Arte Sana Board of Directors Merrie Rennard, MSSW, LMSW
Merrie Rennard is a PhD fellow at the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work. Her emphasis is on interpersonal violence with a focus on violence prevention, cultural diversity, and the human-animal bond as a holistic approach to violence prevention and interventions. Her emphasis in all areas of studies is examining cultural differences and potential barriers in service delivery, prevention, and research with Latin@s either residing in their country of origin, or in the United States.
Merrie has been active in sexual abuse interventions with children and families, sexual assault advocacy, and domestic violence/sexual violence prevention in different arenas. Most recently, she was the Advocacy Coordinator at the Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center and Child Advocacy Center in a metro-Atlanta county (2004-2007). She coordinated all advocacy efforts, with a special focus on providing Spanish-language services, and coordinating multi-cultural, and multi-lingual crisis response, outreach and training. She has also been active at the state (GA & TN) and community level with various violence prevention and services organizations, and has volunteered on the Latina Leadership Committee in Atlanta, GA which focuses on health and wellness outreach and activism.
Merrie is the outgoing board president of Ahimsa House, Inc, Georgia’s only organization providing temporary shelter for the animal victims of domestic violence. She served on the board in some capacity from 2005-present, and currently coordinates the organizations programs and services focusing on non-violence, including emergency services, advocacy, outreach and education.
On a personal note, Merrie’s family heritage Panamanian, and language and cultural tradition have been a staple in her life. She focuses much of her personal attention to Central American art, music, and agricultural traditions. Ideally, her long term goals include projects that combine narratives and photo-journalism to tell stories important to various Latin-American cultures.
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