COS Presenter

Claire Kaplan, Ph.D.
Consultant, Writer and Advocate

Claire Kaplan, Ph.D., is a nationally known victim advocate, anti-violence educator, writer, and artist. A faculty member in the Women, Gender and Sexuality Department at the University of Virginia, she teaches courses on gender-based violence and social justice, and violence prevention on campus. For nearly three decades, she directed the Gender Violence and Social Change Program at UVA’s Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center, serving as a confidential advocate for survivors. Claire facilitates workshops on how trauma impacts survivors in the classroom and beyond, the formal and informal options available to survivors when seeking redress at their schools, and parent-focused sessions: how sexual misconduct is addressed in higher education; why it’s important to consider how schools address this issue when your child is deciding on a college; and how to effectively support your child if they are harmed through intimate violence. Claire is currently writing a book, The Last Thing I Expected: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding Sexual Misconduct and Title IX on Campus. She lives in Central Virginia with her wife of 33 years, unkempt garden and three opinionated cats.