Domestic Violence Awareness

Judge Robert J. Anderson is the presiding judge of the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of DuPage County. He served as an Assistant State’s Attorney and later was a founding partner of the law firm of Anderson and Deitsch & Associates. In 1992 he was named an Associate Judge, and in 1993 was appointed the Supervising Judge of the Juvenile Court in DuPage County. In 1994 he was honored by the DuPage County Children’s Center for outstanding service to children. In 1995, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Judge Anderson a Circuit Court Judge and in 1996 he became the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division. Currently he chairs the Illinois Court Improvement Project and is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Special Committee on Child Custody. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including 1999 Community Partner of the Year by the DuPage Family Shelter Service for his work on domestic violence. He has been a member of the Illinois Children’s Justice Task Force, of which he was elected vice-chair in 1995. He was the first president and founding member of the Collar Counties Juvenile Judges Association.

Dawn Dalton has served as Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network (The Network), since October 2007. The Network is a membership coalition representing over 100 domestic violence service providers and allied professionals throughout Metropolitan Chicago. The Network advocates for systems change, speaks as the collective voice of Cook County domestic violence programs, provides through its Centralized Training Institute comprehensive domestic violence training for over 1,000 professionals each year and operates the State of Illinois Domestic Violence Helpline. The Helpline receives over 30,000 calls annually from victims of domestic violence and concerned citizens who are seeking support, information and referrals. Prior to her current position, Ms. Dalton served as a member of The Network’s Board of Directors, fulfilling a five-year term, three of which were served as Co-chair of the Board. She filled this commitment while working in and directing direct service programs in the domestic violence community. Ms Dalton’s varied experiences with the Network, along with her qualifications and commitment to domestic violence victim-services over many years, make her a natural leader within the domestic violence prevention community. Ms. Dalton serves on numerous state and local committees and is recognized as an important information resource for local, state and federal legislators. Most recently she was invited to The White House where she attended a Domestic Violence Awareness Month event with President Obama and Vice-President Biden.