Women of Silicon Valley speaker to give talk on ‘Loving Dr. Jekyll, Leaving Mr. Hyde’

Ruth Darlene of Women of Silicon Valley will speak on “Loving Dr. Jekyll, Leaving Mr. Hyde… when an intimate partner is a covert abuser” during Rotary Club of Kīhei-Wailea meeting beginning at 11:45 a.m. Aug. 7 at Kīhei Lutheran Church. The church is at 220 Moi Place in north Kīhei.

To RSVP, contact Judy Gray at rckwJudy@gmail.com.

Darlene’s presentation will focus on recognizing and addressing more subtle forms of abuse in intimate relationships and the impact they have on survivors and their children.

Women of Silicon Valley is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating survivors, providers and the general public about covert abuse and coercive control.

Darlene’s educational background includes a teaching credential from the University of Toronto, a Master’s Degree in English Literature and state certification in Domestic Violence Advocacy. She is also Peace Officer Standards and Training certified as a law enforcement instructor. She was a teacher and curriculum writer at Stanford University in a study designed to raise awareness about eating disorders in young women. She applied the same research model to creating Women of Silicon Valley, a nonprofit designed to raise awareness about coercive control.

In the past 13 years, Darlene has served more than 1,500 survivors of coercive control and given trainings to thousands of providers, including police, probation officers, domestic violence advocates, court staff, physicians, teachers, corporate security and therapists. Her focus continues to be protecting the right of every woman and child to live in peace and safety in their own home.