New Canaan’s Invisible Crisis: A Conversation about Domestic Violence

Please join us for an important conversation about domestic violence – New Canaan’s invisible crisis. Moderated by New Canaan’s Abuse Prevention Partnership founder, Dede Bartlett, a panel of expert professionals will discuss how we can better understand and move forward on New Canaan’s invisible crisis. The panel will feature author and advocate Michelle Horton, Dr. Andrew Gerber of Silver Hill Hospital, Suzanne Adam, Chief Executive Officer of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Stamford, and Connecticut State Representative, Tom O’Dea.

Light refreshments will be available at 6pm before the program begins as we create a collaborative craft that honors our commitment to support survivors and continuously shines a light on the reality of domestic violence, in all its forms. 

About the Panel:

Suzanne Adam, Chief Executive Officer, Domestic Violence Crisis Center. Suzanne has been an advocate for domestic violence victims and their families in Connecticut for over 20 years. Since 2019, she has served as CEO of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Stamford. Her extensive knowledge of the complex issues that impact domestic violence victims, including homelessness, financial abuse, trauma, and childhood development have helped inform and strengthen services at DVCC. Through her leadership, DVCC has prioritized a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach in its direct service programs.

Andrew J. Gerber, MD, PhD is President and Medical Director of Silver Hill Hospital, a private non-profit psychiatric hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut. Dr. Gerber serves as associate clinical professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and the Child Study Center, Yale University. He completed his medical and psychiatric training at Harvard, Cornell and Columbia medical schools and his PhD in psychology at University College London. Dr. Gerber is past Director of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Program at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and past Medical Director and CEO of the Austen Riggs Center.

Michelle Horton is the author of Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival, and Unbreakable Bonds, which was featured in The New York Times and named an Amazon Editor's Pick. She is also the co-founder of The Nicole Addimando Community Defense Committee, an advocacy group that brings awareness and action toward the decriminalization of domestic violence survivors

Dede Bartlett is the Founder and Co-chair of the New Canaan Abuse Prevention Partnership which is marking its 20th year serving the citizens of New Canaan. A frequent speaker on domestic violence issues, Dede is a former Fortune 25 executive officer and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Domestic Violence Crisis Center and Legal Momentum: the Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund. She has been honored  by the International Women’s Forum, the National Center for Victims of Crime, the DAR, the Domestic Violence Crisis Center and The National Domestic Violence Hotline.

State Representative Thomas O’Dea was reelected to his sixth term in office on November 8, 2022. Tom proudly serves the 125th Connecticut House District, which includes the communities of New Canaan, Darien, and Stamford.