written by: Elizabeth Waite, F2F Intern Spring 2025
Nicole Goldman has been with Fear 2 Freedom for nearly two years. Her journey with the organization began when Dave Long, a colleague she had worked with on panels, reached out to her. He invited her to attend a Fear 2 Freedom luncheon, and after the event, he contacted her again with a new opportunity. “We’re expanding into Northern Virginia. Would you be interested in being on the Board of Directors?” The opportunity felt like a fit, and she quickly agreed.
Fear 2 Freedom’s mission and goals deeply resonated with Nicole. “There’s nobody out there, men and women alike, that doesn’t know somebody who was [impacted by sexual assault],” she explains. She is especially passionate about restoring hope and dignity to survivors while educating students about the Red Zone—the period from the start of the fall semester to Thanksgiving break when a disproportionate number of sexual assaults occur on college campuses.
As a board member, Nicole serves on both the fundraising and the Champion’s Luncheon committees. The Champion’s Luncheon has been one of her favorite projects. “It’s been really fun to evolve it. Every year we put a stake in the ground and say, ‘We’re going to do this differently; we’re going to do this better; we’re going to evolve.'” Over the past three years, the event has featured keynote speakers offering different experiences on sexual violence. It began with a survivor, followed by the mother of a survivor, and this year’s keynote speaker was a forensic nurse.
Looking ahead, Nicole envisions Fear 2 Freedom maintaining a steady cycle of achieving goals and expanding strategically, with a greater emphasis on raising awareness through social media.
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