Sherry Currens Excellence in Advocacy Award

Change-makers help our work and our world move forward. ZeroV believes in uplifting the impact of our everyday advocates who make Kentucky safer and communities stronger. For those who go above and beyond, we honor their commitment to survivors in our Commonwealth with our annual Sherry Currens Excellence in Advocacy Award (SCEAA).

Congratulations to our SCEAA 2024 and 2025 Awardees!

2024 SCEAA Advocate Awardee:

Pam Hurt

BRASS, Inc., Deputy Director

As the longest tenured staff in BRASS, Inc.’s history, Pam has served in every department and every position at the agency. Throughout her 27+ year-long career at the agency, she has maintained an unwavering commitment and dedication to survivors, and her passion to impact peoples’ lives has charted new courses for both survivors and staff. She has received multiple promotions, with her most recent position serving as Deputy Director. Whether researching laws to better protect survivors, seeking funding to strengthen survivor services, or exploring innovative approaches from other DV programs around the country, her every action is rooted in compassion, advocacy, and the unshakable belief that survivors deserve more than safety—they deserve to thrive.

2024 SCEAA Community Partner Awardee:

Lana Grandon (Posthumous)

Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Attorney

Born and raised in West Paducah, KY, Lana was an invaluable expert in the field of violence against women and a confident leader in the efforts to train and empower new victim advocates in the Commonwealth. She began a 35 year career in the Office of the Attorney General in 1987 as an Assistant Attorney General, during which time she became the first attorney supported by the Violence Against Women Act. She spent the remainder of her career serving as a Justice Program Administrator with the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet's VAWA grants management until her passing in 2024. Lana dedicated her life to justice for victims/survivors, and her legacy leaves an indelible mark on the movement to end violence against women.

2025 SCEAA Advocate Awardee:

Kris Bondarenko

Greenhouse17, Family Advocate, Trainer & Care Coach 

Kris has been a dedicated advocate for 17 years. She started at GreenHouse17 as an AmeriCorps member, and after a brief time away working in hospice, returned to GreenHouse17 in 2018. She has served in a variety of roles and currently holds the title of Educator, Care Coach & Advocate. She makes use of her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling by facilitating one of GreenHouse17's longest-running, best-attended survivor support groups and hosting advocate circles to create space for advocates to support one another. Kris also takes every opportunity to build relationships with community partners, including groups, agencies, courts, and businesses, and to support them in effective advocacy for survivors. Kris is a wonderful example of grassroots women-helping-women work.

2025 SCEAA Community Partner Awardee:

Amanda Walker

Merryman House, Board Treasurer

Amanda joined the Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center's (MHDCC) Board of Directors in January of 2022. In 2022, she began her service in her current role on the Executive Committee as the Board Treasurer. Throughout her time as Treasurer, she has been a faithful advocate and supporter to survivors. She serves on various committees, fundraises for MHDCC, and is always present and engaged at board meetings. She has helped MHDCC navigate uncertain funding cycles, respond to difficult funding cuts, and compassionately helps the governing Board keep serving survivors as the focus of their work.

Previous Awardees:

2019 - Jo Ann Harvey
2020 - All Program Advocates in the ZeroV Coalition
2021 - Angelika Weaver
2022 - Susan Montalvo-Gesser and Suzanne Craig
2023 - Sheryl Caudel and Kristie Adams

About Sherry Currens

Sharon "Sherry" Allen Currens became the first Executive Director of ZeroV, then known as the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence, in 1987. She grew the coalition's staff from 1 to 22 and oversaw the administration of $13 million per year to the coalition’s 15 domestic violence programs. Sherry advocated for reforms to the domestic violence protective order statute, including a provision requiring local governments to make protective orders available 24 hours a day, as well as the expansion of protective orders to victims of dating violence.
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In the late 1990s, Sherry and her staff trained law enforcement and justice officials in Kentucky and seven surrounding states to ensure domestic violence protective orders were enforced across state lines. Under Sherry’s leadership, Kentucky was a laboratory for the implementation of the full faith and credit provisions of the Violence Against Women Act. In 1996 and 2007, Sherry organized advocates to seek justice for women serving prison sentences for killing their abusers. Thanks to her efforts, two governors – Brereton Jones and Ernie Fletcher – granted clemency and pardons to 18 domestic violence survivors. Under Sherry’s leadership, the coalition also worked with its shelters to build a nationally recognized economic empowerment program that included financial education, Individual Development Accounts, microloans, and an array of supportive housing and rental assistance projects. 
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For 32 years, Sherry served as a leader in the effort to make Kentucky’s justice and human service systems more responsive to the needs of domestic violence survivors, working to improve the lives of countless women, children, and families in every Kentucky community. In honor of Sherry's incredible contributions, ZeroV created the Sherry Currens Excellence in Advocacy Award in 2019 to recognize advocates who demonstrate deep dedication to supporting survivors of domestic violence.

Nominating for the SCEAAs 

Check back for the 2026 Nomination form!
SCEAA Categories
  • Advocate Category - Awarded to any advocate or staff member at ZeroV or a ZeroV member program.
  • Community Partner Category - Awarded to any community member not employed by ZeroV or a ZeroV member program that has made a great effort to support survivors of domestic violence either directly or through service to a domestic violence program.
Who can submit a nomination?
  • Any advocate or staff member at ZeroV or a ZeroV member program may nominate someone for the SCEAAs in either the Advocate or Community Partner categories.
  • Anyone from the community who would like to nominate an advocate or staff member employed by ZeroV or a ZeroV member program may submit a nomination in the Advocate Category.
How do I nominate someone? Fill out the online nomination form when it is posted.
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How will nominees be judged? Nominees will be judged using a narrative submitted by the nominator. The narrative should describe how the nominee demonstrates excellence in advocacy and/or services to domestic violence survivors. The narrative will be evaluated on how clearly and powerfully it illustrates each of the six criteria listed below. The criteria definitions should be interpreted broadly - there are many ways a nominee's performance could be considered to demonstrate each of the criteria.
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1. Advocate Amplifying the voices of survivors of intimate partner violence, either as a direct advocate or through policy work or legislative efforts.
2. Support Providing, facilitating, or advocating for the provision of safe, affirming, trauma-informed care for survivors.
3. Empower Understanding survivors’ perspectives and giving survivors space to step back into their own power and control. Supporting survivors’ choices, not trying to make choices for survivors.
4. Educate Providing training and technical assistance to community partners or helping educate the community via advocacy efforts or formal educational programming.
5. Mobilize Inspiring community members and/or partners to take action to support survivors.
6. Believe Work demonstrates validation of survivors’ perspectives and experiences and/or dedication to shifting the cultural and social norms that allow and sanction violence..
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