2022 Outstanding Community Leader

Terri Heckman, CEO OF BATTERED WOMEN’S SHELTER & RAPE CRISIS CENTER

Terri has led these two organizations since 1995. As CEO, Terri currently oversees 150 employees working to deliver the emergency response needed by victims of intimate personal violence and sexual assault 24 hours a day in Summit and Medina counties.

Her skills, passion, and vision for this work have been recognized throughout the State of Ohio. The author of two publications titled “Rape Crisis Survivor Manual for Recovery”, and “It Wasn’t Supposed To End This Way”, a comic book format tool used to help discuss these difficult topics with teenagers. Terri’s awards include the Athena Award; The Defender Award from Inside Business Magazine; Liberty Bell Award from the Akron Bar Association; the Women’s Network Founders’ Award giving for Community Progress for Women, the Outrageous Acts of Social Justice Award from the Women’s Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation, Outstanding Service to Crime Victims Award from Victims Assistance Inc. of Summit County and the Model of Justice; Advocate Leadership Award given by the Ohio Crime Victims Justice Center. She has served on numerous non-profit boards and is currently servicing on multiple community coalitions