Episode 06 Morning Soulshine with Bridget & Sheila Franklin Cole Domestic Violence Advocate

Shelia Franklin-Cole was the Training and Technical assistance Coordinator at the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.  Shelia joined LCADV in 2008 as a Project Coordinator.  Prior to working at LCADV, Shelia spent 9 years at the Capital Area Family Violence Intervention Center (C.A.F.V.I.C.), the local domestic violence service provider in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Shelia provided training and technical assistance to the 20 domestic violence programs throughout Louisiana.  She also provided trainings for allied professionals at state, regional events, several national trainings and was responsible for maintaining Louisiana’s statewide domestic violence hotline.    Shelia served on the Louisiana Interagency Action Council on Homelessness (LIACH) and the Louisiana Commission of Law Enforcement (LCLE). Shelia has also done trainings for the National Network to End Domestic Violence and the Women of Color Network.  She shared her knowledge of working with incarcerated battered women with domestic violence advocates in the state of Kentucky. Shelia began working in the domestic violence field as a student intern at C.A.F.V.I.C.  Upon completion of her internship, she served as a crisis line volunteer for six months before becoming a full-time employee.   During her employment with C.A.F.V.I.C., Shelia held many positions within the agency, including:  non-residential advocate, residential advocate, outreach advocate, and shelter coordinator.  In her role as shelter coordinator, she was responsible for the management and upkeep of the 65 bed shelter as well as the supervision of 16 employees.  Shelia also served as a group facilitator at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, one of the longest running support groups for incarcerated women in the nation. For the past seven years, Shelia has worked with Alzheimer patients , and patients with mental and physical disabilities. Shelia earned a B.A. in Human Ecology with a concentration in Family, Child Consumer Science/ Human Service Management from Louisiana State University.  She also attended Baton Rouge Regional Technical Institute, where she earned an Associate Degree in Computer Networking.