CornerHouse
2502 10th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Phone: 612.813.8300
Fax: 612.813.8330
Latest News
Press Release:
CornerHouse Appoints Patricia Harmon Executive Director
Internationally acclaimed not for profit selects leader to embark on the next decade of service
Download press release here: pdf | Word
MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 18, 2010) – The board of directors at Minneapolis-based CornerHouse, an interagency child abuse evaluation and training center, today announced that it has appointed Patricia Harmon as executive director. The new hire falls on the heels of CornerHouse’s 20th Anniversary year in 2009.
“CornerHouse is a jewel in Hennepin County and a model for the nation, having trained professionals in 48 states, all 87 counties in Minnesota and seven foreign countries. Our organization is recognized around the world for its child abuse interview protocol and has developed standards that have been adopted industry wide. We were very diligent and thoughtful in our process of selecting the next executive director,” said Patrick McDonnell, chair, CornerHouse Board of Directors.
“Harmon’s wealth of experience in working with multiple government and agency partners as well as her industry leadership, are a solid fit for the position as we embark on the next decade of serving children who have experienced violent crimes and sexual abuse.” Harmon brings more than 25 years of leadership experience working with not-for-profit organizations to CornerHouse. She was the president and CEO of Sunstone Cancer Support Centers in Arizona for the past seven years. At Sunstone, she doubled the organization’s cancer resource centers, developed beneficial new programs, increased funding and elevated awareness of the support center’s critical role in the community. Prior to her work at Sunstone, Harmon was president and CEO at Growing Home, a not-for-profit family service organization serving approximately 250 special needs children and 350 foster families in two states. While at Growing Home, she co-founded the North American Treatment Foster Care Association and developed standards of treatment for foster care. Those standards were ultimately adopted by the Council on Accreditation for Family and Children Services.
Her appointment as executive director at CornerHouse marks a return to Minnesota for Harmon. She received her undergraduate degree and master’s degree in social work at the University of Minnesota. Harmon is a resident of Minneapolis and is joined by her extended family in the Twin Cities.
ABOUT CORNERHOUSE, www.CornerHouseMN.org CornerHouse is a public-private partnership organized as a non-profit agency. It provides forensic interviews and medical examinations for children and vulnerable adults suspected of being physically or sexually abused. CornerHouse hears the cries of approximately 500 children each year. Opened in 1989, CornerHouse works with police, child protection and prosecutors to provide the highest quality and most reliable information and evidence regarding allegations of abuse. CornerHouse also provides training locally, nationally and internationally. In the past 15 years CornerHouse staff has trained over 22,000 professionals from all 87 of Minnesota’s counties, 48 states, seven foreign countries and the International Criminal Court at the Hague.
# # # Editor’s Note: For a headshot of Patricia Harmon, please contact Suzanne Fedoruk Herrick at suzanne@fedorukinc.com.