About Us

Allison holds a Master's degree in Counseling and Human Development, has worked with victims of abuse since 1999, and is qualified as an expert witness in domestic violence cases. Her article on domestic violence in affluent communities was published by Scientific American Mind magazine, and she has been interviewed on ABC's World News Tonight & ABC News Radio as an expert in the field.

Ms. Bressler began her career in the field as the Director of Non-Residential Services for Hope's Door (formerly The Northern Westchester Shelter) where, she expanded the agency's counseling and community education programs, appeared on local radio and TV programs, and directed Westchester County's premier annual teen dating abuse symposium. She moved to The Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation as the Director of Programs where she played a pivotal role in developing and implementing their strongest initiatives.

Later, she was the Director of the Non-Residential Counseling program at the YWCA of Union County where she also supervised the Union County Domestic Violence Response Teams (DVRTs). In 2007, she co-founded A Partnership for Change with Gloria Sgrizzi to fill the gap in the availability of domestic violence education, awareness and prevention programs in New Jersey.

Ms. Bressler's passion to empower individuals and her knowledge of domestic violence has made her a sought-after speaker at many venues in New York and New Jersey, and has allowed her to inspire hundreds to play a role in breaking the cycle of violence.

Gloria has worked in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault since 1993. Ms. Sgrizzi has worked at the Center for Safety & Change (formerly the Rockland Family Shelter) and Hope's Door (formerly The Northern Westchester Shelter) in New York, and also worked at 180 Turning Lives Around in NJ.

Her experience includes serving as a director of development and community relations; coordinating volunteer programs; volunteering on a rape crisis hotline; managing community education programs; grantwriting and coordinating fundraisers; and spearheading public relations efforts. At Hopes' Door, she designed the shelter's first teen dating abuse education program, which included an award-winning and internationally-recognized peer leader component known as STAR (Students Terminating Abusive Relationships).

Ms. Sgrizzi worked as a freelance grant-writer for non-profits throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania before co-founding APFC in 2007 with Ms. Bressler. Since that time, they've developed the agency's programs and profile in community to the extent that APFC is now recognized as a leader in the field. Gloria is committed to supporting local, national and worldwide efforts to eliminate abuse in the lives of women and children.

Carrie Speiser is a passionate advocate with more than 15 years of experience working towards the prevention of child abuse, dating and domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking with a priority focus of working with teens and the adults that support them. She has provided training and technical assistance to support various statewide violence prevention programs in both New Jersey and Florida. She graduated from the University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Science in Human Services and from Seton Hall University with a Master of Public Administration for Non-Profit Management. In 2009, Carrie brought her expertise in working with teen victims of dating abuse to APFC serving as the first program coordinator for PowerBack. She loves working towards social change and believes that everyone can help make a positive difference.

Joe joined APFC in April 2020 to provide support in PowerBack by helping us enhance our social media presence in order to better reach students. He created the agency's first YouTube channel for teens and produces content (scripting, filming, editing), oversees our Instagram account, and is working with us on launching our first podcast. For PREP, he oversees data collection and analysis, provides technical support on webinars, and plans marketing efforts to reach police officers across the state.

Jesse joined APFC in December 2020 to provide support in DATA and DV-SOS. He provides tech support for webinars, handles data collection and analysis, and maintains contact databases for both programs. Jesse also oversees expanding outreach efforts to school counselors and social service agency personnel across the state by designing email marketing plans, developing and designing content for promotion, and enhancing social media efforts.