Our Staff

Holly Lovern, she/her, M.Ed., MS

Holly served as a GVSC at Carolina from 2016 – 2022 and returned to the role in 2023. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Lynchburg, a Master of Education from the University of South Carolina in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from East Carolina University. Previously, Holly worked at NC State University as an Assistant Director/Case Manager with the Violence Prevention and Threat Management team. At the University of South Carolina, Holly provided confidential support and advocacy for members of the campus community impacted by gender-based violence and harassment. She also worked on prevention efforts and developed programming, outreach, and training on topics including healthy relationships and consent, supporting victims/survivors, and bystander intervention. Holly has student affairs experience in new student orientation, first-year experience, fraternity and sorority life, and academic coaching and advising, including in the community college system. Holly is a certified Victim Service Practitioner through the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network, holds certifications in the Danger Assessment and College Student Wellbeing, Trauma, and Resilience, and is a member of Campus Advocacy and Prevention Professionals (CAPPA) and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). 

For self-care, Holly enjoys reading, listening to country music, and snacking on her favorite snack combo: M&M’s and Dr. Pepper.

UNC-CH trainings completed: HAVEN, Safe Zone, Safe Zone: Gender Identity & Gender Expression, Mental Health First Aid, Embody, Green Zone, and UndocuCarolina.

Connor McCaffrey, she/her, MSW

Connor began working as a GVSC in 2024. She obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree from UNC Wilmington and a Master of Social Work degree 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 and appropriate for historically marginalized populations and grew in this skill set while working at the LGBTQ Center of Durham during her MSW program.

In her spare time, Connor enjoys cooking, attending concerts, taking walks with her dog, and playing in recreational sports leagues.