Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence


			FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 02, 2002 COLUMBUS COALITION AGAINST FAMILY VIOLENCE NAMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence sponsoring "Confronting the Crime" to enhance the investigation, prosecution and conviction of domestic violence cases (COLUMBUS) - Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence Board Chair and Founder Abigail S. Wexner announced the following community leaders have joined the Coalition's Board: Jim Karnes, Franklin County Sheriff; Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff, Temple Israel; Sharen Turney, Victoria's Secret Direct; and Reverend Jesse Wood; Love Zion Baptist Church. Karnes is in his third term as Sheriff of Franklin County. A lifelong Franklin County resident, he has worked in the Franklin County's Sheriff's office for more than 35 years. A gradate of the FBI National Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute, Karnes is a past president of the FBI National Academy Associates and is active in the National Sheriff's Association on several committees. Nemitoff came to Ohio in 1995 to take the position of Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel, Central Ohio's oldest Jewish institution. A graduate of Hebrew Union College and Washington University, he has served as a congregational rabbi in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas. During his 21 years in the rabbinate, Nemitoff has advocated for Holocaust awareness, inter-religious dialogue and multi-cultural understanding. He is a member of Concerned Community Clergy of Columbus and the Coalition's Faith Community Task Force, and he co-chaired the Coalition's Break the Silence Interfaith Clergy and Youth Forums. Turney was named Chief Executive Officer and President of Victoria's Secret Direct in May 2002. She previously was President and Chief Executive Officer of NM Direct and Executive Vice President for merchandising, creative production, advertising and public relations at Neiman Marcus. A graduate of The University of Oklahoma, Turner has served on the boards of the Winston School, Addison Theater and M.U.D. as well as campaign chairman of the United Way in Dallas. Wood has served as Pastor of Love Zion Baptist Church since 1986. A graduate of Central State University, The Ohio Sate University, Andover Newton Theological School and United Theological Seminary, his ministerial experience also includes serving as Associate Pastor and Special Assistant to the Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church and Interim Pastor of Massachusetts Avenue Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA. Wood also is President of the Baptist Pastors' Conference of Columbus, active in many community and religious organizations and boards, a member of the Coalition's Faith Community Task Force, and he co-chaired the Coalition's Break the Silence Interfaith Clergy and Youth Forums. "The Coalition is successful because of our partnerships with other non-profit organizations, businesses, religious institutions, government agencies and community volunteers. These extraordinary community leaders will help the Coalition expand its partnerships and achieve its mission of creating a community culture that does not tolerate family violence," Wexner said. The Coalition focuses its work on five touch points - where the victim and societal institutions intersect - with task forces working to create systemic change. These task forces are: Business Community/Public Education, Faith Community, Health Care, Legal System and Victim Services. Founded in 1998, The Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence is comprised of leaders from businesses and organizations in Central Ohio committed to reforming our systems to stop the cycle of violence in our community. To learn more, please visit our Web site at www.TheColumbusCoalition.org.