Annual Briefing & Breakfast Tackles Domestic Violence in the Workplace
Captain Matthew Mahathey of Flowery Branch PD honored as Officer of the Year
GAINESVILLE – The Hall County Domestic Violence Task Force honored its Officer of the Year and explored the topic of domestic abuse in the workplace at its annual breakfast and briefing on Oct. 5 at Brenau University in downtown Gainesville.
Flowery Branch Police Department Captain Matthew Mahathey received the annual Domestic Violence Officer of the Year Award. Nominated by Hall County Assistant Solicitor General Eric Azcoitia and Victim Advocate Maria Ibarra, Azcoitia noted the officer’s unique commitment to ensuring a local domestic abuse victim received the proper level of legal protection from her abuser.
Lynne Cox, Northeast Georgia Health System Employee Assistance Program Counselor, served as the featured speaker for “When Domestic Violence Comes to Work,” and shared signs to look for in coworkers or employees as well as suggested tactics of how to address domestic abuse in the workplace.
A more in-depth seminar on the same topic took place immediately following the breakfast. Designed for employers, HR professionals, workplace supervisors, business owners, interested community members and students, the presentation covered how to talk to employees about domestic violence
and developing policies and protocols in the workplace. Gateway Domestic Violence Center Executive Director Jessica Butler, Northeast Georgia Health System Senior Counsel Jenny Patten, and Gainesville Police Department Chief Jay Parrish served as panelists.
Presented by the Hall County Domestic Violence Task Force, the event was sponsored by Brenau University, Gateway Domestic Violence Center, the Georgia Commission on Women and McDonald’s.
