Topeka ? A state coalition that works to prevent sexual and domestic violence said the departure of Juliene Maska from the Kansas Governor’s Grants Program office was “a great loss.”

“Not only did Juliene devote her career to making Kansas better for victims of crime, she was also an advocate, an ally, and a friend to victims of sexual and domestic violence in Kansas and across the nation,” the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence said in a news release.

Maska informed the coalition that last Friday was her last day in Gov. Sam Brownback’s office. Maska could not be reached for comment Thursday, and Brownback’s office did not respond to a request for information.

Maska has been recognized as a leader in Kansas in the movement to end violence against women and children. The coalition established an award in her name that is given annually to an outstanding advocate in Kansas.

She has worked with previous governors and attorneys general — both Republicans and Democrats — to pass the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, create the Governor’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, and implement numerous other initiatives to help victims. She served as the state’s first statewide Victim Rights Coordinator.

“Juliene’s public and daily support for crime victims in Kansas will be missed,” the coalition said. “Her legacy as a leader in the movement to end violence against women and children in Kansas will live on.”