Martha Thompson

I am a Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Northeastern Illinois University; an NWMAF-certified ESD instructor; retired lead instructor and instructor trainer with IMPACT Chicago; and a board member of IMPACT Violence Prevention. I trained in Seido karate with Nancy Lanoue and Sarah Ludden at Thousand Waves for 30 years and retired as a 5th-degree black belt. I have been studying Yoga with Tracy Von Kaenel for over 25 years. My research and writing focus on ESD with my most recent research publication is in Violence Against Women "Empowerment through Feminist Self-Defense: The IMPACT Lasts," about the skills women use after completing an IMPACT program and how long they continue to use them.