Staff

Director, To Be Filled

Katie Eichele, Interim Director, M.S.

Katie Eichele is responsible for grant-related issues, program development and evaluation, conducting professional workshops around violence prevention, strategizing campus awareness and response, training all volunteers and interns, statistical reporting, and marketing.

Additionally, she provides direct services to clients and addresses parent concerns, liaisons with campus and community committees, supports the Director’s role in supervising the TAC staff, and financial accountability. Katie also co-facilitates the Aurora Self-Help Group.

She has been at the University of Minnesota since 2004 and her background/experience stems from university student conduct, student development, social justice, and crisis management.

Email: eiche035@umn.edu
Direct line: (612) 626-9977
Office: 425 Boynton

Becky Redetzke Field, Legal Advocacy Coordinator, B.A.

Becky is responsible for coordinating the legal advocacy services provided by The Aurora Center. This includes legal advocacy, academic advocacy, and systems advocacy.

If you have a question about the services we provide to survivors, legal questions, or to schedule an appointment to meet with an advocate, contact Becky. If you are a professor and you have a received communication from our office on behalf of a student, you may contact her directly with any questions or concerns. She is also the person to connect with if you are a former client seeking assistance or would like to obtain a copy of your records.

Email: rede0026@umn.edu
Direct Line: (612) 626-6404
Office: 415 Boynton

Ilanit Kakou, Direct Services Coordinator, B.A.

Ilanit is responsible for coordinating the direct services provided by the Aurora Center. This includes academicadvocacy and systems advocacy. Ilanit supervises help line advocates in their contact with clients on the 24 help line. She also meets with clients, and facilitates the Aurora Self-Help Group.

If you need to make an appointment with an advocate, or have questions about the services provided by Aurora, Ilanit is the staff member to contact.

Email:kako0009@umn.edu
Direct Line: (612) 624-0630
Office: 407 Boynton

Jerie Smith, Volunteer Coordinator, M.A. equivalent

Jerie is responsible for overseeing volunteer involvement and the general care and nurture through on-going training and supervision of volunteer advocates. She is responsible for ensuring that advocates have the skills necessary to do direct work with clients.

She is also the staff coordinator for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) events and provides leadership to the student SAAM and DVAM Coordinators.

Contact Jerie if you are curious about what it would mean to be a volunteer, would like to join the student group or want any general information about Aurora and what it offers.

Email:smith449@umn.edu
Direct Line: (612) 626-3433
Office: 411 Boynton

Violence Prevention Education Coordinator, To Be Filled