About Angela
At the age of seventeen, in response to own her abduction and sexual assault, Angela Rose turned a suburban community into a group of proactive citizens. Working with others who had been attacked by the same perpetrator, Angela spearheaded the movement that culminated with the passage of the 1998 Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act in Illinois. This law enables the state to hold a sexually violent person in custody under psychiatric care if the person has been convicted of a previous sexual offense, exhibits a mental disorder, and is seen as a threat. Nearly 200 convicted sex offenders have been committed as Sexually Violent Persons in Illinois since 1998.

While a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Angela began to  understand how silence cloaks the prevalence of sexual assault. Instead of retreating in the face of adversity, Angela rose to the challenge  of voicing what is often left unsaid. In 2000 she was appointed Campus Safety Coordinator by the UW Associated Students of Madison. Empowered by her experiences on campus, Angela founded PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) in 2001. PAVE is a community-based organization that uses social, educational, and legislative tactics to shatter the silence of sexual violence. That same year, Angela was appointed the UW Women’s Issues Diversity Liaison, where she successfully initiated a dialogue on sexual assault within diverse cultural communities.

Through PAVE, Angela has trained fraternities and sororities in sexual assault prevention, produced a documentary entitled “Transition to Survivor,” and founded Men Opposing Sexual Assault, a student group that highlights the importance of men in the anti-sexual assault movement.

Now a national non-profit with chapters in many states, PAVE is committed to ending sexual violence through education and empowerment. Angela continues to serve as the organization’s Executive Director. Her passion and energy have enabled her to turn tragedy into triumph and have earned her a dedicated following of men and women across the country who share her vision for putting an end to sexual violence.