Tia Holley

Tia M. Holley is an Inupiat, descendent from King Island, Alaska whose Eskimo name is Aisena after her great grandmother. Currently she is an independent trainer with the Alaska Native Health Consortium working on a Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative to provide culturally relevant training to rural providers in Alaska. In 1996, she founded RID Alaska of Child Abuse, a prevention and awareness organization that has a statewide web-based resource and information directory for families and survivors of child abuse. Since 2004 she has been a SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) advocate volunteer to provide advocacy to Alaska Native and American Indian sexual assault victims, and has been a member of the local Domestic Violence Task Force. Since 2011 she has been a member of Norton Sound Health Corporations “Cultural Committee” task force working to create an indigenous based wellness center in Nome. She has worked as a victim’s advocate, child advocate, and sexual assault advocate for State funded and Tribal organizations. She has worked as a chemical dependency counselor for private and tribal organizations. She has over 17 years experience creating and presenting a multitude of informational/education groups, classes and workshops from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, to addictions and co-occurring disorders. She has worked individually and collaboratively with public, private, Tribal, State and National individuals and organizations establishing culturally considerate professional strategies addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and addictions issues. She has developed treatment and victim response plans relevant to Alaska Native populations in the substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse field. She has produced training programs for providers in Alaska’s social service fields that are holistic and culturally sensitive to the unique needs of rural and urban Alaskans. She has created numerous education materials and brochures for groups, individuals and the general public. She received her Bachelor of Social Work “cum laude” in 2012 and is in her last semester for a Masters in Rural Development, a leadership program focusing on circumpolar indigenous issues.