Nadia Murad, 2025 Abely Awards Honoree

Sanctuary for Families

Established 28 years ago by Davis Polk, Sanctuary for Families, and Columbia Law School, the Abely Awards honor individuals who have made a difference in the lives of survivors of gender violence.

Established 28 years ago by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Sanctuary for Families, and Columbia Law School, the Abely Awards honor individuals who have made a difference in the lives of survivors of gender violence and who embody Maryellen Abely’s compassion, zeal, energy, and dedication.

This year, we are thrilled to present the 2025 Abely Leading Women and Children to Safety Award to Nadia Murad, human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize awardee.

INTRODUCING NADIA MURAD

Nadia Murad is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, human rights activist, and survivor of the Yazidi genocide. After escaping captivity by ISIS, she dedicated her life to advocating for survivors of sexual violence and seeking justice for persecuted communities. As the founder of Nadia’s Initiative, she leads global efforts to rebuild communities affected by conflict and hold perpetrators of mass atrocities accountable.

Murad was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her unwavering commitment to ending conflict-related sexual violence. She has addressed the United Nations, governments, and international organizations, calling for justice and policy reforms to protect vulnerable populations.

Through her advocacy, Murad continues to amplify the voices of survivors, ensuring that their experiences lead to meaningful action toward peace, security, and human dignity.

 

Garrard R. Beeney, 2025 Abely Awards Honoree

Sanctuary for Families

Established 28 years ago by Davis Polk, Sanctuary for Families, and Columbia Law School, the Abely Awards honor individuals who have made a difference in the lives of survivors of gender violence.

Established 28 years ago by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Sanctuary for Families, and Columbia Law School, the Abely Awards honor individuals who have made a difference in the lives of survivors of gender violence and who embody Maryellen Abely’s compassion, zeal, energy, and dedication.

This year, we are thrilled to present the 2025 Abely Pro Bono Award to Garrard R. Beeney.

INTRODUCING GARRARD

Garrard R. Beeney is co-head of the Intellectual Property and Technology Group at Sullivan & Cromwell. He has argued cases nationwide, including twice before the United States Supreme Court, and is widely recognized as a leading trial lawyer. Publications such as The American Lawyer, Forbes, The Legal 500, and Benchmark Litigation have praised him as “a master strategist” and “one of the best trial lawyers in the world.”

Mr. Beeney has also demonstrated a deep commitment to public service. He served for over a decade as deputy mayor of Irvington, New York, chaired the board of Mercado Global, and currently serves on the boards of Sanctuary for Families and Graham Windham. His pro bono practice includes major victories advancing the rights of domestic violence survivors and LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as securing the restoration of voting rights for 60,000 African Americans in South Carolina.

Most notably, he led the effort to secure a resentencing under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act for Nikki Addimando, a survivor who was serving a 19-year-to-life sentence for defending her life against a gun-wielding, severely abusive intimate partner. The case, involving over 4,000 hours of legal work, resulted in her release in January 2024. He continues to advocate on critical issues including reproductive rights, trans healthcare access, and legal protections for survivors of rape, abuse, and cyberstalking.

Molly Gochman, 2025 Zero Tolerance Honoree

Sanctuary for Families

Every year, at our Zero Tolerance Benefit, Sanctuary for Families honors those who have significantly contributed to the movement to end gender-based violence.

Every year, at our Zero Tolerance Benefit, Sanctuary for Families honors those who have significantly contributed to the movement to end gender-based violence. This year, we are thrilled to present the 2025 Zero Tolerance Award to artist and activist Molly Gochman.

INTRODUCING MOLLY

Molly Gochman, an artist and activist deeply engaged in social practice, focuses on activating spaces for profound collective experiences. Her practice encompasses a diverse range of mediums including photography, sound, installation, and sculpture. Through these mediums, she often challenges and subverts conventional material boundaries to foster interaction, play, exploration, and meaningful dialogue.

In addition to her art practice, Molly’s commitment to creating a more just and equitable world led her to found Stardust—an organization encompassing philanthropy and impact investments. Through Stardust, she supports movements focused on care, strengthens community ecosystems, and prioritizes lived experience leadership through collaborative partnerships. Molly seamlessly weaves her artistic practice with Stardust’s philanthropic and investment strategies, driving positive change.

Molly has elevated Sanctuary’s mission since 2014 through both investment and advocacy. She has participated in meal preparation and sharing with survivors of sex trafficking, provided exercise equipment for clients who use running as a trauma coping strategy, and enabled the growth of Sanctuary’s future leaders through financial support and mentorship. Additionally, she has donated photographs from her international activist artwork, Red Sand Project, which sheds light on the vulnerabilities that contribute to exploitation.

Molly received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Guilford College. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Board of the Freedom Fund and sits on the board of Wassaic Project. She is a member of the Brooklyn Museum’s Council for Feminist Art and the New Museum’s Artemis Council. Her previous board service includes Creative Time, Aurora Picture Show, Children’s Rights, and the Orange Show Foundation. Originally from Texas, Molly is currently based in New York.

Join us for our Zero Tolerance Benefit on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to honor survivors of gender violence and pay tribute to Molly and three fellow inspirational leaders in this work.

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Katharine Bieber Ogg, 2025 Zero Tolerance Honoree

Sanctuary for Families

Every year, at our Zero Tolerance Benefit, Sanctuary for Families honors those who have significantly contributed to the movement to end gender-based violence.

Every year, at our Zero Tolerance Benefit, Sanctuary for Families honors those who have significantly contributed to the movement to end gender-based violence. This year, we are thrilled to present the 2025 Zero Tolerance Award to Katharine Bieber Ogg, Vice President & Secretary of Sanctuary Board of Directors.

INTRODUCING KATE

Katharine Bieber Ogg is a non-practicing attorney and a longtime champion of Sanctuary’s work.

For over 20 years Kate has brought compassion, energy, and wisdom to all that she does on behalf of survivors. She first got involved as a law school student in 2003 through Sanctuary’s Courtroom Advocates Project, an initiative that connects survivors with trained law school advocates who assist with the filing of family offense petitions.  Since 2009, she participated in Sanctuary’s Adopt-a-Family program, providing holiday gifts directly to Sanctuary’s neediest clients.  In 2014, she became a volunteer in Sanctuary’s Development Department, traveling to their office twice weekly to help organize events, do research, and thank supporters. To recognize her amazing contributions, she was honored at Sanctuary’s 2016 Pillars of Change volunteer event.

In 2016, Kate joined Sanctuary’s Board of Directors and quickly became a leader, serving as a Vice President and the Secretary of the Board.  She also served on multiple committees, including the Development Committee (as co-chair for five years), the Nominating Committee (as co-chair for three years), and the Executive Committee.  She has traveled to Albany to join our advocacy efforts and participated in countless Family Council events. Kate brings her passion and commitment to Sanctuary’s mission to all that she does.

Kate received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and was admitted to the bar in both New York and Connecticut, working in the area of family law before leaving practice. She lives with her husband, Ryan, and their three children in Brooklyn.

Join us for our Zero Tolerance Benefit on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to honor survivors of gender violence and pay tribute to Kate and three fellow inspirational leaders in this work.

LEARN MORE & GET TICKETS