January 6, 2012

Ellen Pence (1948-2012) was a scholar and a social activist. She co-founded the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, an inter-agency collaboration model used in all 50 states in the U.S. and more than 17 countries. A leader in both the battered women's movement and the emerging field of institutional ethnography, she was the recipient of numerous awards including the 2008 Society for the Study of Social Problems Dorothy E. Smith Scholar Activist Award for significant contributions in a career of activist research.

She is credited with creating the Duluth Model of intervention in domestic violence cases, Coordinated Community Response (CCR), which uses an interagency collaborative approach involving police, probation, courts and human services in response to domestic abuse. The primary goal of CCR is to protect victims from ongoing abuse.

Ellen Pence, died today January 6, 2012, in her home surrounded by the love and company of close family and friends. Ellen dedicated her life to ending violence against women: she led, supported, and enlisted so many of us in that struggle. We will miss so much her confident guidance, her keen wit, and her relentless vision that such violence could and will be ended.

We will come together to remember Ellen’s life and work at a wake in her home today from 3:30 pm until into the night and tomorrow morning from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon. Those who can attend are welcome to come to pay their respects and quietly share a story.

Ellen’s memorial service will be held in the next couple of weeks and announced on her Caring Bridge website in the next few days.

Wake Location: The Rossmor Building, 500 Robert St N, Unit 615, St Paul, MN 55101

Building Entrance: Park in the ramp on 7th St and Jackson St or on the street (free after 4:30 pm). ENTER THE BUILDING VIA THE 10th ST DOOR. Someone will greet you and provide further instructions.

Memorials can be made to ‘The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women’ with a dedication note to ‘The Ellen Pence Memorial Fund’. Donations will be used to create a fund to provide cash assistance to women who experience violence.

Compiled from: Praxis International, Caring Bridge and Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs