After 35 years, I have lots of emotions about my retirement from serving victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. So, I thought I’d share some of my most poignant moments.

The day I learned that my mother was a victim of domestic violence, was my first day of advocate training. I knew that my dad was a violent man and that what he did to my mom wasn’t right, but as a child, I’d never had a name for it. It was an eye-opening moment. Even more eye opening was when my father told me he was proud of me for becoming an executive director, but that I needed to know that I would always be fighting a losing battle … and when I asked him why he said, “Because men will never allow women to become equal to them.” It was in that moment that I knew my advocate training was correct … everything a batterer does is fully premeditated.

The next poignant moment was the day I learned that I was meant to be an advocate … I was just around 33 years old, I’d just visited a client in the hospital. Her husband had shot her in both legs, before killing himself. The perpetrator told his wife that he wanted her paralyzed and disabled, so that she would “be taken care of” with disability payments for the rest of her life. I was in my office when a law enforcement officer came to the door and said, “He was my friend and he is dead now because of you." Then proceeded to tell me that I needed to know “both sides” before I just helped women get protection orders. He even said that my client never needed a protection order in the first place.

I invited the officer in, sat him down and said, “I am sorry you lost your friend, tell me about him.”  After he left, I was shaking, but I knew in that moment, that I was meant for this work.

Other moments include:

The years it took to lobby for advances in protection order statutes and victims’ rights … holding clients in my arms as they sobbed over the injustice that just occurred in the courtroom.

The years I spent lobbying to move our programs out of the Department of Health and create the Division of Victim Services Office within the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office. Convincing legislators that domestic violence and sexual assault are not “diseases” women catch, but that they are crimes, that needed to be dealt with in the criminal justice arena.

Also, the years I spent as board chair of the Wyoming Coalition Against DVSA taking it from a grassroots effort among state DVSA program directors to a registered nonprofit corporation.  

And the years I spent as an expert witness, traveling this state as well as a POST certified trainer at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy.

The years it took to lobby for funding increases in federal, state and local funding; often hearing legislators say, “Don’t we have enough hand-holders in this state?" 

Many of my cases over the years have involved prominent people. Being met with resistance from various systems and persons of prominence is daunting, all the while trying to keep good public and community partner relations while fundraising for budget dollars. Somehow, I managed to turn all of those situations around and not get myself fired, but it wasn’t easy. I have been taken to the woodshed by judges, lawyers, law enforcement officers, DFS managers, legislators, elected and appointed government officials. I have a story for each and every one of them, if anyone wants to go for a drink later. But I am also happy to say, that many of those same people ended up as references on my resume.

I am proud for my part in lobbying for the 1% Specific Purpose Tax that built our new law enforcement center and even prouder, that my efforts led to being asked to be the MC of the ground-breaking ceremony.

I am also proud that as a Rotarian and Soroptimist, I was one of the few nonprofits that helped raise the money that we asked them for, and did not just sit with my hand out, when the time came.  

My proudest achievement has been the quality staff, volunteers and board members that I have been able to assemble for the benefit of victims in Wyoming.  

And I am grateful for a board of directors that have allowed me the time necessary to accomplish all of my goals, both personally and professionally and for the staff that took on extra burdens and client work to make all of this possible for the benefit of Crisis Intervention Services as an organization.

For without, CIS, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking would have nowhere to go.  I will be eternally grateful to staff, board and volunteers that understood, that the efficacy of the nonprofit organization is more important than any 1 individual….be they client or staff.  

Crisis Intervention Services must out-live us all … just as if we are a National Park, for the benefit of the people. My time is over, but this fight is not over.  Domestic violence awareness is a work in progress and for many serving victims, this is not just a job, but a calling.  I ask everyone here to remember the people who continue to faithfully and doggedly pick up the phone in the middle of the night when there is no one else to answer.  And in honoring those who continue this important work after I am gone; you will be giving me the greatest thanks I could ever ask.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate you all.

(Lisa M. Peterman retired recently as the executive director of Crisis Intervention Services.)