Director
Holly Lovern, she/her, M.Ed., MS
Contact: [email protected], 919-962-1343
Holly serves as the Director of Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the department, which offers University-wide prevention and education initiatives, as well as confidential support services for students and employees. Before becoming Director of Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services, Holly served nearly eight years as a Gender Violence Services Coordinator at Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Lynchburg, a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina, and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University. Holly has over a decade of experience in campus violence prevention and victim services, including behavioral threat assessment and management. Her broader student affairs experience includes roles in new student orientation, first-year experience, fraternity and sorority life, and academic advising at both two-and four-year institutions.
Holly co-authored the first national benchmarking study on campus interpersonal violence advocacy practices and is a certified victim service practitioner through the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network. She also holds a professional certification in College Student Wellbeing, Trauma, and Resilience from Florida State University’s Institute for Family Violence Studies. Holly is a member of Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals (CAPPA) and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP).
Outside of work, Holly enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, going to the beach, and her favorite snack combo – M&Ms and Dr. Pepper.
Gender Violence Services Staff
To connect with a Gender Violence Services Coordinator (GVSC), please email [email protected] or call 919-962-1343.
Connor McCaffrey, she/her, MSW
Gender Violence Services Coordinator
Contact: [email protected], 919-962-1343
Connor began working as a Gender Violence Services Coordinators (GVSC) in 2024. She obtained a bachelor of social work from UNC-Wilmington and a master of social work from UNC-Chapel Hill. Go Heels! She previously worked at InterAct of Wake County, a nonprofit organization that serves survivors of relationship violence and sexual assault. While at InterAct, Connor occupied the role of Sexual Assault Case Manager, providing support to survivors through crisis intervention, law enforcement advocacy, court accompaniment, and care coordination. She has experience facilitating survivor support groups as well as community trainings on violence prevention and trauma-informed survivor care for a variety of audiences. Additionally, Connor is passionate about ensuring services are accessible for everyone and grew in this skill set while working at the LGBTQ Center of Durham during her MSW program. She’s a certified Victim Service Practitioner through the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network and a member of Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals (CAPPA).
Outside of work, Connor enjoys cooking, attending concerts, taking walks with her dog, and playing in recreational sports leagues.
Andrea Wright, she/her, MA
Gender Violence Services Coordinator
Contact: [email protected], 919-962-1343
Andrea joined the VPAS team as a Gender Violence Services Coordinator (GVSC) in 2025. She earned her bachelor’s in psychology from Virginia Tech and a master of arts in professional school counseling from Appalachian State University. During her time at App State, Andrea worked as a residence director and served on-call supporting students facing crises surrounding mental health, gender-based violence, harassment, and stalking. After graduating from App State, Andrea worked as a school counselor in Asheville where she helped open a charter school based around equitable education. In this role, she developed programming and education regarding sexual abuse prevention and consent, and also worked with community agencies to set up a food pantry at the school for students and their families. She then joined Carolina’s Dean of Students office as a case manager and provided support and resources to students navigating various concerns on campus. She’s a certified Victim Service Practitioner through the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network and a member of Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals (CAPPA).
Outside of work, Andrea loves exploring new hiking spots, reading with her cats, and spending time with her family.
Prevention Staff
To connect with violence prevention staff, please email [email protected] or call 919-962-1343.
Kylin Adams, she/her, MPH
Prevention Programs Specialist
Contact: [email protected], 919-962-1343
Kylin joined the VPAS team in 2025 as a Prevention Programs Specialist. Her passion for violence prevention began while she was a graduate student at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. During that time, she also gained experience on the survivor support side as a Crisis Response Advocate at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center in Chapel Hill. After leaving UNC-Chapel Hill, her professional journey took her throughout the ACC. She previously worked as a Sexual Harm Prevention Specialist at UVA and as the Assistant Director for Interpersonal Violence Prevention at NC State where she designed and facilitated educational workshops, implemented awareness-raising initiatives, and worked closely with community-driven students at both institutions. Now that she’s back with the Tar Heels, she’s thrilled to collaborate with students, staff, and faculty on developing creative and accessible ways to promote healthy relationships through skills-based programming. Kylin is a member of the Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals Association (CAPPA) and the CATAPULT Campus Action for Healthy Manhood Collaborative through Futures Without Violence. She’s also pursuing a graduate certificate in Teaching, Training, and Educational Technology through the NC State College of Education.
In addition to violence prevention, Kylin is passionate about all things pop culture. Outside of work, you can likely find her discoursing current events, watching reality TV, and serving as pop music’s biggest defender.
Peyton Miyares, she/her, BA
Graduate Assistant
Peyton joined the VPAS team in 2025 as a Graduate Assistant. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Carolina, where her graduate research focuses on understanding how interpersonal stress (e.g., rejection) and hormonal sensitivity influence mental health, particularly among adolescent girls. Prior to graduate school, she worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, coordinating clinical research on interventions and digital mental health tools for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Her involvement in violence prevention began during her undergraduate, when she served in UNC’s former sorority peer support program, participated in an alternative fall break experience volunteering at a rape crisis center, and collaborated with students across the country in the Hidden Voices project, where she received the #WeAreHere Visionary Leadership Award.
Outside of work, Peyton enjoys reading psychological thrillers, scoring unique finds at thrift stores, and playing with her cat, Goose.