Dr. Shelly Clevenger

Dr. Shelly Clevenger is the chair the Department of Victim Studies. She recently gave a TED talk titled, The Healing Power of Toys: How Toys Help People Cope with Trauma. Her research area of focus is victimization, both in person and online and has been published in journals such as Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management, American Journal of Criminal Justice, and Crime & Delinquency. Dr. Clevenger had the honor to present her research on victimization at the United Nations Women in New York City and a U.S. Congressional Briefing in Washington, D.C. Dr, Clevenger received the Stan and Sandy Rives Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award from Illinois State University in 2020 and Book of the Year Award for Understanding Victimology: An Active Learning Approach from the American Society of Criminology, Division of Victimology in 2019. In her spare time, Dr. Clevenger is an avid vintage toy collector, voracious comic book reader, and Disneyland enthusiast.