At the young age of 14, Daisy was assaulted by her older brother’s friend in Maryville, MO. The perpetrator and his friends coerced her to drink to the point of complete black out, and after the assault left her outside her house in below freezing temperatures. She was then bullied at school, on social media and her house was burned down. Considerable evidence was brought against the perpetrators, but because of suspected corruption, the charges were dropped. The group Anonymous then rallied on her behalf with #JusticeforDaisy and Daisy sparked a national conversation about sexual assault and continues that conversation even after her passing. RIP Cat.
OUR TEAM
WE ARE SAFEBAE
SafeBAE defines the core issues of rape culture and sexual assault as the single most dangerous and impacting events in the lives of young people today. The statistics show the rate of assaults as significantly higher than any other age demographic, yet our culture offers little in the way of education or opportunities to change this epidemic. SafeBAE was founded by us in 2015. Daisy, Ella, and Jada are teen sexual-assault survivors and together with Charlie (Daisy’s brother) and Shael (our executive director) we created SafeBAE in an effort to prevent what happened to us from happening to anyone else (the BAE in SafeBAE stands for “before anyone else.”) During the filming of the Peabody Award-winning Netflix documentary, ‘Audrie & Daisy,’ we began incubating the idea for SafeBAE when we realized the single most common and important theme among all our stories was the lack of sexual-violence prevention, consent education and Title IX knowledge there was in our high schools. It was clear to us that education about these issues needs to happen pre-college, in middle school or early high school, when attitudes about intimacy and boundaries and dating safety were just forming.
CO-FOUNDERS
Jada Smith is the outspoken survivor who sparked the #JusticeforJada campaign. At 16 years old, Jada was drugged and assaulted at a party. After assaulting her, the perpetrators posted pictures online of her unconscious, drugged body with the hashtag #jadapose that began trending in her community with reenactment pictures of her assault. After Jada’s rape went viral she fought back, appearing on major news outlets, which ignited support from people all over the globe including celebrities such as Willow Smith and Gabrielle Union. A movement was born to support Jada and call for the prosecution of her perpetrator with #JusticeforJada pictures. Jada is still seeking justice and continues to advocate for sexual assault and cyberbullying prevention.
After moving to a small town in Texas at the age of 14, Ella was beaten, drugged and raped by a peer. For weeks after, Ella was bullied and harassed by the perpetrator and his friends and was shamed for the assault committed against her. Ella’s family eventually relocated back to California for her safety. Throughout her early healing, she created her own school club, Buttervly, which evolved into a local Southern California organization. She has gone on to graduate from Corona Del Mar High school and earn her degree from the Los Angeles Film School. With a newly minted production company, Lancelot Media Inc, Ella has developed and produced much of SafeBAE’s digital and social media content, recruiting a team of young, female lead, trauma informed collective of film makers.
Charlie Coleman is a recent graduate of Baker University with a Bachelors in exercise science and 4 year varsity baseball letterman. His impactful contribution to the acclaimed film Audrie & Daisy shows his incredible voice as both a brother of a survivor, an ally, a coach and mentor to young athletes. His previous experience speaking at schools has led him to want to reach as many young athletes as possible.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Shael Norris has dedicated her career to ending sexual violence. She is passionate about empowering young people to be change agents in preventing violence. She was a founding staffer of V-Day, overseeing the College and Community Campaigns for 19 years. After decades of work focused on college sexual assault, she sought a grant to establish SafeBAE to focus specifically on younger students. Her three children and dedication to making schools a safer place was the driving force which led to the creation SafeBAE.
Shael Norris
Co-Founder | Executive Director
STAFF
Ella Fairon
Media Director
After moving to a small town in Texas at the age of 14, Ella was beaten, drugged, and raped by a peer. For weeks after, Ella was bullied and harassed by the perpetrator and his friends and was shamed for the assault committed against her. Ella’s family eventually relocated back to California for her safety. Throughout her early healing, she created her own school club, Buttervly, which evolved into a local Southern California organization. She has gone on to graduate from Corona Del Mar High school and earn her degree from the Los Angeles Film School. With a newly minted production company, Lancelot Media Inc, Ella has developed and produced much of SafeBAE’s digital and social media content, recruiting a team of a young, female lead, trauma-informed collective of filmmakers.
Aela Mansmann
Youth Outreach Director
Aela Mansmann is a freshman at Cape Elizabeth High school but has been a lifelong activist. As president of her Civil Rights Club, she led her school in a gun safety walkout in early 2018. She also helped to create a “Words for Good” week project to build empathy in the school community. She returned to her former school district in the Spring of 2018 to testify in support of consent education legislation in the state of Rhode Island. In June of 2018, she proposed a school-wide follow-up event to the walk-out, to help build school community and kindness among her peers as well as show support for schools directly affected by gun violence. Her principal gave her a full day with the entire school to plan activities, actions, and support which included making care packages to send to student survivors. She is an active member of the Civil Rights team, Debate Club, Field Hockey Team, Drama Club, Mock Trial, and the Gay/Straight Alliance as well as joining SafeBAE as a national BAE Breaker.
Everett Jackson
Assistant Education Director
Everett Jackson, Assistant Education Director. As a former youth pastor Everett remains a youth-inspired servant leader. Growing up in a culture where males couldn’t be victims of assault Everett looked to performing and visual arts as means of expression. As a member of Gamma Mu Phi Fraternity (a service org, for gay, bisexual, and affirming men of color) and a student pursuing a degree in Liberal Arts Psychology at Paul Quinn College Everett has dedicated his life to being an agent of change through the Four L’s of Quinnite Servant Leadership: Lead from wherever you are. Leave places better than you found them. Live a life that matters. Love something greater than yourself.
Michelle Hope
Summit Director
Michelle Hope is a dedicated Sexologist, educator, and activist with a Master’s degree in Human Development and extensive post-graduate training in sexuality. As a veteran speaker, Michelle has over 15 years of experience delivering impactful informative lectures and training across the nation. She believes as though her work, in marginalized urban communities, has provided her with deep insight and comprehension of the holistic implications of sexuality on one’s life.
Most recently she has stepped into the role of VP of Marketing for COMMUNITYx the Social Network for Social Good, where she will be combining her passion for reproductive justice and social justice advocacy, In this role, Michelle works collaboratively and cross-functionally with various departments focusing on the brands marketing programs, communications, as well as corporate and board activist partnerships.
Prior to her work with COMMUNITYx she had dedicated her career to understanding and communicating to the masses the complex intersections of various social identities: race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, through a Social Justice Lens. She has taken deliberate actions in exploring and developing a unique language to speak to communities of color. Michelle feels as though her experience in building community coalitions, activism within marginalized urban communities has shaped her perspectives mobilizing people social change. Her passion and commitment to the work have provided her with a unique style that can captivate and educate across various populations; with a proven track record of mobilizing people through coalition building to create positive change at the grassroots level.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The board includes our co-founders, as well as the following dedicated team. We have memorialized in our founding by-laws that we are committed to maintaining a 2/3 youth representation on our Board at all times.
Joycelyn Shroulote
Joycelyn is a 14-year-old Native American activist from the New Mexico Pueblo Ohkay Owingeh. In the fall she will attend the New Mexico School for the Arts as a freshman. She works with Tewa Women United A’gin Youth Council, the NM Coalition to Stop Violence Among Native Women, Resolve, YMCA Epañola, and the Northern Youth Project. She is an avid poet and skateboarder. She is working with SafeBAE to present our first Consent Summit in NM in October 2020.
Owen Stefankos
Owen Stefanakos is a senior at Maine Coast Waldorf School in Freeport, Maine. He is a passionate entrepreneur and is currently working on a business that helps to provide supplies to elderly citizens during COVID-19. He loves the outdoors and has been a competitive mountain biker for the last five years. He learned about safeBae through his work with Maine Boys to Men and hopes that he can help SafeBAE put a stop to teen dating violence.
Aidan Stark-Chessa
Aidan Stark-Chessa is a 17-year-old from Falmouth Maine. He loves surfing, hiking, biking and being outside. He is a passionate member of the Maine Boys to Men Youth Advisory Council and loves teaching young men and boys about how gender pressures affect them. He loves conversation and human connection and is excited to try to bring about a positive change in the world through his work at SafeBAE and in his life as a whole.
Ari Zeitlin
Ari Zeitlin is a first-year student at St. Lawrence University. He is a sexual assault survivor. He is a full-time student-athlete, rowing for 5 years and lettering as a varsity rower. Outside of rowing Ari enjoys rock climbing, surfing, and hanging out with friends. At the start of the 2018-19 school year, Ari joined SafeBAE as part of a student leadership board dedicated to planning and piloting a Regional Consent Summit in Maine with other local students and BAE Breakers. He has been a lifelong volunteer and activist aiding his community and always helping others.
Ziyah J. Myers
Ziyah currently attends SUNY Oswego, studying as a Junior in Public Relations. She is the Vice President for “Two & a Half” which discusses Sexual Assault Awareness and the Co-Director of Programming for the Black Student Union. She is also a part of Teens P.A.C.T. (Positive Actions and Choices for Teens) teaching Un-Biased and Accurate Information to students that reside in the NYC area.
Chalina Morgan-Lopez
Chalina is a 17-year-old student in North Carolina. She has been involved in Equity Affairs in her County since Freshman year and is currently her school’s Equity Team President as well as a representative for the county cohort. She has worked on issues such as the school to prison pipeline, ensuring that class courses are representative of all students and that students have equal access to higher-level courses.
Justine Wentzell-Chang
Justine Wentzell-Chang is a storyteller, entrepreneur, and activist. In 2018, she published her book Pocket Full of Dreams, the story of her experience in an abusive relationship and the healing journey that followed leaving it. With her book, she speaks with students about healthy and unhealthy relationships, encouraging them to take care of themselves and each other and to help create a culture without abuse. True to the title of her book, Justine lives life always with a pocket full of dreams. Her career has taken her from law school to country music, a swell as the film and TV industry, and also starting her own copywriting and brand strategy business working with other mompreneurs and family-run businesses. She has also served on the Recording Academy’s Advocacy Committee since 2016 and is a founding member of Amnesty International’s Los Angeles chapter.
Torrey DeVitto
Torrey DeVitto is an actress, musician, philanthropist, and producer. She is best known for her role as Melissa on Pretty Little Liars, Dr. Fell in The Vampire Diaries, as in One Tree Hill, and Dr. Natalie Manning in Chicago Med. She joined the board of SafeBAE in 2019 and is one of the producers of “Saving Daisy.” She is involved in a number of other organizations, including Hospice, RAINN, and Peta.
Lauren Wechsler Horn
Lauren has committed her life and career to women’s and girls’ rights and youth philanthropy education. She has worked at the Ms. Foundation for Women, V-Day, and The White House Project. She has also helped to lead the national campaigns, “Take Our Daughters To Work Day” and “Vote, Run, Lead.” Lauren joined SafeBAE with the goals of ending sexual assault among teens, giving boys and girls the tools to change peer culture, and encouraging social change through art and activism.
Patrick Fairon
Patrick is an entrepreneurial executive with over 27 years of creating innovative new businesses, products and services that change the way people, businesses and organizations perform with measurable results. He has a diverse portfolio of experience including executive level Banking/ Credit/ Financial Services Sales, Computing, Mobile, Software, Cloud, eCommerce, New Media, Mortgage and Legal Services marketplace experience and he is expertise is in translating sales and business processes into technology platforms to increase efficiency, visibility and profitability.
Danielle St. Pierre
Danielle St. Pierre is a community-based advocate at a domestic violence and sexual assault agency. She has been advocating for survivors of sexual violence since she was a student in college. As a survivor of sexual violence herself, she believes that no one should ever feel alone which is the motto that drives all of her work. Danielle has dedicated most of her time to seeking justice and raising up the voices of all sexual violence survivors. Through her role as one of the legislative directors of The Every Voice Coalition, she advocates for better protections and legislation for survivors on college campuses. Danielle joined SafeBAE to create change and to ensure that people are continuing to have conversations about sexual violence and prevention.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Michael Golland
Michael has vast experience as an entertainment attorney. He represents individuals and entities in all facets of the entertainment and media industry including television, film, Internet, licensing and merchandise, publishing and music. Mr. Golland serves as production counsel for his film, television and alternative media clients (actors, writers and producers-for-hire): and handles intellectual property and general corporate matters for his clients including company formation and operations, asset acquisitions, employment matters and dispute resolution. Michael’s clients include content producers, actors, writers, directors, composers, financiers, sales agents, distributors and technology companies. He is a member of the Moot Court Board and recipient of the Judge Barry Russel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Federal Courts and Practice, 1993.
Amanda Morgan
Amanda is founder, owner, and chief consultant of Morgan Training and Coaching LLC, a consulting firm specializing in leadership development, corporate training and executive coaching. For the past nineteen years, Amanda has worked with a myriad of global, fortune 100 financial services and insurance companies, as well as esteemed non-profit organizations in the academia, social services and healthcare sectors. As a learning and development consultant, Amanda works with senior business leaders and human resources executive to strategically build and plan enterprise-wide leadership development programs. She conducts in-depth organization and team assessments to understand the unique culture, dynamics and challenges that exist in order to develop the most appropriate solutions. Amanda takes highly integrated approach to development and focuses on designing and delivering high impact training workshops that fuel superior performance, accelerate professional growth and unlock individual potential.
Marla Swanson
Marla works with nonprofits and philanthropic foundations as an independent consultant on funding strategies, organizational development, and strategic communications. Currently, she works with Breakthrough, based in the U.S. and India, making violence and discrimination against women and girls unacceptable through culture change. For 12 years prior, Marla worked for the International Women’s Program at the Open Society Foundations with a particular focus on communities facing discrimination. Marla holds a MA in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Joey Brenneman
Joey is the Artistic Director at STAR Theater for Social Change based in NYC. STAR uses age appropriate/culturally sensitive theatrical methods to empower youth with skills to lead healthier lives. The program also helps parents and professionals to better understand and communicate more effectively with young people. STAR performs three different original musicals geared toward three different age groups, 5th grade through high school. Joey’s other New York directing credits include Truth Values, A Burial Place, SLUT, Vestments of the Gods, Two Girls, The Timing of a Day and Abstract Nude. Also a playwright, Joey is currently an artistic resident at Access Theater developing her new play, An Uninterrupted Thought. Joey’s produced plays include Better Left Unsaid, Fast Break, Of Loss and Grace and Off (Heideman Award Finalist). She has also written and directed several films. Her film, Taking a Step Back, was selected by the Urban Visionaries Festival and won the “Best of Specials” award from MNN. She is the mother of two and is married to actor, Craig Waletzko.
Emma Myles
A native of Northern California, Emma trained at the internationally recognized William Esper Studio in New York City. Past film and TV credits include Orange is the New Black (3-Time SAG Award Winner), Child of Grace, Girl Most Likely, Please Give, Spinning Into Butter, Conviction, Happy Yummy Chicken, How To Make It In American, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and Odd Mom Out.Upcoming projects include the 6th season of Orange is the New Black where she will continue to recur as Leanne Taylor.
Tonjie Reese
Tonjie is Detroit native, preventionist, and creative. She is the founder of eleven24, a training and consulting agency that utilizes identity affirmation, media literacy, and youth-centered programming methods to enhance prevention programs. Her passion for ending relationship abuse and sexual violence began as a sophomore in high school when she participated in an interactive traveling play focused on teen dating violence, and has continued through her roles as a prevention program director, shelter advocate, community educator, and national community initiatives coordinator. Tonjie holds a BS in Behavioral Science and a MA in Education, Leadership, and Change. Tonjie is driven by the belief that everyone has a role in violence prevention. “It’s up to us to define what our role will be!”
Tracey E. Vitchers
Tracey has spent her professional career combatting sexual violence. She is Director of It’s On Us and was formerly the Chief Development Officer at Callisto, a nonprofit that creates technology to combat sexual assault, empower survivors, and advance justice, overseeing all fundraising and operations activities. She serves as Chair of the Board for End Rape On Campus, as a member of the Governing Board for Safe Haven of Pike County, and as an advisory board member with Culture of Respect. She previously served as Chair of the Board for SAFER. She has a B.A. from Williams College and a M.A. in Comparative Women’s Studies in Culture & Politics from Utrecht University.
Sarah Mayo
Sarah earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of La Verne in Sociology and Psychology. She developed a passion for working with teens through volunteering as a mentor for high school girls through an after-school program called Beautiful Butterflies. Sarah continued her work with teens in education and strived to help teens bridge the gap in graduation rates and academic and personal growth in San Bernardino high schools. Sarah completed her Master’s program in Social Work with an emphasis on Community Mental Health. Sarah continues to serve in the non-profit sector as an associate clinical social worker, working towards licensure as an LCSW. Sarah is driven to provide a safe space for healing, growth, and empowerment within the community.
Gavrielle Reyes
Gavrielle Reyes is the Program Coordinator at the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI). She is Cuban-American bruja feminist and she received her BA in Film with a concentration in Gender Studies from Hunter College. She is a survivor of sexual assault and a fierce advocate for education and resources within the organization as well as in all spaces she finds herself in. She seeks to use her knowledge of film and media to tap into the zeitgeist of modern feminist movements and evoke change by doing power differently. Her aim is to empower the newest generation of young folks to invest in themselves, know their worth, and uplift one another.
MENTEES
Ellie McAnuff
Ellie McAnuff is a sophomore at George Washington University studying civil engineering with a concentration in sustainability. She is a survivor of sexual assault. Ellie was a point person of her high school’s youth activist group specializing in environmental issues and now is on the executive board of her college’s student-run sustainability organization. She also enjoys volunteering her time at local schools and has since middle school. Ellie is enlisted in the AmeriCorps in Washington DC and has served 300 hours this past year and accrued 1000 over high school. Ellie also enjoys practicing yoga and teaching it to her peers as well as going to the beach and being vegan.
Hannah Stone
Hannah is a lifelong social justice advocate who began her work with SafeBAE as a BAE Breaker. After launching her community’s chapter, Hannah worked with community organizations such as the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Ozark Rape Crisis Center, the Chamber of Commerce, and the local city council to spread awareness and collaborate on preventative projects that will ensure SafeBAE’s legacy lives on in her state. Hannah is entering her freshman year of college and will be majoring in Political Science, Sociology, and Criminal Justice, in hopes to remain a lifelong social activist.
Arielle Stern
Arielle Stern is a high school student from Los Angeles with a passion for politics and public service. She is the co-chair of the organization, I am a Teen Voter, centered around increasing civic engagement among the youth. Additionally, she is the president of her school’s Women’s Empowerment Club and GSA. When not in school, Arielle spends her time serving as the Youth Board member of her neighborhood council, volunteering on local political campaigns, and leading peer education workshops about sexual violence prevention.
Raegan Riffle
Reagan is a senior at her rural high school in NH and has been involved in local activism for her entire high school career. During her eighth grade and early freshman year, Reagan started her school’s first “Social Justice Club” for students who wanted to learn more about local and national policy and how they as young people had a responsibility to learn about it. Since then, she has started letter writing projects, worked on political campaigns, participated in the March for Our Lives movement, been a founding member of her town’s Rural Youth Union, and led various student leadership clubs within her high school. Although her town is small, her survey work and personal experience with sexual violence motivated her to start her most recent work; founding a local organization called End Sexual Violence on Campus — NH. Since her junior year, Reagan has been organizing events in her region and advocating for the implementation of nationwide consent-ed, access to trauma-informed counseling, and uprooting rape culture at the local and national level. Her work on this project is where she first found SAFEBAE. Reagan is an avid runner, foodie, singer, writer, and podcast listener.
Maggie Davis-Bower
Maggie Davis-Bower is a political science major at Pitzer College and a student activist. At 15, she survived a mass shooting while shopping at the mall for a homecoming dress. In the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, her trauma compelled her to take action, initiating a school walkout/rally protesting gun violence in schools which was attended by 2,000 other students in her hometown of Bellingham, WA. She then co-founded and lead a student activism organization, Students For Action, which focuses efforts on running voter registration days at high schools, lobbying elected officials for common-sense gun legislation, and activating and empowering the youth voice. Maggie then became a sexual health educator for Planned Parenthood’s Teen Council program. In this position, she taught comprehensive sex-ed to high school classrooms, lobbied for reproductive justice bills, and educated nursing students on using inclusive language and how to interact with teen patients. In addition to these programs, Maggie has served on candidate endorsement committees, volunteered for two-state senate campaigns, and is currently interning for a state house of reps candidate. Maggie is a strong believer in the power of the youth voice and believes dialogue and education around consent culture and sexual assault are essential in order to reduce sexual violence and empower survivors which is why she applied to the SafeBAE mentee program.
SAFEBAE RESEARCHERS
Tacianna Indovina
Tacianna has her master’s degree in clinical mental health and is in the process of earning her Ph.D. in counseling psychology. She is dedicated to educating young men and women about consent, bystander intervention, victim blaming, and treatment of survivors.
Elizabeth D. Peeler
Elizabeth earned her Master of Science in Public Health from the University of South Carolina with a concentration in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. She is passionate about educating students about sexual violence prevention in an inclusive and supportive environment.
CREATIVE PARTNERS
Anna Baumgarten
Anna is a writer, actor, and film producer. She hails from the Michigan mitten where she studied screenwriting at the University of Michigan (go blue!) and graduated with a liberal arts degree in film & television. As a survivor of sexual assault, she is passionate about using her talents and skills to influence change through media. Her short film Disfluency is what brought her to SafeBAE’s attention. Disfluency explores rape culture and the aftermath of an assault. Anna is currently a writer’s assistant at MTV’s Ridiculousness. She is always looking for opportunities to creatively collaborate onstage and onscreen.
Laura Holliday
Laura Holliday is a writer, director, and actor based in Los Angeles. Her short film “Persephone Goes Home” earned her the Sundance Ignite Fellowship, a competitive year-long mentorship with Sundance Institute for filmmakers under 24. Laura has studied screenwriting and filmmaking at Idyllwild Arts Academy, and Art Center College of Design where she will graduate this fall with a BFA in Directing. She is currently in post-production for her first directorial feature “Daddy Issues,” a female-driven comedy that subverts the oversimplified implications of its title. Professionally, Laura has written and directed content for Lifetime, Funny or Die, Fullscreen, and PopTv. She is passionate about using media for activism.
Bedik Bedikian
Bedik Bedikian is a cinematographer based in LA. Bedik is a graduate of film school with a bachelor’s. He has worked on commercials, music videos, narrative films, and more recently web-based content.