She has a vision for the people of the South Sound that uses conflict resolution centered around trust, collaboration and respect. Her dedication to the community of Thurston County has been recognized on both a state and national level. This year’s Peacemaker Leadership Award recipient is Anne Larsen. This annual recognition honors an individual’s extraordinary leadership in promoting peaceful dispute resolution and civility within the county. Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) Board Vice President Curt Gavigan says, “She perfectly embodies the purposes of the award, demonstrating a commitment to peacemaking and community service through strengthening civil discourse and harmony.”
Since the DRC was founded in 1991, over 200,000 individuals have benefited from the community-based conflict resolution that they advocate for through a variety of resources. All residents of Thurston and South Mason counties are invited and encouraged to submit their nominations each year for this award.
“The Dispute Resolution Center’s Board of Directors selected Anne for the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award to honor the impact she has had on the South Sound community in her work for the Olympia Police Department and to celebrate her continued efforts in her new role at the state and national level,” Gavigan says.
Anne Larsen and her Impact on the Community of Olympia
Larsen is originally from Minnesota, but earned her Bachelors in Public Administration and Masters of Public Administration (MPA) at The Evergreen State College. She now lives in Olympia. Her work with the community of Thurston began in 2015 at the Prosecuting Attorney’s office before she served for the Olympia Police Department. “I was curious about diverting people from justice systems, and after working at the prosecutor’s office, I was able to see the alternatives that were available in the system and treatment courts,” she says.
From 2018 to 2022, she worked as the Outreach Service coordinator for the Olympia Police Department. Anne designed, staffed, and operated the City’s Crisis Response Unit and the Familiar Faces programs. These initiatives partner with police, medical, and social services, and the community to make referrals and provide essential assistance to those in need.
The Crisis Response Unit connects social workers and unarmed civilian first responders to defuse situations where individuals in a crisis need mental health services. Through conflict resolution, housing assistance, counseling, transportation services, and substance abuse referral, their staff can identity an individual’s specific needs and help them accordingly.
The Familiar Faces program also consists of a civilian staff, but for this program, many of the staff have personal backgrounds in overcoming trauma, substance abuse and homelessness themselves. As a result, these community members understand the situations of the people they are helping. Because they have had similar experiences, they can more accurately identify and assist people needing complex help.
Alongside her passion for peacemaking, Anne is an avid runner, having participated in the Capitol City Marathon and 5 Mile events, where she ran with 12 court participants this year. “I’m running with these people in recovery already, and I am able to get them to join the events because of my connections,” she explains. She truly cares for the people she works with and actively opens her world to those who cross her path.
Thurston County’s Inspirational Strides to Civic Harmony
Anne is currently a project manager for the Council of State Governments Justice Center, where she continues to spread her knowledge, inspire the other counties in the South Sound, and advocate for hiring people with lived experiences such as behavioral health and incarceration.
Before accepting her state-level position, she confesses, “I was hesitant, but I knew it needed to be someone who could gain the trust of both the police and the recipients.”
The recognition Anne gained from the projects she cultivated at the police department seemingly surprised her, as the programs she created came directly from the compassion she has for the people of Olympia.
When her success within Thurston County began garnering the attention of other states, she talked about how she would always get the question, “How did you get unarmed civilians to respond to 911 calls?” And while she doesn’t have a complete answer, her consensus is that, “people want to do good, and if you show them how to connect, they will often open their worlds to one another.”
Among many different jurisdictions nationwide, more and more are implementing alternative response units every year, and thanks to Anne, Thurston County pioneered how our systems approach public safety.
From Nomination to Award Recipient
Anne was nominated for the 2023 Peacemaker Leadership Award by the DRC Outstanding Volunteer recipient of 2019, Steve Tilley, and Larry Jefferson Jr., the State of Washington director of the Office of Public Defense. “It was shocking and awe-inspiring that they nominated me,” exclaims Anne. She met both of them back at her position at the prosecutor’s office and boasted about how incredible these men are as they are two people she has looked up to for years.
Although she was presented with the award on May 7, 2023, her years of peacemaking have just begun.
To learn more about the Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award, visit the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County website.
