Em Westerlund
Contact for:
- SANE trainings
- Sexual assault kits
- Sexual assault exam protocols
- Exam billing and payment
- Information about Track Kit, the new sexual assault kit tracking system in Minnesota
Em is a jack of many trades. Prior to joining MNCASA in October 2021, she worked for PAVSA (Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault) in Duluth, Minnesota. From 2009-2013, Em was an advocate, community educator, and SMART team coordinator for the Southern St. Louis County team. Em left PAVSA from 2013-2015 in pursuit of self-care, but couldn’t stay away from sexual assault advocacy work. Em rejoined the PAVSA team in 2015 as the SANE Program Coordinator, a role she held until joining the MNCASA staff.
Em earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and gender studies from Smith College and earned her master’s in advocacy and political leadership from the University of MInnesota-Duluth. She has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Vermilion Community College.
Em is eager to provide technical assistance for any questions related to medical/forensic sexual assault exams and processes. If you are looking for training, resources, sample policies and procedures, or anything related to these issues, Em is your person!
When Em isn’t fighting to raise awareness about sexual violence, she can be found in a hammock reading, sharpening hand tools, or in a national forest enjoying her new-to-her 1993 Coleman Cedar pop-up camper.