Victim Advocate Carolyn French is this year’s winner of an award from the Colorado Organization of Victim Assistance (COVA).
French recently retired from the District Attorney’s Office, which says this is the perfect ending to her outstanding career in public service.
Carolyn graduated from the University of Colorado (Boulder) in 1960 with a degree in Finance. In 1980, she received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver.
Her first stint in the District Attorney’s Office ran from 1985-1990, after which Carolyn left to develop the University of Colorado’s first Victim Assistance program.
“This program forever changed the face of victim’s assistance for the thousands of students who attend CUBoulder,” said the Office of the District Attorney in a news release.
“After developing the program, Carolyn held key positions with victim providers including as the Executive Director at MESA and the Executive Director at Blue Sky Bridge’s Child Advocacy Center before returning to our office to provide direct victim services.”
In total, French served 23 years as a victim advocate in the Office of the District Attorney.
“Carolyn distinguished herself with her empathy and compassion for victims, informed by her decades of knowledge on victim dynamics,” the office added. “These same skills and knowledge led to her being relied on for successful advocacy on many homicides and major cases over the years.”
Adrian VanNice, chief deputy trial attorney, says French had a profound impact on multiple generations of prosecuting attorneys.
“Early in my career, I would become exasperated by behaviors I didn’t understand and trauma I didn’t know how to cope with,” VanNice explained.
“It was Carolyn who carefully guided me in my journey to learn how to respond to individuals in trauma, assisting me to understand what before had been incomprehensible and helping me learn to better care for myself while providing care and support for others who found themselves unwillingly ensnared in a criminal justice system, they themselves found complex and frustrating.”
District Attorney Michael Dougherty added this award is a wonderful and well-deserved honor for her many years of outstanding public service and advocacy for victims.
“Carolyn supported, guided, and inspired so many prosecutors, including me, in our work with victims. This office and our community will be forever grateful to Carolyn French.”
