The John and Kay Egan Award
John and Kay Egan were dedicated activists for the rights, needs and desires of violent crime victims, and in 1999 IOVA established an award to honor their commitment. This award is presented annually to an Iowa whose outstanding service to crime victims reflects and honors the Egan's dedication. Link to 2024 Nomination form: egan_award_nomination_form_2025.pdf Previous Egan Award Recipients2025
NaToshia "Tee" LeShoure Tee played a pivotal role in bringing the Group Violence Intervention Strategy to life. By identifying and engaging opinion leaders and credible messengers within the community, she built a network of trust and accountability that directly engages individuals at the heart of violence. In the last year, there has been a 56% decrease in shots fired, and a 29% decrease in group gun related violence. In addition to her leadership within the GVI Strategy, Tee has gone above and beyond to support those whose lives have been profoundly impacted by violence. A powerful example of her dedication is her tireless effort to raise $30,000 for a medical bed for a young man who became a paraplegic due to gun violence. Tee’s compassion didn’t stop there—when the young man tragically lost his sister to gun violence, she remained a steadfast source of support, ensuring that he and his family had access to the resources and care they needed during an unimaginable time. These actions underscore Tee’s extraordinary ability to blend strategic leadership with a deeply personal touch, ensuring that no one feels forgotten or unsupported. Tee's work has not only reduced violence but also cultivated a sense of hope and resilience within the Davenport community. She inspires those around her to believe in the possibility of change and equips her team with the tools to make it happen. Her leadership reflects the highest ideals of the John and Kay Egan Award: compassion, innovation, and an unyielding commitment to empowering others. (Comments from the nomination by Nicole Cisne Durbin, CEP) of Family Resources. 2024 Sarah Bird Sarah Bird has been with the Polk County Attorney’s Office for 37 years, 30 of those years as a legal assistant, and more recently as Program Manager of the Restorative Justice Center. While overseeing the Restorative Justice Center, she crafted victim-centered programming by assisting in the development of a new surrogate Victim Offender Dialogue program, orchestrating the development of Victim Impact classes for at Polk County Attorney's Office, and Des Moines Area Community College, initiating major changes to the License Reinstatement Program, mentoring Victim Advocates, Mediators, Facilitators and liaisons, and training dozens of volunteers to serve as surrogates. She has made major changes to the License Reinstatement Program to make it more affordable. Sarah’s team implemented an income-based sliding scale to expand access to the program that enabled many Polk County residents to get their driver’s licenses and stop driving illegally. Since the changes were made, the office increased the number of restitution plans 78%. She has been a great example of dedication to improve services to victims. 2023 Dean Lindeman Dean is dedicated to working with and carrying the message of crime victims to the community. As a Correctional Counselor for the Iowa Department of Corrections, Dean worked with offenders at the North Central Correctional Facility. He facilitated Victim Impact Classes for 18 years, helping offenders understand the impact that their criminal behavior had on victims. Dean was a devoted criminal justice counselor who advocated for offenders to have an opportunity to take victim impact classes. He made arrangements for crime victims to come into the correctional facility to tell their stories to inmates and explain how their lives were changed because of a criminal act. Even in Dean’s semi retirement from Iowa Department of Corrections, he continues to place priority on victim’s needs. He is currently teaching Victim Impact Awareness classes to youthful offenders in Polk County. He teaches the curriculum and arranges for crime victims to share their experiences with the youthful offenders. In addition, he serves as a Case Monitor for Youth Justice Initiative, a restorative justice program in West Des Moines. He also teaches a treatment education / awareness program to OWI offenders through DMACC. Through all of these roles, Dean is a compassionate person, always mindful of the victim perspective. He strives to help offenders understand the impact that their criminal behavior has on victims and to reduce victimization. Dean has been an active member of committees dedicated to victims needs, including Iowa Dept. of Corrections Victim Advisory Council, Iowa Dept. of Corrections Restorative Justice Committee and IOVA. Dean is a valuable asset for victims. 2022 Sarah Harms Everyone who knows her can attest that she has pursued the rights of victims with dedication, energy, and even joy in the collaboration of her peers. But while her peers find her a happy warrior, an abuser of a victim can find her ferocious. As a Victim Liaison for the Iowa Board of Parole, she set a standard for victim support. She has carried that dedication to her work for victims in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. She has volunteered countless hours as an officer of IOVA. She was among those who created the Iowa Victim Assistance Academy that trains and certifies victim support workers to ensure victims are treated well and professionally. She is chair of the Certification Committee and works tirelessly to make sure the program continues and improves. She is active in the Department of Corrections Victim Advisory Committee and lends her accumulated wisdom and experience to many others who profit from her knowledge and example. The members of IOVA are proud to count her as a member, as a friend, and an exceptional advocate for the victims of crime. 2021 No award made 2020 No award made 2019 Candis Lockard Candis has been a tremendous resource for victims and law enforcement alike. Her coworkers have said, "In homicide and sexual abuse investigations Candis provides valuable and crucial help. Her interaction creates a bridge of trust between the survivors and law enforcement...Victims light up whenever Candis comes into the room. The most telling indicator of Candis's effectiveness is when survivors look to Candis for strength and support when they testify against their attacker or lean into her when they need added confidence. Candis travels to trials all over the state, is the first in the courtroom and one of the last to leave." "Candis would go far and beyond her duties to sit with the families, cry with them, hug them, and most of all just be with them during the cases from beginning to the end of trials." Candis has been a loyal and hard working volunteer in many IOVA activities and her contribution to the welfare of victims has been wide and deep. 2018 Linda Biel Molyneaux Linda was among those successful at establishing Family Connection, Inc. to increase safety during a child visitation exchanges regarding victims and abusers with protective orders or known violence in their history. Linda was a Violence Against Women attorney from 2005-2009, and co-chaired the Iowa Legal Aide Children and Family Law work group. She has diligently served on the Quad Cities Crime Victim Rights Week since shortly after the beginning (1998-1999). Linda has worked tirelessly to advocate and assist victims of violence in the domestic violence courts in Scott and Clinton County for the majority of her time with HELP Legal Assistance as an attorney since she joined the organization in 1993. For 20 years she has represented victims at the weekly domestic violence hearings and order of protection proceedings in both counties. In her work as a Violence Against Women prosecutor she focused specifically, on crimes against women and ways to keep victims and their children safe under the law. She has witnessed the devastation and pain every week. And yet has the fortitude and conviction to keep fighting for victims in her professional and personal life. Linda Biehl Molyneaux is a wonderful example of walking the walk and living your convictions. 2017 Shari Kastein was a victim of an abusive marriage and suffered further trauma when her daughter was kidnapped, brutally beaten and abused to near death. Ms. Kastein struggled and used her struggles to motivate her in the creation of a domestic violence shelter. She earned a B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice and an M.A. in Business Administration and became the Exec. Director of Family Crisis Centers of Northwestern Iowa. She founded Project Hope which shelters victims and their children. She created WISH (Western Iowa Survivors of Homicide and Other Violent Crimes) which covers 29 counties. She is active on the Boards of the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Abuse. 2016 LuAnn Smith has taught Victimology at the Des Moines Area Community College and worked hard to ensure that her students can empathize with victims and understand their point of view. She encouraged her students to become involved in the community to help victims of crime and she, herself, has been involved in a miriad of efforts to educate the community about the struggles of victims. 2015 Tiffany Allison survived a brutal attack in 2009. She later learned that she was her attacker's fifth victim and that there was subsequently a sixth. In response Tiffany has become a tireless advocate for legislation to prevent serial, habitually violent abusers from being allowed to serve token sentences. 2014 Jennifer Bertgnolli, founder of the Ken Eaton Foundation and an activist for victims, Jennifer organizes an effort every year to send valentines to victims and raises money for scholarships for crime victims. 2013 Mary Ingham, Executive Director of the Crisis Intervention Services in Mason City, she created the first shelter in the area and expanded its services. 2012 Fred Scaletta developed programs in the Department of Corrections to better serve victims of crime. 2011 Gary Flanagan is a counselor at the A-P Parkersburg High School and provided a truly remarkable level of service to the students and the community after the shooting death of the school's coach. 2010 Karen Muelhaupt, a rape counselor for many years who, with the Egan's, developed a death notification training manual for victim service providers and other professionals, Karen led the development of the Polk County Homicide Crisis Response Team. 2009 Karl Schilling, a victim rights advocate for more than 25 years. Karl is past chair of the Polk County Victims Services Board and President of the Iowa Organization for Victims Assistance. 2008 Sergeant Joe Gonzalez is a leader in the Latino community as an integral part of the Hispanic Outreach Neighborhood Resource Advocate program, as well as many other programs and services including IOVA. 2007 Sandra McGee has been a program manager for the Polk County Crisis and Advocacy Services. Prior to that she was a Violent Crime/Sexual Assault Coordinator at what was then Polk County Victim Services and in addition, she is and has been a board member of many other relevant organizations. 2006 Lt. Brian Tiedemann organized a six-day search for five-year-old Evelyn Miller that ended in the recovery of the little girl's body. His service to the family was in the highest traditions of peace officers. 2005 Michael R. Coveyou performed long and dedicated service to IOVA. He was involved in the first evaluation of the Iowa Crime Victims' Compensation Program and wrote and implemented the law establishing statistical reporting of domestic violence cases in Iowa. He also designed the first web sites for IowaCASA and ICADVA, was ICADVA's volunteer of the year and received the Gold Seal Award from IowaCASA. 2004 Carole Meade was a pioneer in developing victim services through her work with the Polk County Rape Crisis Center, Polk County Victims Services and Executive Director of the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She was also one of the three founders of IOVA and received the Outstanding Victim Assistance Award from the Iowa Corrections Association. 2003 Patrick C. Jackson, a victim advocate in his role of Des Moines County District Attorney and president of the Iowa County Attorney's Association, he created the first child protection team in Des Moines County as well as the first Stop Violence Task Force. 2002 Betty Brown created the Victim-Offender Mediation Program as well as many other innovative programs with the Iowa Department of Corrections. 2001 John Egan, with his wife Kay and Karen Mulhaupt, created a manual for victim notifications. He and Kay volunteered to assist with notifying relatives of the death of their loved one. He was an IOVA board member for many years and served as vice president and as treasurer. 2000 Vicki Crompton-Tette, the mother of a homicide victim murdered in 1986, Vicki has been a long time advocate for crime victims in Iowa. She advocated for many of the laws now on the Iowa books recognizing the rights of crime victims and providing services to them, including the law that established the Domestic Abuse Review Team in Iowa. She served as the Co-Chair of that team and also served for nine years in the Iowa Crime Victims Assistance Board. 1999 Ruth Donnelly, whose daughter was a murder victim, was instrumental in the creation of the Polk County Homicide Survivors Support Group and has continued to serve as a volunteer with the group for many years. |
Crime Victims Place of ReflectionDuring National Crime Victim’s Rights Week, April 2005, a place of reflection was dedicated to honor crime victims and individuals who serve crime victims. The benches are located on the South side of the State Capital in Des Moines, Iowa, across from the Purple Heart Memorial. This place of reflection was generously funded by the Iowa Organization for Victim Assistance (IOVA), Hy-Vee, Inc. and John and Kay Egan.
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