Julie ANN rIVERS-cochran, msw

Executive Director

Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, MSW, is an international leader in preventing and addressing abuse in sports. As Executive Director of The Athlete Survivors’ Assist (The Assist), she leads efforts to bring awareness, accountability, and transparency to sexual violence against athletes at all levels.​

With over 25 years of experience, Julie Ann began her career providing direct services and advocacy for survivors at Alternatives for Battered Women (now the Willow Center) in Rochester, NY. Prior to joining The Assist, she worked with the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health and founded Blackbird Consulting for Nonprofits, assisting organizations in effectively serving their communities.​ A survivor of childhood trauma, Julie Ann is dedicated to listening to and advocating for survivors while holding perpetrators and supporting systems accountable.​

She holds a Master’s in Social Work from Florida State University, a Bachelor’s in Communications/Journalism from St. John Fisher College, and an Executive Certificate in Transformational Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. Julie Ann serves as an Academic Advisory Board Member and Faculty for the International Olympic Committee’s Safeguarding Officer in Sport Program, is an Advisory Board member for the International Safeguards for Children in Sport, and is a member of SafeSport International’s Advisory Committee, where she chairs the Athlete Voice for SafeSport Group