Kimberly Berry, Ph.D.

Kimberly Berry, Ph.D., professor of Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies at Humboldt State, is recognized for her contribution to institutionalizing an award-winning, survivor-centered approach to sexual violence prevention and intervention at HSU.

Dr. Berry collaborated with Maxwell Schnurer, Ph.D.​, also a professor of critical race, gender & sexuality studies at HSU, to establish the Sexual Assault Prevention Committee (SAPC) focusing on equitable student outcomes central to persistence and degree completion. Some of SAPC's efforts include faculty workshops on supporting student survivors, trauma-informed training for University Police and the Dean of Students offices, and collaboration with community organizations to support survivors.

In addition to SAPC, Berry and Schnurer developed the Coordinated Community Response Team, established a national model for a student-led bystander intervention program (C​HECK IT), secured nine consecutive years of funding through the U.S. Department of Justice, and helped establish Students for Violence Prevention (SVP), a first-year student community committed to building a culture of consent.

Berry and Schnurer are making a broad impact through coalition building and culture change. All of their initiatives provide students with learning opportunities by serving as team members, leaders and trainers. Minority students hold key leadership roles in all programs, with the first cohort of SVP primarily comprising of students of color. By engaging students with faculty, staff and community partners, Berry and Schnurer are helping students establish long-term connections while developing essential relationship-building skills.

In their commitment to creating a violence-free and a more consent-centered society, Berry and Schnurer encourage the replication of their programs and openly share SAPC materials across the CSU and the nation.

“As an example of impact and magnitude of student engagement, in its first year alone, CHECK IT had 50 students in​ the program's leadership team and involved over 400 students," says Linda Bond-Maupin, professor and dean of the HSU College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.