In Recognition of the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

The Women Safe Abroad Project
of the GWC Violence Against Women Team
 will conduct a very special interview with 
the leaders of Pathways to Safety, 
the only organization created specifically to support US victims of violence while living, traveling or working abroad.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

10 AM - 11:00 AM ET

(the IDEVAW is actually on Thursday the 25th - but so is Thanksgiving)

Paula Lucas
Founder & Executive Director
Pathways to Safety

Paula Lucas lived overseas for 14 years as an American expat in the UK and the UAE. In April 1999 she fled Dubai with her three sons to escape domestic violence and child abuse.

Back to the USA, her abuser stalked her, leaving her homeless, penniless and living on welfare and food stamps. At 40 years old with three sons, age 4, 6 & 8, they lived like gypsies along the California & Oregon coast hiding from the man that threatened, “I will hunt you down and slaughter you like animals no matter where you are in the world.”

Despite her ordeal, Paula resolved to help other abused American women and children around the world.

Paula founded Pathways to Safety International (Formerly Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis center, AODVC) in September 1999 while living in a domestic violence shelter.

She founded the Sexual Assault Support & Help For Americans Abroad Program, SASHAA, in 2012.

Keri Potts,
President, Board of Directors
Pathways to Safety

A PRWeek '2020 Woman to Watch' and experienced communications strategy and media relations professional across multinational businesses (TV, digital, entertainment, sports and major live events) and intersectional non-profit (policy advocacy and external affairs) sectors. Keri is a  well-regarded speaker on Gender-based violence/women's empowerment, a victims advocate, a media literacy enthusiast, and a hard-working non-profit Currently, she is Vice President of Communications and Public Relations for America 250 in Washington, DC. .Previously she was ESPN’s senior director, communications, responsible for setting the strategic communications efforts for all college sports events and studio content. She joined ESPN from the NCAA in 2003 where she had served as a writer and editor.

Potts was co-captain of the Syracuse University women’s volleyball team and remains its first and only first-team Academic All-American, graduating with her B.S. and M.S. from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Kerry was drawn to her work as a victims’ advocate, a national anti-sexual violence speaker and rape crisis counselor, after chronicling her own assault and international prosecution of her attacker in 2008, for Marie Claire magazine, the Travel Channel and Discovery ID, and on her blog afightbackwoman.com.