Dara is an independent Domestic Violence Survivor Advocate in Hawaii. She has spent the majority of her career working in non-profit social services agencies. Dara holds a Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy from Hofstra University and is a survivor of child abuse and domestic violence as well as the family court system. Dara is PLAN’s Advocate for Victims of State Sexual and Physical Violence. In this capacity, Dara works to ensure that PLAN’s legal casework is trauma-informed and that JLL holdings are responsive to the needs of the large proportion of incarcerated individuals who experienced interpersonal violence prior to their imprisonment.

Dara has been jailed for her political activism. She suffered neurological and hearing injuries from law enforcement’s use of a Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) against protesters at a peaceful community action despite the fact that courts have held that LRAD use is unlawful. The charges filed against Dara for her participation in the protest where she experienced state violence were later dismissed due to prosecutors’ failure to define the charges they brought against Dara and her 27 co-defendants. 

Dara has facilitated support groups and programs for women inside and women who have recently released from prison who have experienced domestic violence. She is the 2019 recipient of the Battered Mothers Custody Conference Lifetime Achievement Award.