Utah National Guard to Partner with Expert to Expand Prevention Efforts

PRESS RELEASE 24-008, Feb. 27, 2024

Contact: Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber (801) 716-9063

For Immediate Release

Utah National Guard to Partner with Expert to Expand Prevention Efforts

DRAPER, Utah – The Utah National Guard proudly announces its new partnership with Dr. Amos Guiora. Dr. Guiora is a renowned expert in organizational complicity and the ecosystem of abuse. He has provided expert testimony to a variety of groups including legal and legislative bodies. He has appeared on many local, national, and international media outlets discussing the findings of his research. He is now ready to work on what he sees as a crucial ignorance facing many organizations, the organizations complicity in failing to prevent abuse. He can be contacted on his cell phone (216-470-6386) or by email at amos.guiora@gmail.com.

“This partnership is part of a greater initiative in the Utah National Guard,” said Brig. Gen. Jospeh Green, assistant adjutant general for the Utah Army National Guard. “We have been developing, refining, and changing our approach to harmful behaviors in the workplace for several years, including the way we identify and respond to sexual harassment and assault in the Utah National Guard.”

In previous years the UTNG has aggressively developed its federal response programs by hiring professionals that provide resources to support its Soldiers and Airmen, and their families, with a variety of circumstances from financial management to mental health and trauma recovery.

“The addition of these professionals over the past decade has built within the Utah National Guard a foundation that allows us to more deliberately approach issues within our organization,” said Col. Cody Workman, joint resiliency director of the Utah National Guard. “We have recently consolidated resources under the joint resiliency directorate to allow us to focus on preventing issues rather than responding to them. We are making concerted efforts to be more proactive about culture and preventing harm as opposed to responding after the fact.”

This state initiative with Dr. Guiora is the latest move by the UTNG to address what Guiora calls the “ecosystem of abuse.” His partnership with the UTNG brings a robust expertise that comes from decades of academic and professional experience. Guiora has published an impressive collection of articles and books, and has for the past 10 years researched, written, and lectured extensively on the systemic framework surrounding sexual and other abuse. The UTNG welcomes his expertise and is energized with its own leadership emphasis to view the entire ecosystem of a problem and to avoid focusing only on a singular event. The UTNG recognizes that harmful events that occur within the workplace impact the overall health and wellbeing of its most critical and valuable asset, its people.

Dr. Guiora is eager to “get to work.” Soldiers and Airmen in the Utah National Guard that may have experienced trauma because of workplace violence, sexual harassment or assault, or other discriminatory behavior are encouraged to contact Dr. Guiora directly and add their story or experience to his work helping the UTNG become a more understanding and safer organization.

Dr. Guiora does not work directly for the chain of command of the UTNG. He will gather information from those willing to share and assist the UTNG to give the organization an outside perspective and greater understanding of its complicity in issues surrounding the ecosystem of abuse.

The problem “is a systems problem” said Guiora “we truly can make a difference when we focus on the entire ecosystem rather than a singular event.”

Leaders from the Utah National Guard recognize that harmful behaviors exist and are serious about continuing to change so future Soldiers and Airmen feel safer and more connected as part of a healthy culture that values the individual contributions and accomplishments of its diverse population of members.

More information on other initiatives Dr. Guiora is working on with the University of Utah see https://www.law.utah.edu/news-articles/new-initiative-studies-ecosystem-of-abuse/ and https://www.law.utah.edu/resgestae-issue/utah-law-announces-new-alexander-zeev-guiora-bystander-initiative-award/. These links do not constitute an official endorsement by the Utah National Guard.

-30-

For additional questions contact Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber at 801-716-9063 (text) or email at ng.utngpao@army.mil.