(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Addressing the nearly 1,000 victim advocates attending the office’s annual Two Days in May Conference on Victim Assistance, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost celebrated the work being done to aid Ohio’s crime victims and echoed the underlying message of this year’s conference theme, “Every Step a Victory.”
“While some use their backs and others their arms to do their jobs, you use the strongest muscle we have: the heart,” Yost said in Monday’s opening remarks. “You invest so much in those you work with – every day – because you genuinely care about humankind.”
Two Days in May, marking its 33rd year, annually brings advocates together to share best practices, trends and developments in the field of victim assistance. This year’s event included two keynote speakers, 35 workshops and more than 75 expert presenters from throughout Ohio.
Following his speech, Yost also paid tribute to Ohio’s most notable victim-services advocate, the late Rev. Robert Denton, who died last year. One of the conference awards, the Robert Denton Special Achievement Award, has borne his name since 2013, recognizing leaders dedicated to serving and advancing Ohio’s crime victims movement.
New in 2025 was the Compassionate Leadership in Advocacy Award, which AG Yost presented to Dr. Kenneth Yeager. Yeager’s pioneering work and enduring impact inspired the honor, which will be renamed the Dr. Kenneth Yeager Compassionate Leadership in Advocacy Award beginning next year.
The advocates recognized Tuesday at the TDIM awards ceremony are:
Compassionate Leadership in Advocacy Award: Dr. Kenneth Yeager, Professor emeritus and co-founder of the Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center
Dr. Yeager is a pioneer in the trauma recovery specialization, a leading light in Ohio and the nation. He began his career in 1985 as a drug and alcohol counselor at Shepherd Hill Hospital and later worked for Riverside Methodist Hospital, Ohio State University Hospitals East, the OSU Athletic Department, OSU Harding Hospital, and the National Football League – all of them involving programs related to substance abuse. In 2009, as an assistant clinical professor and researcher in the OSU College of Medicine, he and colleagues Grayce Sills and Holly Kastan started the Stress Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program in the Department of Psychiatry to help lessen the impact of stress and trauma on the lives of behavioral-health patients. But Yeager soon recognized the need for trauma care for other populations, including first responders and front-line medical workers. Thanks in part to Yeager’s efforts, in March 2017 Ohio became the second state (after California) to create a network of Trauma Recovery Centers to address the physical, emotional and material needs of survivors of crime-related violence.
Promising Practice Award: Open Arms Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services in Findlay
Open Arms, a stand-alone private nonprofit founded in June 1981, is the only agency in Hancock County providing emergency services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to victims of domestic violence and rape. In its 45th year, Open Arms provides a wide range of services, including an emergency shelter at a confidential location for survivors and their families, 24/7 services for victims of sexual assault, a 24/7 crisis hotline, support sessions for children affected by domestic violence and supervised visitation and exchange of children, legal and medical advocacy, and prevention education programs for schools and the community. In rural northwest Ohio – where farming communities are spread out, survivors might not know where to turn for help and public transportation is limited – the Open Arms mobile-services program has made an immediate impact, serving 38 people in its first 17 months of operation.
Robert Denton Special Achievement Award: Elizabeth Well, Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center
In her 12 years as legal director of the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center, Well has emerged as a leading voice for victims’ rights in Ohio and the nation. She and her team have assisted more than 10,000 crime victims at trial and in appellate courts, and have been responsible for much of the significant litigation involving victims’ rights in Ohio. Equally important, she has regularly worked alongside survivors in courtrooms to make sure they are heard and valued and obtain the justice they seek. Well was instrumental in the success of the Marsy’s Law constitutional amendment campaign in 2017 and ultimately played a leading role in drafting the amendment’s implementing legislation, House Bill 343, which took effect in 2023. Beyond the courtroom, Well has crossed the state to provide victims’ rights training to more than 18,000 judges, magistrates, prosecutors, and other criminal-justice officials – as well as victim advocates and allied professionals. For nearly a decade, she has presented at Two Days in May.
Special Courage Award: Yarimar Soto-Perez, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Throughout her diverse career, Yary Soto-Perez has been a compassionate ally and staunch advocate for Clevelanders in need. Early in her professional career, she investigated housing violations and advocated for tenant rights at a community development organization, then worked as a behavioral-health specialist at a human-services agency to connect Spanish-speaking clients to community-based care. Soto-Perez started at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center six years ago as a victim advocate, working closely with survivors and their families to get them necessary medical, emotional and legal help. As a subject-matter expert, she trains law enforcement officers how to recognize sexual violence and human trafficking and regularly presents to regional and national audiences to educate professionals and community members on issues related to survivor advocacy. Soto-Perez recently finished her first year as the crisis center’s director of community systems, overseeing its advocacy and human trafficking teams to ensure comprehensive support services for survivors.
MEDIA RESOURCES:
Attorney General Yost’s full opening remarks from the conference are available here.
Still photos of the award winners are available by emailing Kelly.May@OhioAGO.gov.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kelly May: 614-813-7419