New HampshireDepartment of JusticeOffice of the Attorney General

News Release

For Immediate Release
November 3, 2021

Contact:
Lynda Ruel, Director Office of Victim/Witness Assistance
lynda.w.ruel@doj.nh.gov | 603-271-1237

2021 Sandra Matheson Award Winner

Concord, NH - Attorney General John M. Formella announces that Deborah Mozden, Executive Director of Turning Points Network, the crisis center for Sullivan County serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking, is the recipient of the seventh annual Sandra Matheson Award.

Sandra Matheson created the Office of Victim/Witness Assistance at the Attorney General’s Office and was its director for 26 years until her retirement. Her pioneering work in the development of laws, policies, and collaborations led to improvements in the systems that respond to victims of crime. The Sandra Matheson award was established in 2013 to recognize other individuals that “embody commitment, collaboration and leadership to improve the rights and services for victims of crime in New Hampshire.”

Ms. Mozden has grown Turning Points Network from 1.5 staff in the 1980s to eight full-time staff today, serving 1,000 families and individuals annually. She is a skilled ambassador, advocate, and administrator of all the complex layers in human services, and she has cultivated strong, effective collaborations with police departments, medical providers, and other social service agencies to build a network of services for victims of crime.

Attorney General Formella remarked that Ms. Mozden is “a great example of what you can achieve and the impact you can have when you dedicate yourself to something that is important to you. She has put her energy into this over her career, and there is going to be an organization and help that continues because of her.”

New Hampshire Department of Justice
1 Granite Place South | Concord, NH | 03301
Telephone: 603-271-3658