, Ada, OK.
With over 20 years of experience serving victims of crime in Indian Country, Renee’s wide-ranging experience provides a unique perspective on systems response in addressing victims’ needs.
Whitney Nordvold, Sicangu Lakota/Yankton DakotaWhitney Nordvold is a dedicated advocate for healing and growth within Indigenous communities, informed by her mixed European-American and Lakota/Dakota heritage. She earned a B.S. in Sociology and American Indian Studies from BHSU and has spent over a decade of service in Tribal communities, with experience in economic development, community health, early childhood development, and post-secondary education. Currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at USD and serving the clients of Rising Hope Counseling, she brings a diverse skill set to her clincal work, including person-centered therapy, motivational interviewing, somatic trauma processing, and EMDR. Committed to creating safe and nonjudgmental spaces, Whitney empowers individuals to reconcile areas in need of healing and chart a path forward toward their most fulfilled selves.
Dr. Carma Corcoran,Chippewa-Cree,Native Hope Fellow
Dr. Corcoran directs the Indian Law Program at Lewis and Clark Law School. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University. Dr. Corcoran also teaches at Coffee Creel Correctional Facility in Oregon.
Community: Dr. Corcoran is very involved in the Native American Community in Portland, Oregon. In addition, she presents across Indian Country on a variety of Social Issues that are important for Native American people.
Scholar: Dr. Corcoran is a member of the 2019-2022 Class of the Whisenton Public Scholars.
Fellowship: Dr. Corcoran is one of the 2021-2023 Native Hope Fellows.
Author: Dr. Corcoran’s book, “The Incarceration of Native American Women: Creating Pathways to Wellness and Recovery Through Gentle Action Theory” was published by the University of Nebraska Press in the Spring of 2023.
Heather Knox, Assistant U.S. Attorney District of South Dakota
Heather Knox is an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Human Trafficking Coordinator for the District of South Dakota. Ms. Knox prosecutes a wide array of criminal offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children and adults, human trafficking, child sexual abuse material, and other internet crimes against children. She also prosecutes violent crimes that occur on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and elsewhere in Western South Dakota, with an emphasis on homicides and sexual assaults of adults and children.
Ms. Knox has served as co-chair of the West River Human Trafficking Task Force since 2021. In 2018, the Western South Dakota Child Protection Council recognized Ms. Knox with the “Helping Strengthen Families” award for her commitment to keeping children safe from abuse and neglect. In 2016, she was awarded the Victims’ Champion Award for her work on cases related to domestic violence in Rapid City. Ms. Knox recently joined the board of The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment, and is a member of the South Dakota State Bar Association, the Pennington County Bar Association, the National District Attorneys Association, the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, and the West River Infant/Child Death Review committee.
Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Ms. Knox served as a deputy state’s attorney in both Pennington County and Minnehaha County. She has been a prosecutor since 2013. Ms. Knox received her law degree and undergraduate degree in criminal justice from the University of South Dakota.
Kim Nash, SANEKim Nash, BSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P has been a registered nurse since 1998 and a forensic nurse since 2006. Dual board certified as a SANE-A and a SANE-P, she was a Forensic Nursing Specialist with the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), and continues to provide education, training and technical assistance for healthcare professionals, law enforcement, attorneys and advocates. She also currently works on a rural SANE team in the mountains of Colorado. Ms. Nash’s forensic nursing clinical experience includes 12 years as a Forensic Nurse Examiner at University of Colorado Health in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she provided medical forensic care to patients who had experienced violence (sexual assault, intimate partner violence, child abuse, elder abuse, strangulation, human trafficking). She was the Colorado SANE/SAFE Trainer for 3 years providing statewide education for healthcare and multidisciplinary partners, conducting clinical skills labs, and participating in statewide protocol development and legislative work. In addition, Kim worked as a forensic nurse at an urban child advocacy center for 3 years. Her international experience includes working on projects as a forensic nurse consultant in Swaziland, Egypt and Mexico.
Elizabeth Cronin | National Mass Violence CenterElizabeth Cronin, Esq., is an attorney and Associate Academic Program Director at the Center. Immediately prior to her current role, she was appointed by the New York Governor as the Director of the New York State Office of Victim Services, where she served for over 10 years. Previously, she was the Director of Legal Affairs for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was also a Deputy Bureau Chief for the Special Prosecutions Division at the Westchester County NY District Attorney’s Office, where she handled homicide, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, and elder abuse cases.
She has extensive experience in training and has presented at national and local conferences including the NCVC National Training Institute, NY Prosecutor’s Training Institute, Louisiana State Law School Institute of Justice, VOCA Annual Conference, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Annual Conference, No Victim Left Behind and National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA), among others.
David Chewiwie, Pueblo of IsletaTraining Associate for AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance | AMBER in Indian Country
David Chewiwie joined Fox Valley Technical College June 15, 2021 as a Training Associate for AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance, AMBER in Indian Country, and currently assigned as a Project Coordinator. David is a tribal member of the Pueblo of Isleta tribe in New Mexico, and now living in southern California. David is a Marine Corps veteran and was last stationed in California. After his military service, David was hired by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in southern California, where he worked many assignments including Patrol, Investigations, Special Investigations/Gang Enforcement, and Special Operations (Dignitary Protection, Intelligence, Threat Assessment/Threat Management, Covert technical Operations, and Special Handling cases, including Murder-for-Hire and Extortion cases). During his law enforcement career, David also developed an interest in working on missing persons cases and incidents, after assisting in some high-profile missing persons cases. He pursued training and experience in that specialty to develop his skills, with a goal of also working in that field after retirement.
David retired from the Sheriff’s Department in 2018, after 32 years, and began working as a Team Adam Consultant with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), where he is also the Child Abduction Response Team (CART) Liaison for San Diego and Orange counties, and active in Native Outreach. David also remained active with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for five years, as a Reserve Deputy assigned to Search and Rescue, and he specialized in Land Search Operations and Tracking.
David also became a Native missing advocate and crime survivor advocate. His Native missing network has provided consultation, advocacy, training referrals, and actual search assistance to Native families who need assistance in MMIW and MMIP situations and incidents. David is also an advisory board member with a crime victims’ organization that provides assistance to victims of violent crime throughout Southern California.
David also worked for Major League Baseball, as a Security Consultant, for over 14 years. During his work with MLB, he travelled throughout the US, Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan providing security assistance with MLB and Team USA baseball events.
Amber Oldfield
Having moved to South Dakota after her husband’s retirement from the military, Amber Oldfield was recently selected by the Elizabeth Dole Foundation for her efforts as a veteran caregiver and caregiver advocate. She now serves crime victims and survivors at Working Against Violence, Inc. (WAVI). She is also a business owner and does public speaking. With a powerful story, we are grateful Amber will courageously share her personal experience with us.
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