Ann Burdges
Chief Executive Officer
Ann Burdges brings a robust diversity of professional experiences to her current position as CEO for End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI). Burdges served 12 years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, including 10 years as a detective investigating sexual assaults and other major crimes. Burdges also has an education in behavioral sciences and nursing, and for two decades she led metro-Atlanta’s largest and most comprehensive sexual assault and child advocacy center, offering 24/7 on-site medical-forensic, legal counsel, and advocacy services for victims/survivors across the lifespan, as well as statewide law enforcement and SANE training programs. This innovative climate of care and dual-operation of services became a model of specialty care for Georgia.
Burdges has long been recognized as a national trainer for groups like the International Association of Forensic Nurses’ Sexual Assault Technical Assistance project (IAFN-SAFEta), and she has served as a subject matter expert and independent contract consultant for organizations like the U.S. Attorney General’s Task Force on Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, the IAFN’s Pediatric Medical-Forensic Protocol Working Group, the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, the Office of the (Georgia) Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, in the Southern District (Manhattan, New York) and Eastern District (Brooklyn, New York).
Through active work on legislative policy reform, Burdges has provided committee testimony at the state and federal level on sexual assault investigations training, medical forensic evidence analysis, resources for gender-based violence, and state victim services and assistance. She has also worked closely with local and national media, where Burdges has addressed high-profile cases, system injustices, and the importance of best practices.
Burdges’ work has been recognized with several awards, including the Improving the Criminal Justice System for Women Award (from the National Center for Women and Policing) the Outstanding Child Advocacy and Leadership Award (from the United Way Metro-Atlanta), and the Outstanding Community Service Award (from the American Businesswomen’s Association in Atlanta, Georgia). In 1999 Georgia’s Coalition of Sexual Assault Centers created the Ann Burdges Leadership Award, first bestowed on its namesake.
The passion, dedication, and reach of Ann Burdges’ work was recognized by EVAWI with our 2013 Professional Impact Award. She first joined EVAWI’s Board of Directors in 2015 and served as President from December 2018 to April 2023. On May 1, 2023, Burdges stepped off the Board to become EVAW’s CEO. She brings to that role a versatile body of knowledge, diverse experience, steadfast leadership, and a passion for elevating future leaders.