Lori Palisin stands as a beacon of hope and change in the fight against domestic violence. Lori has worked for Safe Journey, a domestic violence services agency that serves survivors in rural Erie County, Pa., for three decades, the past 19 of those years as executive director. She has served as executive director of Safe Journey for the past 19 years. She believes empowering survivors is key to them leading safe lives free from domestic violence. Lori has built her life’s work around this principle and believes educating all members of our community is crucial to eradicating domestic violence. Under her visionary leadership, Safe Journey created PurpleOne, an evidence-based domestic violence and bystander awareness program, and Orange Circles, an awareness program that trains school personnel and community members to understand their roles in supporting children and teens and connect them with services. PurpleOne earned national recognition in 2021 when DomesticShelters.org and Theresa’s Fund, national resources for domestic violence survivors, honored Safe Journey with a gold Purple Ribbon Award for PurpleOne as the outstanding awareness program in its budget class. In 2023, Lori personally was honored as a Purple Ribbon Award gold medalist as a national shelter executive of the year. PurpleOne and Orange Circles have been recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as key facets of its State Health Improvement Program, a multiyear strategic plan to improve the health of people throughout the commonwealth. Lori is a long-standing member of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence and previously served as the chair for the PCADV’s Western Region. Lori also is co-founder of the Rural Erie County Domestic Violence Task Force, the county’s coordinated community response to domestic violence. She is a 1995 graduate of Penn State Behrend in Erie, Pa., earning a bachelor's degree in business, liberal arts, and science with a minor in psychology, Lori recently was honored by her alma mater with its 2025 Behrend Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. A three-sport athlete in college, she was inducted into the Penn State Behrend Lions Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of the 1992 ECAC championship softball championship team.