Meet the Team

PARC Professional Staff

Kate Richey
Kate Richey
Director
Pronouns: she, her, hers

Kate completed her BA at Carleton College and her MA in mental health counseling at Boston College. She has worked in sexual violence prevention and response in higher education for the last 10 years.

As an advocate, Kate works to center the survivor experience and support students in an empathic, collaborative and non-judgmental way. As a preventionist, she seeks to meet community members where they are in their understanding of sexual and relationship violence, and she hopes to help everyone see how they can make a difference in the anti-violence movement.

Outside of Brandeis, you can typically find Kate exploring local playgrounds and parks with her family. 

Becca Van Spall-Hood
Becca Van Spall-Hood
Violence Prevention Specialist & Survivor Advocate
Pronouns: Any pronouns

Becca is originally from Connecticut and uses any pronouns (they/he/she). They graduated from Lasell University with a bachelor's in psychology and criminal justice and are pursuing a master's degree in social work and trauma.

Since graduating, Becca has worked at dual sexual and domestic violence agencies as both a professional and a volunteer. They are passionate about prevention education, restorative justice and student-lead programming.

Outside of work, they love reading, coffee, days with sunshine and spending time with their two cats!

Alenna Chen
Alenna Chen
Intern
Pronouns: she, her, hers

Alenna is a second-year graduate student in mental health counseling at Boston College. She earned her BA in psychology from the University of Toronto.

Grounded in both a social justice and relational-cultural framework, Alenna is committed to advocating for and supporting students with empathy, collaboration, and cultural responsiveness. She has experience working with diverse populations in volunteer settings and offers support in both English and Mandarin.

Outside of work, Alenna enjoys musical theatre and is always on the lookout for a good show.

Confidential Peer Educators

PARC's student employee team

In addition to our professional staff, PARC has a team of student employees who serve as Confidential Peer Educators (CPEs). 

Our CPEs are undergraduate students who come from diverse backgrounds and a range of educational interests; they are united by their commitment to engaging in thoughtful and meaningful conversations about ending interpersonal violence. 

Confidential peer educators facilitate PARC's many trainings and workshops, covering topics including bystander intervention, trauma-informed practices, consent, and healthy relationships. In our peer-to-peer model of education, our CPEs facilitate that majority of PARC's trainings for undergraduate students. CPEs and professional staff also collaborate on a number of awareness-raising events throughout the academic year. 

In addition to their roles as educators, PARC's CPEs also provide confidential peer support to students who wish to speak with another student. Learn more about peer support and how to connect with our confidential peer educators. 

Meet the Confidential Peer Educators

Want to Join Our Team?

Working at PARC is a meaningful way to contribute to the anti-violence movement and to gain professional skills. We hire undergraduate Confidential Peer Educators for our team each November. If you are interested in applying to work at PARC, the best ways to stay up to date with our hiring opportunities are to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram. You can also reach out to us at parc@brandeis.edu with questions.