Ep. 15 - Speaking of: Michael Paymar

Michael Paymar, MPA

Michael Paymar is the executive director of Education for Critical Thinking an organization committed to ending gender-based violence and increasing women in law enforcement. He worked at the Duluth Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP) and the Battered Women’s Justice Project (BWJP) for over thirty years.

In 2014 in Geneva Switzerland, Michael accepted the Gold Policy Award (celebrating the best global-policy on ending violence against women and girls) presented by the World Futures Council, United Nations Women and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The award was in recognition of the Duluth Model, its founder the late Ellen Pence, organizers at the DAIP, leaders of the criminal justice system, law enforcement, battered women’s programs and human service providers that contributed to the success of the model.

Michael has conducted training on the implementation of the Coordinated Community Response (CCR) for effective interventions in domestic violence cases in Montenegro, Tajikistan, Republic of Georgia, Morocco, Slovenia, Hungary, China, Scotland, Israel, Sweden, Ireland, Japan, Iceland, Canada, Switzerland, and throughout the United States including Guam and Puerto Rico.   

Michael and Ellen Pence co-authored the book Education Groups for Men who Batter: The Duluth Model, the curriculum Creating a Process of Change for Men Who Batter; one of the most widely used treatment programs for IPV offenders. They also wrote and produced the award-winning documentary With Impunity: Men and Gender Violence.

Michael is the author of the book Violent No More: Helping Men End Domestic Abuse—now in its 3rd edition. This self-help book and the accompanying workbook is widely used in offender groups, by counselors who work with IPV offenders, abusive men who want to change, and women seeking to understand the dynamics of battering.   

Michael served on the Duluth City Council for eight years and in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 18 years. In the Legislature, Michael chaired the Public Safety Committee which had financial oversight over the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Department of Corrections, Department of Human Rights and crime victim programs. He was a leader in combating sex-trafficking, funding crime victim programs, prison reform, human rights and gun violence prevention.

Michael earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the College of St. Scholastica.

Video: Michael Paymar, Battered Women’s Movement Leader