We are so happy to introduce a new member of the Women's Center team, Latoria White!

Latoria White is joining us as Counselor in Residency. She will be providing counseling, outreach, and case management services to students, faculty, staff, and community members.

"I am excited about working and growing at the Women’s Center as I am able to stay connected to the gender equity movement and raise awareness around other social justice issues," said Latoria. "Getting back into the higher education community is exciting for me because a few years ago, I completed my graduate practicum at the Norfolk State University counseling center, doing a lot of the same work that I will be doing now in my position at the Women's Center. I am looking forward to being a part of the fresh and positive energy at the Women's Center and in the U.Va. and Charlottesville community as we continue to work towards fostering healthier communities."

Latoria attended Norfolk State University where she received her B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Community and Clinical Psychology. During her graduate career she served as a Graduate Resident Counselor and a practicum-leveled clinician/therapist in the counseling department at Norfolk State University. After completing her masters program, she returned to her hometown in Charlottesville, Virginia.

After returning to Charlottesville, Latoria started working with Region Ten CSB as a Mental Health Support Services Provider. During her time with them, she began volunteering with the Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA) as a Child Assault Prevention Educator. In this position she helped teach young people to not only recognize potentially dangerous situations, but deal with them in a smart and safe way. After finding great success as a volunteer with SARA, she accepted a position as the Rural Services Assault Prevention Advocate, where she provided supportive services to survivors, trainings in sexual violence education, and participated in outreach events. During her time working for SARA, Latoria was selected to participate in the 2010 Department of Criminal Justice VA Victim Assistance Academy and continued on to serve as a mentor for the 2011 DCJS Victim Assistance Academy.

In her most recent position, before joining the Women's Center, she served as a Domestic Violence Casework Counselor for the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE). Similar to her work with SARA, she provided comprehensive case management services to men, women, and children who were affected by domestic violence and sexual violence. This included crisis intervention, medical and legal accompaniment, short-term individual and group counseling, as well as education and collaboration with community members in an effort to end violence in our communities.

Wellness, health, and equality for women and children are passions of hers. This past spring, she completed an intensive community-based doula training through Mother Health International. She is excited to grow and learn from serving as a doula in the Charlottesville community.

To unwind, Latoria enjoys spending time with her family and friends, adding to her collection of colorful jewelry and purses, practicing yoga, and cooking. She loves being around water, whether it's for fishing, swimming, or simple beach lounging. "Watching "Modern Family" and "Martin" also help keep me lighthearted," she added. If she could recommend one place to eat in Charlottesville, it would be Flaming Wok. She says that their teppan-yaki dishes are delicious, especially the steak and chicken meal!

Welcome to the Women's Center Latoria, we are so happy you are joining us!