Dear SUNY Poly community,

You are invited to attend a guest speaker presentation on Monday, December 5, at 11am in Albany at SUNY Poly Nanofab South Auditorium, by Ms. Katie Koestner, founder and executive director of the Take Back the Night Foundation and the president of Campus Outreach Services. The presentation supports SUNY Poly’s educational mission to raise awareness about sex discrimination issues as we work as a community to create and support a learning environment free of sexual and interpersonal violence.  Ms. Koestner has extensive knowledge and personal experience relating to prevention and education.  Please join us for this presentation. Refreshments will be provided.

Rhonda Haines Title IX Coordinator

Katie Koestner Biography

Katie Koestner is the founder and executive director of the Take Back The Night Foundation and the president of Campus Outreach Services, a national organization dedicated to developing research-supported curricula, model policies, and outstanding educational programs for schools on student risk issues. Katie has provided keynote speeches and programs for over 2000 schools across the country to raise awareness about the prevention and response to sexual and technology related misconduct. Ms. Koestner appeared on the cover of TIME magazine on June 3, 1991 and was the subject of an HBO documentary, “No Visible Bruises.” She and her work have been featured on Lifetime, NBC Nightly News, CNN, CNBC, Larry King Live, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Later Today, and dozens of other media outlets. Ms. Koestner is the co-author of two books on sexual assault policy and procedures for schools and the creator of “Responding to Sexual Misconduct: A Customizable Training Manual for Schools.” Her highly sought-after lectures have been heard by the top officers of the Department of Defense, the incoming classes at MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, Amherst, Williams, West Point, as well as Fortune 500 Companies. Her unique partnerships have included work with the Jacksonville Jaguars to reach over three dozen urban schools in Jacksonville, FL and the creation of an interactive, educational CD ROM with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ms. Koestner is committed to ending sexual violence in all of its forms and helping students understand their role toward that end. Her speaking career began at age eighteen shortly after her own personal experience as she sought to prevent others from going through what she did. Her dedication and vision have been the source of program development and policy change on both community and national levels. She constantly chooses to stand in front of thousands of young people to bring a name and a face to a crime of silence.

Hear Her Story and Be Moved to Be Fearless flyer (pdf)