The Department of the Army selected Fort Irwin’s deputy manager of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Program here as the recipient of a prestigious honor.
Captain Nicole Myers was named the 2015 DA Sexual Assault Response Coordinator. She was selected from a field of 330 Army-appointed SARCs and will compete for the honor of top SARC at the Department of Defense in April.
Myers said she is appreciative to have been part of the growth and development by the Army in its response to sexual assault. She followed Congressional debates about the issue and felt a need to be involved. While serving with 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment as an ordnance officer, she volunteered to serve as victim advocate. She then progressed to the role of victim advocate for the entire regiment. About a year and a half ago, she began serving at the post level.
Myers’ accomplishments during her tenure as a SARC here are wide-ranging, stated Maj. Robyn Boehringer, manager of SHARP here. Her initiatives included: developing and leading a women’s mentorship program for more than 500 female Soldiers; instituting world-class victim advocacy care; implementing bystander intervention training for a wide variety of audiences, and; hosting numerous awareness and prevention community events focusing on eliminating the negative behaviors that lead to sexual assault.
Myers is honored for the recognition and grateful for being nominated by Boehringer. She explained that the award is a representation of the staff involved with the program here.
“It was a great achievement for Fort Irwin,” Myers said. “I see it definitely as a team accomplishment. We have a very, very dedicated, hard working, passionate, professional team, who really put their heart and soul into what they do.”
According to Boehringer, Myers has also been vital in the establishment of timely and responsive victim advocacy and survivor healing support. During the past year, she has collaborated with clinicians in order to implement holistic recovery options for sexual assault survivors. These resiliency building and healing programs included support groups for male and female survivors, art therapy, equine therapy, self-defense, yoga, and wilderness therapy.
Myers’ efforts in the realm of victim advocacy have not gone unnoticed by the larger SHARP community. In October of 2014, she was selected to participate in the Army chief of staff SHARP advisory panel in Washington and she was selected to assist in drafting portions of the new Army regulation 600-20, which deals with sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The captain will leave the military this summer in order to purse her passion in this field. Myers is currently completing her graduate degree in public health and plans on applying for either a doctorate or medical degree in social work.
“It’s really rewarding for me to know that I’ll be leaving this program and mission with such a capable and passionate team,” Myers said.