DAVID J. H. GARVIN, MSW, LMSW

David is a distinguished leader in the field of domestic violence intervention. With over 40 years of experience, David has made significant contributions to the anti-domestic violence movement, nonprofit leadership, and professional education.

David opened his private practice in 2026, Garvin & Associates, LLC.

David began serving as the Executive Director of the Battering Intervention Services Coalition of Michigan (BISC-MI) in March 2026. David served as the Director of Abuse Intervention and Systems Response for the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NMCADV) from August 2021 – February 2026.

In 1986, David founded the Alternatives to Domestic Aggression (ADA) Program, a pioneering initiative in battering intervention. He is also a co-founder and served as the Chair of the Battering Intervention Services Coalition of Michigan (BISC-MI) until March 2026 when he began serving as the Executive Director of BISC-MI. His expertise has been sought nationwide, delivering training in over 20 states and Canada and serving as a faculty member for esteemed organizations, including the Michigan Judicial Institute and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

David dedicated 33 years to Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County (CSSW) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he held various leadership roles, including Vice President of Programs & Facilities, Chief Operating Officer, and Interim President and CEO. He also directed the Washtenaw Child Advocacy Center and served as Clinical Director for Behavioral Health Services.

Recognitions and Leadership

David has been widely recognized for his contributions:

• Summit III Award for collaborative efforts to end domestic violence (1997)
• Distinguished Alumnae of the Year from Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work (1990)
• NASW-MI Social Worker of the Year (2009)
• Glenn R. Winters Award (2017), honoring non-judges for improving the judiciary
• David’s work in the movement to end domestic violence was featured in the book Gender-Based Perspectives on Batterer Programs: Program Leaders on History, Approach, Research and Development, by Edward W. Gondolf, 2015.
• In 2021 The 5^th Ed Gondolf COMPASS Award was presented to David by BISC-MI “Recognizing and honoring those who have significantly guided and expanded efforts to protect survivors through advancing and evaluating accountable perpetrator intervention research and programming”.

Appointed by Michigan Governor John Engler, David co-chaired the Governor’s Task Force on Batterer Intervention Standards, culminating in a comprehensive set of standards in 1998. He has also served on the Domestic Violence Benchbook Advisory Committee and collaborated on several national projects with the National Institute of Justice, the Office on Violence Against Women. David has been teaching Group Work and Domestic Violence courses in the School of Social Work at Eastern Michigan University since January of 2011.

Current Initiatives

David leads the effort to establish the National Network of Abuse Intervention Programs (NNAIP), uniting experts from across the U.S. to advance innovative solutions in abusive partner interventions.

To learn more about the Speaking Of Podcast:
https://www.nmcadv.org/nmcadv-podcasts/speaking-of