Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Clevenger.
Shelly, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a rural area in Western Pennsylvania. I am an only child of a single mother. My mother and I left a domestic violence siutation. This was not easy and we struggled financially for most of my life. This experience got me interested in the area of victimization and utlimately led me to study criminology. I earned three degrees (Bachelors, Masters, PhD) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. My first full-time Assistant Professor job was at Illinois State Univesity. I taught there for eight years while also conducting original research with victims. My study involved interviewing victims and their family who experienced domestic violence, sexual assault and cybervictimization. This research led to publications but also the opportunity to present the findings at UN Women in 2016 and before the U.S Congress in Washington, D.C in 2018.
In 2020, I left Illinois State University to become the Founding Chair for the Sam Houston State University for the first and only Department of Victim Studies in the nation. In this role, I am able to work with community partners, faculty, staff and students to help victims. It is my dream job! I am incredibly grateful that I get to come to work each day!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In graduate school, I had a lot of serious health issues that almost prevented me from finishing. There were many times that I thought that I would have to drop out of graduate school. I am thankful that I had a great support system. I was able to finish my PhD and get a job!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am very proud of the work that I have done, especially that I have written 6 books. This March I had a new book released. My coauthor Dr. Jordana Navarro and I wrote Gendering Criminology. It was printed by University of California Press, explores all aspects of gender and crime and I am extremely proud of it! It is the book I always wanted to write as we provide an honest and critical look at gender. This fall, I have another book coming out, Understanding Sex Offenses, written with Dr. Karen Holt and published by Cognella. We explore all aspects of sex offenses to help the reader better understand why these crimes occur and how we can prevent them and help victims.
I also have won a number of awards for my teaching and research which I am very proud of. The one that means the most to me is the Feminist Criminology’s Article of the Year Award for my article, “Mothers of sexual assault victims; How women ‘do mother’ after their child has been sexually assaulted.” I conducted interviews with mothers who children had been sexually assaulted, but also some had their children kidnapped and murdered. I did these interviews when I was pregnant and it was very difficult emotionally for me to think about bringing a child into a world where such horrible things happen to children. I still think about these women. While they and their children experienced such tragedy and pain, they were very positive and uplifting about helping others with their stories and activism. This inspires me and pushes me to work for victims.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
This is the End is a podcast created and hosted by Daniel Jun Kim, really inspires me! I highly recommend it! I was fortunate enough to recently do an interview as a guest on an episode about gender and society. But favorite episode is about the graphic novel V for Vendetta and a teacher facing obstacles in teaching difficult topics. I relate to that episode because teaching can be difficult when you are talking about things that are controversial. Another podcast that really helps me in my life that I love to listen to on the way to work is Starship Therapise, which is created and hosted by Justine Mastine and Larisa A. Garski. It is a take on different therapeutic ideals within popculture. My favorite epsidoe is when they talk about Gremlins and how we each have our own Gremlins we need to deal with. It is brilliant! I have learned a lot through listenting to it. They also have a book, Starship Therapise: Using Fanfiction to Rewrite Your Life, which I adore and use in my class. Therapy and behavior change can be intimidating for people, but their podcast and book make it accessible for anyone. Finally, another podcast that I love is Popcorn Psychology which is created and hosted by Brittney Brownfield, Hannah Espinoza and Ben Stover. They apply psychological concepts to movies. I was fortunate enough to be a guest on their podcast to talk about Frozen and self-acceptance and empowerment.
I also enjoy comic books and reading them allows me connect to the material I study. I use a lot of graphic novels and comic books in class!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shsu.edu/academics/victim-studies/
- Twitter: @drclevenger
