Indira Henard

Headshot of Indira Henard

DC Rape Crisis Center

Executive Director

Ms. Henard has been with the DC Rape Crisis Center for the last thirteen years serving in different capacities, lending invaluable experience including leadership roles in fundraising, operations, cultivating relationships and strategic partnerships, as well as coalition building. Under Ms. Henard’s Executive leadership  she has not only repositioned the oldest and the first rape crisis center in the country, but she has laid a strong foundation as the agency prepares to celebrate 50 years of survivor centered, and community led services.

Additionally, under Ms. Henard’s leadership the DC Rape Crisis Center received the 2019, and 2020 Best Places to Work by the Washington Business Journal, 2019 , 2020 and 2021 Best of Washington Award to include the Business Hall of Fame, as well as the 2019 Agency of the Year Award by the National Association of Social Workers. Ms. Henard’ s direct service experience in many gender-based violence programs has helped to inform her policy analysis that has led to coordinating public policy initiatives and organizing and planning spaces for survivor led advocacy.  Spanning over 20 years of dedicated service in the violence against women's movement, Ms. Henard’s experience exemplifies her expertise in non-profit management, organizational development, crisis management, education, training, fundraising and public policy. Ms. Henard has worked nationally and internationally in helping organizations build capacity to respond to the needs of sexual violence in their communities. 

Ms. Henard’s high level training and technical assistance provided to local nonprofits, and international NGO’s has resulted in the repositioning of the sexual assault coalition in the District of Columbia, opening the first rape crisis center in Lagos, Nigeria, as well as working with a coalition of international NGOs in developing a mobile app to aid refugee workers who are working with sexual assault victims. Ms. Henard has been recognized locally, and nationally, for her contributions to the violence against women movement to include, but not limited to receiving the 2020 Washington Women of Excellence Award presented by Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC.

Additionally, Ms. Henard was awarded the 2020 Washingtonian of the Year award. Ms. Henard currently sits on numerous boards and commissions including but not limited to the Advisory Board of Women at Risk International Foundation –WARIF located in Lagos, Nigeria. The alumni board of the National Catholic School of Social Service where she also holds a faculty appointment, the Board of Directors for the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the Board of Trustee’s at Wheaton College in Norton, MA, and most recently Ms. Henard was appointment to the safety advisory board at UBER.