Photo By Chatney Auger | RDML Nancy Lacore, Commandant of NDW (left), with Katie Stratchko (right), winner of...... read more read more
As a sexual assault response coordinator (SARC), Katie Stratchko has managed programs assisting victims of sexual assault in the Naval District Washington (NDW) region for over four years. The Department of Defense (DoD) recognized her work by awarding her 2023 Liz Blanc Exceptional Sexual Assault Response Coordinator of the Year in a ceremony at the Pentagon on May 11.
“Ms. Stratchko demonstrated unrivaled devotion to ensuring victim services and operation of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program were at their peak performance,” reads the award citation. “She has remained a stalwart in the program, unflinchingly assisting stakeholders to overcome and adapt to obstacles as changes occur.”
The DoD issues the award each year to six SARCs—one for each branch of the Armed Forces and the National Guard—for noteworthy achievements managing or coordinating SAPR programs. An installation-level supervisor or commanding officer recommends a SARC for nomination, and their Regional SARC processes a nomination package for them and submits the nomination package for routing to Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and the Pentagon.
Stratchko’s nomination came from Natalie Wade, NDW regional SARC. Wade credited Stratchko with victim-focused care and consistently finding ways to make programs run more effectively.
“Katie is really innovative at making things easier on the victims and making things easier on the commanding officers as they navigate these issues,” Wade said. “Katie was pivotal in making the program more accessible to the people that needed it, and providing stellar support to the victims’ advocates as they were working within the program.”
Stratchko began working in the NDW region in 2018 as a lead SARC for Naval Support Activity (NSA) Washington, and was promoted in 2022 to SARC for the whole NDW region.
She had previously worked as a shift supervisor for the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, as a counselor and victims advocate for the city of Alexandria, and in a call center for the DOD SAFE helpline, an anonymous resource for anyone experiencing sexual assault. Stratchko said that talking one-on-one with victim callers and connecting them with their local SARCs inspired her to become a SARC.
“I realized I’d be good at this,” she said. “One day, I was chosen to be the lead SARC for NSA Washington. And when I got the offer, I didn’t hesitate, I didn’t negotiate. I just said yes.”
At NSA Washington, Stratchko worked one-on-one with victims and managed the program and teams of victims advocates. Wade provided guidance from the region level, and Stratchko filled in for Wade on occasions when Wade was out of the office. Wade said she was impressed with Stratchko’s commitment to meeting the needs of victims, coworkers, and command leadership.
“She’s excellent at meeting whoever she’s working with where they are at. And that could include anyone from the highest-ranking person in the Navy to a victim or victim advocate,” Wade said.
Stratchko accepted a new position last month as a SAPR program analyst and supervisor for CNIC Headquarters, a position in which she will be interpreting and implementing SAPR policies and evaluating SAPR programs Navy-wide.
Stratchko’s new position differs from her past SARC work. But she said her prior “field work” assisting victims and running local programs has given her valuable skills in putting policies into practice and helping real-life people—skills that she looks forward to bringing to the headquarters level.
“I think I’m always going to be a SARC for life. I’m going to have to learn to look at things from an enterprise-wide lens, but I never want to lose my SARC hat,” she said. “Reading things on paper is different than actually doing them, and that’s something I bring to the table, that real-life field experience.”
She said that some parts of her job remain the same: above all, her dedication to improving SAPR programs and making sure they best serve those who need them.
“Helping people, and making the process better to help people better, these will always be a part of my job,” she said. “SAPR programs are changing, and the processes are evolving. And they should evolve, because we have to be able to meet Sailors where they are.”
| Date Taken: | 05.12.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.12.2023 15:45 |
| Story ID: | 444678 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Web Views: | 356 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NDW SARC Receives “Exceptional SARC of the Year Award” for the Navy, by Rick Docksai, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
