Founder, President

Connecticut Protective Moms 

Jan 2018 - Present 

In 2019, I founded Connecticut Protective Moms (CPM), a 501 (c)(3) grassroots organization of more than 600 Connecticut moms who are dedicated to improving the Connecticut Family Court process to validate all forms of domestic abuse, including physical, coercive control, emotional, verbal, financial and legal abuse. Amending state laws to include coercive control language for emergency protection orders (and other family court matters) is a crucial part of the overall family court reform strategy which is advancing in states everywhere.

CPM works with leading national legislative domestic abuse policy experts to raise awareness of new and stronger legislative solutions to family court legislation and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of children. In 2021, I worked alongside state legislators to pass Jennifers' Law, named in honor of two mothers - Jennifer Dulos and Jennifer Magnano, who lost their lives while seeking safety in family court. This legislation will make significant improvements to the way family courts currently handle custody decision-making when abuse is alleged so domestic abuse victims and their children are protected.

CPM Mission

Connecticut Protective Moms (CPM) is a 501 (c) (3) grassroots organization of Connecticut moms who are dedicated to improving the Connecticut Family Court process to validate all forms of Domestic Violence (DV) including physical, coercive control, emotional, verbal, financial and legal abuse.

My main objective is to connect Connecticut domestic abuse victims in family court proceedings to one another to engage in peer-to-peer support to help them navigate their custody cases to keep their children safe. In addition, by raising awareness and educating Connecticut Family Court stakeholders on this broader definition of DV, we will advocate to reform state family court legislation to protect mothers and their children from continued DV as well as to eliminate bias against a mother's abuse allegations during child custody proceedings. 

Why CPM

The lack of education and knowledge of DV abuser tactics among family court professionals - judges, lawyers, GALs, forensic evaluators, family relations counselors -  during family court proceedings often put moms and children at further risk of abuse and danger.  We hope to change the "default" position of laws, court orders, and social attitudes in general to see moms and children protected not only before, but during and after they step into a family court for divorce from an abusive parent.