Dr. Dana Radatz, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Niagara University, will receive an Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice during its annual Scholarship and Awards Luncheon on Friday, April 8, 2022.

Dr. Radatz is being honored for the significant contributions she has made to the furtherance of criminology and criminal justice in the community, state, national, and international arenas.

Dr. Radatz joined the faculty at Niagara University in the fall of 2015. Her research interests include intimate partner violence treatment programming, evidence-based practices within correctional programming, the intersection of gender and crime, and a wide range of victimizations (e.g., relationship violence, sexual harm, sex trafficking). Her most recent work examines the effectiveness of intimate partner treatment programming using correctional evidence-based techniques. She has consulted with many state and local agencies in their pursuit to infuse evidence-based practices into intimate partner violence treatment programming. Most recently, she served as a participant in the National Institute of Justice’s Batterer Intervention Programs Virtual Engagement, offering her insights on how best to move the field of treatment programming forward for those who have histories of engaging in intimate partner violence. Dr. Radatz’s recent publications have appeared in Criminal Justice & Behavior; Trauma, Violence, & Abuse; and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Dr. Radatz currently serves as the graduate director for the criminal justice administration program, and teaches a variety of violence and victimology courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs within her department.

In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Radatz works collaboratively with several agencies within the Western New York region that work to end family violence. She currently serves as a steering committee member for the Family Violence Intervention Project and as a board member of Pinnacle Community Services (both of Niagara County). Dr. Radatz works to strengthen the connections between the academic and practitioner realms, often partnering with agencies and organizations that address violence and victimization, to pursue plausible solutions to violence occurring in our communities.

Dr. Radatz is an active member of NU’s Women’s Studies Committee, and has co-created and/or participated in many violence prevention efforts taken on campus. Dr. Radatz (along with Dr. Jennifer Beebe, counseling/education) continues to co-organize a domestic violence awareness event and Red Flag campaign each October, and co-organizes the university’s annual Take Back the Night event each April. Most recently, Dr. Radatz (and Dr. Beebe) secured federal funding to help establish and create the newly minted Office of Violence Prevention & Education at Niagara University, an endeavor she has worked diligently alongside Dr. Beebe and director Emily Pike to further institutionalize violence prevention efforts at Niagara University. 

She received her doctorate in criminology and criminal justice from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and her undergraduate and master’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University.