“This initiative establishes UofL as a national leader in educating its students about intimate partner violence,� said President Gerry Bradley. “Our hope is that the project helps to curb instances of abuse and violence in our community and across the nation.�

Dean and Professor of Law Melanie B. Jacobs said the new Mary Byron Endowed Chair “will not only lead IPV law and policy education but also engage in unprecedented transdisciplinary collaboration to provide opportunities for UofL students to help those impacted by IPV and, just as importantly, to learn how to prevent IPV.�

The 1993 murder of 21-year-old Louisville resident Mary Byron by her estranged ex-boyfriend who was unknowingly released from jail led to the creation of — Victim Information and Notification Everyday. First used in Louisville, VINE from Equifax is a national automated notification service that provides crime victims, survivors and other concerned citizens with near real-time, anonymous alerts regarding changes to an offender’s custody status. VINE is available in more than 45 states, and according to Equifax, delivered nearly 21.5 million notifications in 2025.

The Mary Byron Project’s mission since 2000 is to foster innovations and programs to prevent intimate partner violence. It accomplishes this through public advocacy, funding groundbreaking IPV initiatives throughout the United States and becoming a national thought leader.Ìı

The project’s board wanted to preserve and institutionalize this legacy and selected the Brandeis School of Law to extend the work through the Mary Byron Endowed Chair.

“This chair will advance legal education and policy related to intimate partner violence and help integrate IPV-focused learning throughout the law school and university curriculum to train professionals to better understand and ultimately prevent, IPV,� said Mary Byron Project Founding Executive Director and Board Chair Marcia Roth.

“There is no more fitting partner than the Brandeis School of Law at UofL to carry forward this legacy of thought leadership as we work to break the cycle of intimate partner violence for generations to come,� said Mike Davis, developer of VINE in collaboration with Yung Nguyen.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said this work will impact residents throughout the city.

“The top priority of my administration is public safety – ensuring that all our residents are safe and feel safe in their neighborhoods. We know that all too often, this begins with making sure people are safe in their own homes.ÌıI applaud the Mary Byron Project, Equifax and many others for supporting this center and endowed position at UofL. It will help end domestic violence not just here in Louisville but across the country, and it will continue the powerful legacy of the Byron family,â€� he said.

“Mary Byron’s story inspired a new era of safety and support for victims of crime, starting with the notifications provided by VINE,� said Equifax Senior Vice President and General Manager of Public Safety, Jarrod Carnahan. “We are proud to support the Brandeis School of Law and the Mary Byron Endowed Chair to extend our mission beyond notification technology and help empower a new generation of leaders to identify early warning signs and intervene before intimate partner violence leads to tragedy.�

Building upon the existing Robert and Sue Ellen Ackerson Law Clinic, which was created in 2009 and represents clients who have suffered from IPV in Jefferson County, the new Mary Byron Center’s collaborative partners will include:

• College of Business
• College of ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ and Human Development
• Department of Classical and Modern Languages
• Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science
• School of Dentistry
• School of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry
• UofL Health—UofL Hospital

The center will grow into an interdisciplinary entity designed to make systemic changes, provide wrap-around services for clients and teach those providing services their role in combatting IPV, a learned behavior passed on from generation to generation. By teaching about its breadth and impact in all areas of academia, students will learn how to disrupt the pathways that have historically triggered IPV.

The Mary Byron Center will also facilitate an annual conference designed to bring together aspiring and practicing law professionals from across the globe. This conference will provide opportunities for other universities to learn about UofL’s unique approach to teaching and addressing IPV so that they, too, can integrate IPV studies into their core curriculum.

“My daughter Mary’s name lives on,â€� said Pat Byron. “The important work begun by the Mary Byron Project will continue, helping train the next generation of advocates – lawyers and lay people, alike. With each of these important steps we get closer to making ‘no more’ a reality.â€�ÌıÌıÌı

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Since joining UofL, he has helped Kent’s faculty and staff collaborate to solve community problems and position the school to be one of the fastest growing in attracting federal research dollars, even as he continued to work on his own research and HIV/AIDS prevention projects half a world away in his native South Africa.

His work garnered him the MOSAIC (Multicultural Opportunities for Success and Achievement in our Community) award last year from Louisville’s Jewish Family and Career Services. The honor recognizes new or first-general immigrants and refugees making significant contributions to their professions and in the community. Ìı

Before starting his next job in Tampa Aug. 1, he took time to discuss with UofL News his academic career, the importance of social work research and his life in the United States after gaining his education and initial work experience in South Africa.

UofL News: From Johannesburg, South Africa, what attracted you to UofL’s Kent School of Social Work?Ìı

Riaan van Zyl: The associate dean of research position and the upward researchÌıtrend at UofL. Also, I worked on Living Systems Theory with a previous president (James Miller) at the university.

UofL News: What inspired you to choose a career in social work education?

Riaan van Zyl: The potential forÌıimpact on students and through them on theÌılives of theÌımost vulnerable in society. Also theÌıimpact of research directly on people. In social work, our research happens in communities and we implement innovations without a long translational process.

UofL News: How has social work education changed within your career?

Riaan van Zyl: Today, social work education is much more evidence (science)Ìıinformed than ever before and the fields of specialization are more diverse.

UofL News: What is your best advice for your students?

Riaan van Zyl: Science-informed interventionsÌıareÌıoften also theÌımost ethical course of action.

UofL News: Much of Kent School’s research seems to be community-engaged and collaborative. Why is that important?

Riaan van Zyl: Social work adds value to knowledge created inÌılaboratories by implementing it in real life situations and in systems that are far from perfect. CollaborationÌıis key to quality improvement in these systems and community-engaged practices keep us true to our mission while simultaneously securing sustainability.

UofL News: Do any research projects stand out to you as particularly impactful?

Riaan van Zyl: Our work on healthy relationships led to impactful innovations in different areas such as teenage pregnancy prevention, intimate partner violence reduction and improved educational outcomes for children (PI’s Anita Barbee and Becky Antle). Also, the school and family based interventions for young childrenÌıdeveloped by Andy Frey and his team have far reaching positive effects. Ìı Ìı

UofL News: What has been your favorite thing about working at UofL? Living in the city of Louisville?

Riaan van Zyl: I was part of a great school and I enjoyed working as a member of multiple teams with great colleagues. I also enjoyed teaching and getting to know so many wonderful students. Louisville is a great city with so many wonderful people and cycling opportunities, one cannot help but to be happy here.