For Immediate Release January 9, 2002 NEW LEADERSHIP ADDED AT ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT
New York - The New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP) today announced that it had filled two top positions. Diane Dolan-Soto, CSW, was named as Director of Client Services and Sonya Shields is the agency's new Director of Development.
Ms. Dolan-Soto was AVP's Domestic Violence Program Coordinator for three years before accepting the Director's position. She is a clinical therapist who has worked in the area of trauma and crisis intervention for over ten years. Ms. Dolan-Soto specializes in work with victims/survivors of domestic violence, rape and incest. During her tenure heading AVP's Domestic Violence Program, she became known in direct service circles for being a prolific speaker and trainer locally and nationally on the unique aspects of lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual domestic violence and trauma related issues. She is a graduate of Hunter College School of Social Work and maintains a private practice in addition to her agency work.
"I am so excited to have the opportunity to build upon the work of this wonderful organization and my predecessors," says Dolan-Soto. "There is so much energy in this organization and while we will continue to grow AVP's ground-breaking programs and services, we will also develop new innovative service, treatment, education and prevention models to educate the community about violence and serve those who fall victim to it," concluded Dolan-Soto.
Ms. Shields began her work with non-profits in the areas of public relations and fundraising in 1987 when she joined the American College of Physicians as Public Relations Associate. She then went on to take a position as the Public Affairs Associate for the International Eye Foundation. She began her professional work within the lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and HIV-affected community as Director of Membership for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1994. After becoming Associate Director of Development there, she was promoted to Director of Development in 1997. In working with then NGLTF executive director, Kerry Lobel, Ms. Shields was part of the team that doubled the organization's budget within a three-year period from 2.25 million to $4.5 million. Ms. Shields also served on the Boards of the Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer, the Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, the HIV Services Council Committee for the Office of the Mayor (DC) and The Dance Institute of Washington. She recently left Prime Access, Inc., where she worked as an Account Executive managing several Fortune 500 accounts. Ms. Shields is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC.
On taking the helm of AVP's Development Department, Ms. Shields says, "I came back to the world of non-profit fundraising because I'm first and foremost an activist. This is my community, and after almost two years 'out of the loop' so to speak, I found that I missed it, and I can't think of any more important work right now than helping AVP to build a safer community."
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