2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Meghan Dunlap
“When it comes to gender-based violence, you just never know what’s going on behind closed doors, so you have to…
2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Irene Avina
“Being able to create a vision for the future comes from safety and safe relationships.”
-Irene Avina, LCSW, MSW, Project Assistant, Firearms Technical Assistance Project
As we recognize Women’s History Month, we are highlighting Rising Stars, members of our staff building on the legacy of so many leaders in our movement.
Today we are featuring Irene Avina, a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), who has spent the past several years working directly with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in crisis intervention, safety planning, education, and trauma processing.
Currently, she is the project assistant to the Firearms Technical Assistance Project, collaborating with the project director to support numerous pilot site communities implement work plans, objectives, and strategies aimed at reducing domestic violence homicides and addressing the high lethality risk of abusers’ access to firearms.
Irene says she feels naturally drawn to this work. “I love serving others and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Her own life experiences also set her on a path toward changing realities for survivors. As a child whose family was involved in child protective services when she was growing up, she saw both the positive and the negative impacts of the system’s involvement in gender-based violence cases.
On one hand, Irene received education and foster care, and on the other, had to deal with her family being disbanded, which still has negative impacts to this day. “Witnessing violence in different forms motivated me.”
Irene noted that systems may be established to try to help, but then there can be unintended consequences. Irene finds herself grappling with questions like: Who is allowed to decide what constitutes danger? What happens when people in power abuse their power?
Working for BWJP as the FTAP project assistant gives her insight into what it is like for survivors facing the threat of firearm harm to navigate the legal system. “This role has been a journey. Especially since guns are so normalized in our society. It’s important to recognize the power dynamics of firearms in our systems.”
Irene added, “What’s great about being the project assistant is thinking about how systems impact survivors as a whole.”
That’s why one area Irene specializes in is trauma-informed training, and sees its benefits for both survivors and professionals who serve them. “I see this in real time with my coworkers. Being able to create a vision for the future comes from safety and safe relationships.”
Irene believes small changes inform bigger ones, and that the task of systems reform is to look first at how we relate to ourselves and treat one another, and then take these concepts to larger governing bodies.
Working with Irene is such a joy; her thoughtfulness and insights contribute so much wisdom to our sector, and her passion for being survivor-centered is second to none.
