Contact PEAR

Kaaren Williamsen is the director of the Prevention, Education, Assistance and Resources (PEAR) unit at ECRT. She served as the director of U-M’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center from 2017-2022. She came to U-M from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania where she was the Title IX coordinator. Earlier in her career she spent 15 years directing the Gender and Sexuality Center at Carleton College. As the founding director, she developed innovative sexual violence prevention programming and created institutional support services for LGBTQ students. Kaaren earned her doctorate in organizational leadership, policy and development at the University of Minnesota. She has a Master of Science degree in women’s studies and a Master of Arts degree in counseling and student personnel psychology.

For scheduling please contact Christopher Jones, [email protected].

Sophie serves as the assistant director at the Prevention, Education, Assistance & Resources (PEAR) unit at ECRT. Born and raised in France, she went to law school in Paris and moved to New York City for her Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Previously, Sophie worked at the Prevention, Outreach and Education Department (POE) at Michigan State University and at the Crime Victims Assistance Unit (CVAU) at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office where she gained her expertise in sexual and gender-based misconduct. She is passionate about developing and facilitating prevention programming for faculty and staff on the Title IX regulations, university misconduct policies, and supporting resources in order to build an inclusive, trauma-informed, and violence-free environment for all.

Heather Colohan, LMSW, is a specialist at Prevention Education, Assistance and Resources (PEAR) within the ECRT Office at the University of Michigan. Heather has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan School of Social Work, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University. Heather strives to center the identities of community members within her work, ensuring programming goals are determined by the specific experiences and expressed needs of a given community.

Previous to Heather’s current position at PEAR, she worked at U-M Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center (SAPAC) for ten years providing tailored workshops for various U-M communities and departments, restorative healing circles, consultations, advocacy, and created SAPAC’s Raise the Bar bar bystander program. Previous to her work at the SAPAC, she developed, promoted, and implemented the YWCA Sexual Assault Advocacy Services program in Detroit, MI.

Pedro Coracides is the PEAR Specialist serving Michigan Medicine as well as the schools of Dentistry, Kinesiology, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Pedro’s professional experience spans across the aviation, tech, healthcare, non-profit, and higher education industries, ranging from operations, training, and product development. Prior to PEAR, Pedro spent five years at the Office of Patient Experience in Michigan Medicine leading health system wide work focused on creating an affirming environment for all patients and families including our LGBTQ+ community. He has a trauma-informed approach to his work when working with leaders and unit requiring support, and believes in taking policy and translating it to the operational needs of a unit. Pedro received his Bachelor of Science from Saint Louis University, his Master of Social Work from Wayne State University, and is a limited license social worker in the state of Michigan.

Rachel Roth Sawatzky is a specialist at Prevention Education, Assistance and Resources (PEAR) within the ECRT Office at the University of Michigan. Rachel takes both a personal and holistic approach in supporting administrators, faculty and staff with a primary concern for community care. She specializes in developing situation specific and/or broader context-relevant strategies to address and prevent sexual and gender-based misconduct. Having held a variety of student affairs roles including director of student programs & orientation and associate dean of students, she has also worked as a university Title IX coordinator. Rachel earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Northeastern University, a masters degree from Emory University, and has studied peacebuilding, trauma healing, and restorative practices at Eastern Mennonite University. Most recently, her research has focused on how organizations address campus sexual misconduct, and how institutional response mechanisms might be augmented to better meet the needs that result. In her spare time Rachel enjoys exercise, architectural design and travel, especially to sunny and sandy locations.

Carrie is a peacebuilder, conflict resolution practitioner, and professional facilitator with twenty years of experience supporting faculty, staff and students at U-M. Carrie supports employees who have been impacted by campus harm or conflict in the workplace (that may or may not fall under campus policies) by facilitating Adaptable Resolution and Restorative Practices intended to explore and address needs and find positive pathways forward. Adaptable Resolution and Restorative Practices allow participants to shape processes and outcomes to best meet their needs in voluntary, non-disciplinary processes with the assistance of a skilled facilitator.

Carrie has been forging pathways to peace and facilitating healing justice using restorative practices at U-M since 2007, including for cases of sexual and gender-based harms since 2013. Carrie’s background includes studies and training in international studies (Emory University); conflict transformation (Wayne State University); and peacebuilding, trauma healing, and restorative practices (Eastern Mennonite University and many other places).

Christopher is the senior administrative assistant for Prevention Education, Awareness & Resources (PEAR). Christopher received his BA and MA in Communication from UM-Flint. He also worked in Student Accounts and Undergraduate Admissions at UM-Flint for seven years. In his current role, he supports the directors and specialist by managing calendars and providing meeting and event support, among other administrative duties. In his spare time Christopher enjoys running, hiking, and dining out.