Elizabeth Donegan
Vice President of Criminal Justice Outreach
Sergeant, Austin Police Department (Ret.)
Austin, TX
Sergeant Elizabeth Donegan (Ret) is a 26-year veteran of the Austin Police Department (APD). For over nine years she led the APD Sex Crimes Unit, widely recognized for its progressive approach to investigating sexual assault, providing better service to victims, and changing the culture surrounding the investigation of non-stranger sexual assault. The APD Sex Crimes Unit was recognized for its progressive approach by Human Rights Watch in their 2013 report, Improving Police Response to Sexual Assault. Sgt. Donegan currently serves as Co-Chair of the Austin/Travis County Sexual Assault Response Resource Team (SARRT).
A veteran of the US Army, Sgt. Donegan has trained and presented at many events and conferences hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense, including the U.S. Army Summit and programs at Ft. Hood, Ft. Sam Houston, Ft McCoy, and Ft Leonard Wood. She served as an expert testifying for the Response Systems Panel, a federal advisory committee which conducted an independent review and assessment of the systems used to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate crimes involving adult sexual assault and related offenses under military law.
Sgt. Donegan serves as a subject matter expert for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) on projects related to sexual assault response and investigation, including the National Law Enforcement Leadership Initiative on Violence Against Women and the roll-call training series, How to Bring Sexual Assault Offenders to Justice: A Law Enforcement Response. She also serves as a consultant for the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF).
Sgt. Donegan is a published author and frequent presenter at conferences and seminars. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Harold Cottle Justice Award from the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) in 2019 and 2011 and the First Professional Impact Award given by End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) in 2011.
For more information about Elizabeth Donegaon, visit www.mysati.com.