In January, after seven years of service, Lianne Kowiak shared that it was time to pass the torch to another parent to represent families of hazing victims on the Hazing Prevention Network (HPN) board of directors.
“Lianne has been an invaluable contributor, resource and fundraiser for Hazing Prevention Network,” said HPN President Marc Mores. “I thank her for over seven years of service and we are pleased that her son’s name will live on through the Harrison Kowiak Scholarship.”
Lianne and Brian Kowiak’s son Harrison was an accomplished athlete and scholar, attending Lenoir-Rhyne University on a golf and academic scholarship. Harrison lost his life because of fraternity hazing during his sophomore year in college at the age of 19.
While stepping down from the HPN board, Lianne will move forward with her mission as a hazing prevention advocate to raise awareness and education to the dangers of hazing and to save lives. Lianne will continue to speak at universities and high schools where she has spoken to thousands of students.
“What a pleasure it has been to get to know Lianne and to work with her,” said Bonnie Wunsch, HPN board secretary. “Her input and dedication have been invaluable. While we will miss her on the board, we all know she and her family will continue to make a difference.”
Kathleen Wiant was unanimously elected to join the board in Lianne’s absence.
“We are excited to have Kathleen as a new member of our board,” said Mores. “We welcome her ideas of how we can continue to broaden our reach in order to spread awareness on the dangers of hazing while also empowering hazing prevention advocates.”
Kathleen is the mother of Collin Wiant who tragically died from hazing while pledging a fraternity at Ohio University in the fall of 2018. Kathleen has become a fierce anti-hazing advocate, regularly speaking at universities nationwide to educate students on the dangers of hazing. Kathleen has appeared on Dr. Phil, Inside Edition, and ABC News, and released a TED Talk entitled The Dangers of Hazing & Bullying. She worked closely with legislators to create and pass Collin’s Law: Ohio’s Anti-Hazing Law and currently advocates on Capitol Hill for the Stop Campus Hazing Act, recently proposed federal anti-hazing legislation. The Wiant family also launched an Emmy® Award-Winning documentary entitled 45 Mill Street: The Collin Wiant Story. They keep Collin’s spirit alive through the Collin Wiant Foundation with the mission of bringing more kindness and courage to the world.
“I have had the pleasure of seeing Kathleen’s commitment to anti-hazing efforts during our years advocating through the Anti-Hazing Coalition,” said HPN Executive Director Todd Shelton. “She is a person who doesn’t take no for an answer and will be a valuable addition to our efforts as a member of the board.”
Hazing Prevention Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people to prevent hazing, by providing education and resources, advocating on hazing prevention, and building partnerships with others. Major initiatives of the organization include National Hazing Prevention Week™, the Hazing Prevention Institute™ and Prevent.Zone™ educational online courses that touch the lives of thousands of individuals, organizations, campuses and communities. Learn more at hazingpreventionnetwork.org.
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(February 15, 2024)
