Rosenthal was the of a director of local violence shelter and rape crisis center in Florida.[1] Her grassroots work consisted of fifteen years in reproductive health.[2] The first ten years of her work in reproductive health care, Rosenthal was a health educator, clinic administrator, and community organizer in Florida.[5] Rosenthal has specialized knowledge about the links between domestic violence and housing, state and local collaborative community responses, federal policy, and survived-centered activism.[6]
From 1988-1992, Rosenthal represented North Florida Women's Health & Counseling Services, an outpatient women's health center providing reproductivehealth care. While congruently serving as the executive director, Rosenthal acted as the clinic's media spokesperson.[5]
From 1992 to 1995, Rosenthal was the Executive Director for Refuge House, a battered women's and rape crisis center in North Florida serving eight counties. Her leadership improved the center's community reputation and financial stability. Rosenthal increased their United Way funding by 50%. Rosenthal founded a sexual violence outreach program to serve three rural counties in North Florida while director.[5]
Domestic violence coalitions
From 1995 to 1999, Rosenthal directed the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, comprising 38 domestic violence centers serving over 74,000 people. Rosenthal participated in the alliance and task force development as well as advocating in the legislature. As director, she served as the media spokesperson and grew funding from $400,000 to $2.6 million.[5] Rosenthal created new models of service for rural domestic violence shelters and developed innovative legal strategies.[6] Rosenthal's first appearance on C-SPAN was for a 1999 Congressional News Conference representing the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In this appearance, Rosenthal discussed gun control legislation in the context of domestic and family violence, urging the Republican-controlled Congress to approve gun control legislation.[7]
Lynn Rosenthal, the Executive Director for National Network to End Domestic Violence, served as a witness in the Judiciary Committee in Congress for the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act
While serving as the executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Rosenthal took on the role of media spokesperson. She coordinated the collaboration of over thirty domestic violence centers from July 2008 to June 2009. Rosenthal represented the Coalition in the New Mexico State legislature.[5] Her efforts in the coalition elevated the capacity of domestic violence centers through technical assistance and training.[5]
Serving as the executive director for the National Network to End Domestic Violence (2000-2006),[6] Rosenthal represented 54 state and territorial domestic violence coalitions in Congress which collectively included over 2000 local domestic violence initiatives.[1][6] As executive director, Rosenthal outreached to corporate leaders to fundraise initiatives to address violence against women.[1] In 2000 and 2005, Rosenthal was involved in reviving the Violence Against Women Act, speaking as the Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence as a witness in the Senate Judiciary Committee.[6] After its reauthorization, Rosenthal aided communities to implement the federal legislation.[6]
White House Advisor
In July 2009, Rosenthal was appointed by president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden to become the first White House Advisor on Violence Against Women in the United States.[1] From 2009 to 2015, Rosenthal was a senior advisor to Biden and the first appointed White House Advisor on Violence Against Women.[2][6] In Rosenthal's appointment speech, Biden described Rosenthal as "passionate about these issues and knows them backwards and forwards. And as a former director of a shelter, she's also seen the human face of this tragic problem. She will be a leader in this White House in stopping the violence and sexual assault of women and will be an integral part of this Administration."[6] For five years, Rosenthal collaborated with Biden to innovate methods to reduce domestic violence and sexual violence while engaging with communities.[1] Rosenthal developed and led new initiatives to address sexual violence, reduce domestic violence homicides, address HIV/AIDS health disparities, worked to prevent teen dating violence, and improve workplace responses to gender-based violence.[1][2] During Rosenthal's time as a White House Advisor, she wrote for the White House blog for five years.[1] The policy work as White House Advisor led to improvements to the Violence Against Women Act.[2]
Rosenthal represented Biden on the White House Council on Women and Girls. Rosenthal also co-chaired the Federal Interagency Working Group on HIV/AIDS and Violence Against Women.[1]
From March 2019 to December 2022, Rosenthal served as the President for The Center for Family Safety and Healing at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.[2] Rosenthal worked closely with local activists and community partners, such as the Franklin County Children's Service, Columbus Division of Police, Columbus City Prosecutor Office, Ohio Domestic Violence Network, and CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence. In addition to these partnerships, Rosenthal united diverse groups of community organizations to fully address the elements of family violence, including domestic violence, child abuse, child neglect, teen dating abuse, and elder abuse.[4]
President Joe Biden, joined by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chair of the Independent Review Commission on Military Sexual Assault Lynn Rosenthal, signs an executive order for 2022 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, strengthening the military justice system's response to gender-based violence, Wednesday, January 26, 2022, in the Oval Office.
As directed by Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ordered a 90-day Independent Review Commission on Military Sexual Assault to make policy recommendations to address sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. military.[4] In 2021, Austin appointed Rosenthal to chair the IRC.[2] The IRC made 82 recommendations in four lines of effort: accountability, prevention, climate and culture, and victim care and support.[4] In July 2021, president Joe Biden endorsed the Secretary of Defense's announcement to accept the core recommendations created by the IRC.[9] The adopted policy recommendations removed the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault from the chain of command and created specialized units to handle sexual violence cases and crimes.[9] According to the announcement, sexual assault crimes occurring in the U.S. military will be prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to the fullest extent. In Biden's endorsement of the IRC, Rosenthal wasthanked for leading the IRC and her decades of work to end gender-based violence and sexual assault.[9]
While being on the IRC as chair, Rosenthal appeared before the House Armed Services Subcommittee Hearing on Sexual Assault in the Military.[7] Rosenthal spoke behalf on the IRC presented a joint statement in testimony to the House. Rosenthal clarified to the House Committee that since leadership is so important in the military structure, the reforms recommended by the IRC targeted leadership specifically. She also stated that changing the military justice system alone will not reduce sexual assault without investing in preventing, improving command climates, and enhancing victim care.[7]
As the director of sexual and gender-based violence at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rosenthal leads the department to implement the National Plan to End Gender-based Violence.[2] Rosenthal began working as the director in 2022.
After Rosenthal's White House service, she acted as the vice president for strategic partnerships for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.[1] The hotline provides 24/7 access to resources and support specifically serving teen and young adult relationships.[10]
As the deputy assistant, Rosenthal oversees sexual and reproductive health services. Rosenthal began this role in July 2024.[2] The Office of Population Affairs that Rosenthal oversees services advance health outcomes and adolescent health and wellbeing. Their mission is to support high-quality clinical services, evidence-based programs, and research and evaluation in order to inform policy and engage communities.[11]
Consulting
As a consultant in Washington D.C., Rosenthal's focus is on collecting knowledge and bringing innovation together to build movement-based organizations.[1][12]
Schools, government agencies, and services providers are the focus for Rosenthal's policy developments to improve responses to domestic violence and sexual assault and end the conditions allowing the violence to occur.[12] Rosenthal specializes in strategic planning for smaller organizations by determining their strengths, values, and environments of change.[12]
In 1999, the Florida Governor's Peace at Home Award was given to Rosenthal for her impact on the lives of abused women and children.[6] In 2005, Doris Buffet's National Sunshine Lady Foundation distinguished Rosenthal to honor her contributions to the Violence Against Women Act.[6] Additionally, Rosenthal was the first recipient the of the National Advocacy Award given by the Sheila Wellstone Institute in 2006.[6] In 2023, Rosenthal gave the opening welcome speech at the National Sexual Assault Conference.[13]
Publications
"Availability of Family Violence Services for Military Service Members and Their Families" RAND Corporation, November 25, 2019.[14]
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