Lynn Rosenthal, a 1980 alumnae of the FSU College of Social Work, was appointed in June 2009 as the new White House Advisor on Violence Against Women. In this newly created position, she serves as advisor to the president and vice president on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.

CSW professor emerita Sharon Maxwell Ferguson remembers Rosenthal well.

“I am honored to have known Lynn for well over 20 years from her work in reproductive health clinics in Florida and later in domestic violence,” she said. “Lynn epitomizes what it means to be a social worker: an advocate, a policy analyst, an organizer and an effective human services administrator.”

As one of the nation’s foremost experts in domestic violence policy, Rosenthal formerly served as executive director of Refuge House in Tallahassee and past director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. From 2000 to 2006, she served in Washington, D.C. as executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.