Catherine Pierce

Catherine Pierce currently serves as Deputy Director in the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). As one of OVW's Deputy Directors, she is responsible for public outreach and communications and for launching OVW's Sexual Assault Services Program and the Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services Program. Since joining OVW in 1995, Ms. Pierce's duties have included developing new grant programs created by the Violence Against Women Act, creating OVW's technical assistance program, overseeing numerous demonstration initiatives, and implementing a comprehensive effort to measure the effectiveness of OVW's grant programs. Ms. Pierce served as Acting Director of OVW from January through October 2001 and was one of its original founding staff members.

From 2005 to 2007, she held the position of Senior Advisor to the Ambassador-at-Large and Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State.

Before joining OVW, Ms. Pierce directed the "Summer of Safety" program, a predecessor to AmeriCorps, for the Corporation for National and Community Service from 1994 to 1995. Prior to that, she served as a deputy at the State Justice Institute (SJI) and oversaw the development of SJI's education and training initiatives. Before her work at SJI, she was actively involved in the field of criminal and juvenile justice addressing the differential treatment of women in prison and young women in the juvenile justice system; the quality of education provided to young men and women in juvenile correctional facilities; and the vital role the arts can play in the lives of youth.

Ms. Pierce is a recipient of numerous U.S. government awards, including a Special Commendation from the Office of Justice Programs which she received in 2001. She was also selected to represent the Department of Justice as a civilian member of the Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence from 2000 to 2004.

Ms. Pierce received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.