Gina Wilson is a purpose-driven leader, author, and domestic violence advocate whose work centers on helping individuals and organizations recognize harm, reclaim agency, and rebuild with clarity and integrity.
With over a decade of experience in executive-level school and organizational leadership, Gina has led complex systems through change, accountability, and growth, often in environments where power dynamics, silence, and unaddressed harm shaped culture more than policy ever could. Her leadership consistently centers people, ethics, and impact, particularly in moments when discomfort was easier to normalize than to confront.
Gina’s advocacy work is informed by direct experience supporting survivors of domestic violence. She has worked within a domestic violence shelter, partnering closely with survivors navigating crisis, safety planning, and recovery. In addition to frontline advocacy, she has collaborated with domestic violence agencies across Missouri and Illinois, strengthening survivor-centered education, referral pathways, and community-based responses.
Her commitment to prevention also includes authoring anti-violence education curricula that have been presented in K–12 schools across Missouri, equipping students with age-appropriate language, awareness, and tools to recognize unhealthy behaviors early. This work reflects her belief that prevention begins long before harm escalates and that schools play a critical role in shaping how young people understand power, boundaries, and voice.
Gina is the author of Free 2 Scream: A Guide for Victims and Survivors of Abuse to Find Their Voice, Advocate for Themselves, and Access Support Safely, a survivor-centered resource focused on empowerment, education, and safety-informed advocacy. Free 2 Scream is currently used weekly with domestic violence support groups across Missouri and Illinois, supporting survivors as they build language, confidence, and informed pathways toward safety and healing.
She is also the author of Throwing Workplace FITS: Facts, Insights, & Tools to Recognize, Acknowledge, and Recover from Workplace Abuse, a practical and validating guide for employees, supervisors, and organizations seeking to understand unhealthy workplace dynamics and move toward healthier, more humane ways of working. Together, her books reflect a consistent throughline: naming harm, restoring voice, and supporting recovery with clarity and care.
Gina is the founder of The OPAL Center, Inc. (Outreach, Protection, Advocacy & Leadership), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to address a critical gap in prevention and education. OPAL focuses on teen and young adult dating violence prevention while also providing trauma-informed education, leadership training, and referral-based support for women navigating workplace and domestic trauma. The organization’s work is rooted in the belief that what we learn about power early does not stay contained—and that prevention is one of the most effective forms of protection.
Her work bridges lived understanding and professional training, allowing her to lead with credibility, compassion, and clear boundaries. OPAL’s programming is educational—not therapeutic—and when clinical or therapeutic services are needed, the organization partners with licensed professionals and trusted community providers to ensure ethical and appropriate care.
At the core of Gina’s leadership is a simple but uncompromising belief: learning should lead to healing and systems do not change unless people are given the language, tools, and permission to tell the truth about their experiences.
