1999 NVAA Faculty
Michael A. de Arellano, Ph.D. is a Research Associate and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC). Dr. de Arellano received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Miami and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He completed his Pre-Doctoral
Internship at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. de Arellano then completed a NIMH Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Violence and Traumatic Stress at the NCVC. Dr. de Arellano's research focuses on ethnic differences in victimization and in the psychological sequelae of trauma. He is the Director and founder of the NCVC Hispanic Outreach program-Esperanza (HOPE). The HOPE program provides clinical services and advocacy for children and women of Hispanic descent who have been victims of abuse, assault, domestic violence, or other types of trauma. Dr. de Arellano's work has helped to increase community awareness of the needs of Hispanic crime victims through in-service training to service agencies and through community presentations at local schools and churches. Dr. de Arellano has also presented his research at local and national conferences, and his work has been published in scientific and professional journals.
David Beatty, J.D. has served as Director of Public Policy for the National Victim Center since 1989 and served as Acting Director of the Center from 1995 to 1997. He serves as the Center's spokesman on policy and legal issues, and provides research, training and technical assistance for legislators, policy leaders, victims, victim advocates and members of the media. He currently serves on the Victims Committee of the American Bar Association, and is a member of the Victims' Constitutional Amendment Network Steering Committee. In 1996, he received the President's Victims Service Award in a White House ceremony for his outstanding work on behalf of crime victims.
Aurelia Sands Belle, M.Ed., Executive Director, Rape Crisis Volunteers of Cumberland County, has more than a decade of professional experience in the area of victim advocacy. Ms. Sands Belle is the Former Director of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program of the Metropolitan Atlanta Crime Commission, having served in this capacity since the program's inception in 1984. She was the first advocate appointed to serve on the Governor's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to represent the issues confronting victims of crime. Ms. Bell served on the State of Georgia's Commission on Family Violence and as the president of Georgians for Victim Justice. She is known throughout the United States for her work as a training consultant for the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), the National Institute for Citizens Education in the Law, and the National Crime Prevention Council. As a distinguished member of the Board of NOVA, Aurelia Sands Belle has served on several national crisis response teams including the Lucasville Prison riot in 1993. Aurelia Sands Belle holds a Master's Degree in Community Counseling from Georgia State University. Most recently, Ms. Belle was responsible for developing all services to victims and witnesses of crime during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
Debra Burton has a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and received a certificate of completion as a "Victim Services Practitioner" from the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute/Victim Services. She has been employed with the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the last 14 years. Currently, she is assigned to the Victim Services Unit, where she has served as a Victim Advocate for the past 9 years. She is President and one of the founding members of the Broward Victims' Rights Coalition. She is a member of the Broward Domestic Violence Council, South Florida Society for Trauma-Based Disorders, and the Florida Network of Victim/Witness Services. She has taught numerous seminars throughout the State of Florida on Victim Services and Culture Diversity. In 1996, the Broward Domestic Violence Council honored her with "Domestic Violence Professional-Victim Advocate" of the year.
Jayne G. Crisp, C.T.S., C.V.A.S. is Director of Victim Services for Neighbors Who Care, a subsidiary of Prison Fellowship Ministries in Reston, Virginia. Ms. Crisp assists in developing training curricula and technical assistance resources, workshops and professional standards for national field and headquarters staff and volunteers. She develops special projects and services responsive to ministry and service needs, and provides fund development assistance to national field chapter staff. She also serves, since 1997, as Director of the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists and is responsible for member services, conferences, program plans for an international traumatic stress certification and education association. Since 1995 Ms. Crisp has been the Regional Field Coordinator/Southern Region, Training and Technical Assistance Consultant, and Peer Grant Review Member for the Office for Victims of Crime, and also a Consultant and Trainer for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs, US Department of Justice. Since 1994 she has served as Curriculum Consultant and Faculty Member-Victim Services Designation Training for the Office of the Florida Attorney General, Division of Victim Services. From 1991 to 1996, Ms. Crisp was Project Coordinator, Training and Community Development for the Office of the South Carolina Governor, Division of Victim Assistance. From 1988-1992 she was a Research Consultant and Trainer at the Medical University of South Carolina National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center in Charleston, South Carolina.
Dan Eddy, J.D. is the Executive Director of the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards, the organization comprising all of the state compensation programs. He plans and implements training and technical assistance activities and operates a referral and resource information service on compensation issues. Previously, he directed the Crime Victim Project at the National Association of Attorneys General, assisting state Attorneys General with legislative and programmatic efforts. He is an attorney with several years experience in private practice.
Christine Edmunds is a consultant specializing in criminal justice reforms and victims' rights and services. She has worked in the victims' movement for over a decade, including as assistant Director of Public Affairs and Senior Trainer for the National Organization for Victim Assistance and as Director of Program Development for the National Victim Center. She has developed and directed numerous federal, state, and local training, evaluation, and technical assistance programs for service providers, prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement in over 40 states. Her experience includes development of the Legal Remedies for Crime Victims Against Perpetrators training series. She also developed NVC's INFOLINK, a national toll-free information and referral program covering 65 different topics. Since 1989, she has served as Adjunct Instructor in the Department of Criminology at California State University-Fresno. Ms. Edmunds served as Senior Curriculum Consultant for the 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 National Victim Assistance Academy projects. She was also instrumental in the development of the first Faculty Development Training Program in 1996 and the accompanying Faculty Development Training Guide.
Carroll Ann Ellis, M.S. is the Director of Fairfax Police Department's Victim/Witness Unit, which provides a wide array of comprehensive services to victims and witnesses of violent crimes. She is the co-founder and co-facilitator of the Fairfax Peer Survivors Group (FPSG), a support group for family members of homicide victims. The FPSG has been the feature of a documentary entitled From Fury to Forgiveness. She is also a frequent guest lecturer at the National FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia.
Stephanie Frogge, M.T.S., C.T.S. is National Director of Victim Services for Mothers Against Drunk Driving National Office. She has over 18 years of experience in the area of victim assistance and activism, writing and speaking extensively on victim assistance issues. In addition to providing technical assistance and consultation to victim advocates in the field and direct victim assistance to drunk driving crash victims all over the country, Ms. Forge was with the National Organization for Victim Assistance in Washington, DC where she coordinated a domestic violence law enforcement policy project. Ms. Forge holds a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's Degree in Theology Studies from Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is a certified Trauma Specialist and has an Associate Certification in Bereavement Support and Education through the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her national publications include Thanatos, Bereavement Magazine, and Lifelines.
Mario Thomas Gaboury, Ph.D., J.D. is Director of the Center for the Study of Crime Victims' Rights, Remedies, and Resources at the University of New Haven, where he also has an appointment as Associate Professor. He is a former Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, currently a regular consultant and advisor to projects conducted by the Victims' Assistance Legal Organization and the National Victim Center, and a former Legislative Specialist for the National Organization for Victim Assistance. He serves as Chair of the Victims' Rights Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association and Vice Chair of the Victim Committee of the American Bar Association. Dr. Gaboury also maintains a private law and consulting practice. He has authored several book chapters and delivered over 75 professional papers, workshops and speeches.
Carolina Garcia, MSW, MPA is a 14-year employee of the California Youth Authority (CYA). Her experience covers a variety of positions including Casework Specialist, Wards Rights and disciplinary Decision-Maker, Treatment Team supervisor and Department Victims Services Supervisor. She is a graduate of the National Victim Assistance Academy class of 1995, and has used her training to expand CYA's victims services programs. Carolina has been instrumental in developing policy and procedures sensitive to victims needs and has implemented statutory mandates facilitating departmental restitution collection efforts. In 1996, Carolina was selected to receive the Governor's Doris G. Tate Award for her exceptional dedication and commitment to victims in youth and adult correctional agencies.
Trudy Gregorie has 20 years of experience in the victim services and criminal justice system. From 1979 to 1992, she was the director of a prosecutor-based program providing comprehensive victim services in Charleston, South Carolina. She served on the initial South Carolina Task Force that developed protocol and procedures for victim assistance programs. She was a founding member, board member and officer of the SC Victim Assistance Network. In 1992, she joined the Governor's Office and helped develop the South Carolina Crime Victim Ombudsman Program. In 1994 Ms. Gregorie joined the senior staff at the National Victim Center and currently serves as Director of Victim Services & Program Development. As a certified trainer by the National College of District Attorneys, the US Federal Judicial Center, the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards, the National Crime Prevention Council , and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime Trainers Bureau, she has provided training for both systems-based and community-based programs and professionals around the country. She currently serves on the faculty of the National Victim Assistance Academy sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. Ms. Gregorie also is a regular trainer for the ongoing National Sheriffs' Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police and American Association for Retired Persons TRIAD training series on elder issues and services, and serves on the faculty of the Illinois and the Louisiana Elderly Services Officer Police Academies. In 1999, she received the President's Award for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Victims of Crime.
Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph.D. is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Director of the National Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, where he has been on the faculty since 1970. Since 1974, his primary research interest has been studying the scope and mental health impact of violent crime with particular emphasis on crimes against women. His research has resulted in over 120 publications and 275 presentations at scientific and professional meetings. In 1985, he received the National Organization for Victim Assistance Stephen Schafer Award for Outstanding Research Contribution to the Victim Assistance Field, and in 1990, President George Bush presented Dr. Kilpatrick with the nation's highest award for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Victims of Crime.
Sharon M. Knope is the Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney's office in the Western District of New York. Ms. Knope has coordinated several district-wide trainings on child abuse, restitution, hate crime, victim awareness in corrections, Full Faith and Credit, and child exploitation. Ms. Knope also authored an article for the U.S. Attorney Bulletin "Name and Social Security Number Changes for Domestic Violence Victims." Ms. Knope also developed a restitution package which informs victims about the provisions of the Mandatory Restitution Act and the recovery of their losses. Ms. Knope is an active member of the Advisory Council of the New York State Crime Victim's Board, the Western New York Coalition for Crime Victims, the Family Violence Board for Niagara County, and the Erie County Family Violence board and is on two Working groups in Washington, DC. In addition, she previously served as a volunteer for the following agencies; the DC Corporation Council organizing adoption case files, Rochester society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children as a supervised visitation monitor, Rochester Police Department Victim Assistance unit as an intern, and a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and has taken various courses and training seminars on victim issues over the last ten years. Prior to working in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ms. Knope was a paralegal for the Department of Justice Antitrust Division in Washington, DC.
R. Gail London is a Program Specialist in the Behavioral Science Division, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. She serves as a key expert on Victim Witness issues within the Behavioral Science Division and is one of the primary liaisons between the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the Office for Victims of Crime. Ms. London is responsible for instructing law enforcement officers on Victim-Witness Awareness, Victimology, Stress Management and other basic core courses. She is an instructor and evaluator for the Distance Learning Instructor Training Program and the Law Enforcement Instructor Training Program.
Before joining the training staff at the FLETC, Gail served as the Law Enforcement Coordination/Victim-Witness Manager for the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida (1/86-11/96). Hired in 1986, she was one of the first LECC/Victim-Witness Coordinators in the country. In 1990, she received the Directors Award for Outstanding Performance in Assistance to Victims of Crime, awarded by the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. Other work experience includes working as a Case Coordinator/Interviewer with a multi-disciplinary Child Protection Team, therapist at mental health center, and Social Worker with developmentally delayed adults and children. Gail received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Social Work from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
Janice Harris Lord, M.S.S.W. is a licensed social worker and professional counselor who joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1983 as National Director of Victim Services, the position from which she has just retired. Currently, she works as a criminal justice consultant in private practice. As a writer, Ms. Lord founded and is editor of MADDVOCATE magazine, a publication for victims of drunk driving crashes and their advocates. She is the author of two books, Beyond Sympathy and No Time for Goodbyes. She is certified both as an educator and grief counselor by the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and has designed numerous highly successful seminars. Ms. Lord received national recognition from Attorney General Janet Reno in 1993 for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Victims of Crime.
Kevin "Kip" Lowe, Ph.D., Assistant Deputy Director, Office of Prevention and Victims Services, California Youth Authority, has over 20 years experience in juvenile corrections. Kip's expertise in training the adult learner is recognized nationally and he has presented workshops on training techniques in several states including Florida, New York, Missouri, California, Washington, D.C., and Hawaii. The unique combination of training expertise and victims service experience has culminated in Kip's national focus on the development of qualified trainers to improve the response to crime victims and sensitize offenders to the impact of their criminal acts on victims. During the past ten years, Kip's educational and professional development has been linked to the victim's arena. In his consulting and assessment activities in forensic psychology, he has made efforts to assure that empathy for victims of crime is a major focus of both initial assessment and treatment. On the national front, during the past seven years, Kip has participated on national projects with National Crime Prevention Council and the National Institute for Citizen Education in the ("Teens, Crime, and the Community"), National Organization for Victim Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, faculty for the National Victim Center on the "Crime Victims & Corrections" training and technical assistance project, and faculty for the National Victim Assistance Academy.
Edwin Meese III, Attorney General of the United States from 1985 to 1988, was instrumental in ensuring that the U.S. Department of Justice, for the first time in history, played a leadership role in advancing the rights of crime victims. During his tenure, the first federal Office for Victims of Crime was established; the first federal support for local victim assistance programs was provided using criminal fines and penalties; and for the first time, victim/witness coordinators served crime victims in every U.S. Attorney's Office. As a key advisor to President Reagan, he served as Chairman of the Domestic Policy Council and the National Drug Policy Board and as a member of the National Security Council. During the 1970s, Mr. Meese was Director of the Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Management and Professor of Law at the University of San Diego. He earlier served as Chief of Staff for then-Governor Reagan and was an Almeda County prosecutor in California. Mr. Meese is currently a Ronald Reagan Fellow in Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution in California.
Ada Pecos-Melton, an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico, is President of American Indian Development Associates (AIDA), a 100% Indian-owned technical assistance, research, and training firm. AIDA provides training to Indian justice systems in program and public policy development and research, particularly in strengthening indigenous methods of conflict resolution to address crime, delinquency, violence and victimization issues in Indian communities. Ms. Melton has researched Indian child abuse and neglect and other juvenile crime issues. She helped draft revisions for the New Mexico Children's Code which enhanced the handling and treatment of Indian children by the state in adoption, juvenile delinquency, child abuse and neglect, family-in-need-of-care, and mental health proceedings which are helping to reduce the disproportionate over-representation of Indian children in the State system. She is currently drafting the policies and procedures to implement these code revisions. Her public service includes work as a Probation Officer, Court Administrator, and Director of juvenile programs. In 1995, she took a one year sabbatical to establish the American Indian and Alaska Native Desk in the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. She received her Masters of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice, both from the University of New Mexico.
Morna A. Murray, J.D. is Executive Director of the Victims' Assistance Legal Organization, Inc. (VALOR). Prior to this, she was a practicing attorney in private practice for over ten years and has devoted considerable effort to work on behalf of crime victims. She served as a Guardian Ad Litem for child abuse and neglect proceedings in Broward County, Florida and also was a member of the Florida Bar's Committee on the Legal Needs of Children. From 1992-95, she served as a Professor of Legal Studies at the University of Hartford; she also assisted the Connecticut Commission on Children with analysis of case law and proposed state legislation regarding child abuse and neglect. She recently served as the Senior Attorney for VALOR's Restitution Reform Project, and was co-author of the resulting OVC Bulletin "The Coordinated Interagency Approach to Restitution Management." She coordinated the development, production and nationwide distribution of the 1998 and 1999 National Crime Victims' Rights Week Resource Guide. She served as the Project Coordinator for the 1997 National Victim Assistance Academy Project and since 1997, has served as Project Director of the Academy. She is also Project Manager for the OVC-funded project "Promising Practices in Restitution." She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, the Connecticut Bar, and the Florida Bar.
Brian Ogawa, D.Min. is the Director of the Crime Victims' Institute, Office of the Attorney General, State of Texas. Dr. Ogawa has over 25 years of university teaching and research, counseling, direct victim services, and criminal justice experience. In 1995, he received the Crime Victim Service Award presented by the President and the Attorney General in ceremonies at the White House. Dr. Ogawa has been a consultant on numerous national projects related to crime victims and has served on the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services, Executive Committee of the National Organization for Victim Assistance, Victim Issues Committee of the American Probation and Parole Association, and Board of Advisors of The Crime Victims Report. Dr. Ogawa is the author of the books Walking on Eggshells (Volcano Press) for abused women, To Tell the Truth (Volcano Press) to assist children through the criminal justice process, and Color of Justice (Allyn & Bacon/Simon & Schuster), the landmark study of minority victimization.
Dan Petersen, Ph.D., is the Associate Dean for the School of Applied Studies at Washburn and a professor in the Department of Human Services, Social Work, and Criminal Justice. Prior to Washburn University. Dr. Petersen was employed by the Kansas Neurological Institute, serving the institution in several capacities, including program director and acting superintendent. Dr Petersen was the Director of the Human Services Program at Eastern Montana College and was Associate Director of the Montana University Affiliated Program for Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Petersen received a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Philosophy, a Masters in Human Development and a Doctorate in Developmental and Child Psychology. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications, has served as a consultant, and is actively involved in research on violence, aggression and aberrant behavior.
James Rowland is the retired Director of the California Department of Corrections. His distinguished career in law enforcment and corrections included serving as a police officer, as well as the positions of Chief Probation Officer of Fresno County, and Director of the California Youth Authority. In the former position, he implemented the use of the first Victim Impact
Statement, which is now utilized in all United States' jurisdictions. He is a past president of NOVA and also served as a leading NOVA board member for a number of years.
Judith A. Schmelig is the Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Missouri. She works directly with crime victims/witnesses to determine what assistance is required. Ms. Schmelig interacts with federal, state and local law enforcement and victim service agencies to enhance effective cooperation in the area of compliance of victim/witness rights. She provides training concerning victim issues to U.S. Attorney personnel, federal, state and local agencies. Ms Schmelig serves on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Victim Assistance Network. She is also a member of the National Organization of Victim Assistance, Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Council on Child Abuse & Neglect and the Missouri Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She is the Federal Coordinator for the St. Louis Crisis Response Team and serves on the Advisory Committee of the St. Louis Public Schools Consortium for Dropout Prevention. Ms. Schmelig is a 1996 graduate of the National Victim Assistance Academy.
Anne Seymour is a consultant specializing in criminal justice, crime victims' rights and services, and public safety. Her current work includes public policy development, training and technical assistance, program evaluation, and research in juvenile justice, corrections-based victim services, family violence, the news media's coverage of crime, and drug treatment for non-violent offenders, as well as developing new technologies to improve criminal justice and victim services. She has over a decade of experience, first as the Director of Public Affairs for the National Office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and, from 1985 to 1993, as co-founder and Director of Communications of the National Victim Center. She has appeared in virtually every news medium -- including all network morning shows and evening newscasts, Nightline, Larry King Live, Crossfire, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Frontline -- as an expert on crime victims' rights. Ms. Seymour has received numerous honors for her efforts, including the 1992 "Outstanding Service to Crime Victims" award from President Bush.
Jane Nady Sigmon, Ph.D. is the Director of Research and Curriculum Administrator at the American Prosecutors Research Institute in Alexandria, Virginia, and a member of the VALOR Board of Directors. While serving as Executive Director of VALOR, Dr. Sigmon directed the National Victim Assistance Academy (1994-1997), coordinated the development, publication and nationwide distribution of the 1995, 1996, and 1997 National Crime Victims' Rights Week Resource Guide, and co-authored the OVC Bulletin, The Coordinated Interagency Approach to Restitution Reform. Dr. Sigmon is the former director of the U.S. Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime (1987-1991) where she administered the Victims of Crime Act and established innovative programs to assist Native American victims and victims of federal crimes. She served as Associate Commissioner of the U.S. Children's Bureau (1984-1987) and Special Assistant to the Commissioner on Developmental Disabilities (1982-1984). In the former position, she managed federal child welfare programs and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. She also served on the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect (1992-1996). Prior to government service, she worked for more than ten years with children and their families in schools and public health settings. She has spoken widely on the impact of child abuse, domestic violence, and other violent crimes, and has testified on numerous occasions before committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. In 1991, Dr. Sigmon was honored by NOVA as the first recipient of the Senator John Heinz Award for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Crime Victims.
Mary Jo Speaker is the Victim-Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Prior to working in the Federal criminal justice system, Mary Jo was the Director/Coordinator for the Tulsa County District Attorney's Victim Witness Center from July 1983 through August 1996. Mary Jo is responsible for providing comprehensive services to victims of federal crimes and victims of crimes committed in Indian Country. She has extensive experience in working with victims of violent crimes and spent more than eight years working with survivors and family members of murder victims. She was one of six Federal Victim-Witness Coordinators that were assigned to the case of United States v. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in reference to the bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Mary Jo graduated in May 1983 from the University of Tulsa with B.S. degrees in Criminal Justice and Sociology.
Raymond Teske, Jr., Ph.D. is a Professor of Criminal Justice and the Director of the National Institute for Victim Studies at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. As an Alexander Von Humboldt fellow, Dr. Teske is involved in research projects focusing on his areas of expertise, which include the study of crime rates and trends, sentencing, probation and parole, prison programs, capital punishment, crime legislation, victimology and family violence. His publications include Crime and Justice in Texas and numerous journal articles, book reviews and documents. He has been the recipient of many awards and grants for research, including the Excellence in Research Award from Sam Houston State University in 1995.
Thomas Underwood, M.P.A. is the Director of the Center on Violence and Victim Studies and Program Coordinator for the Division of Continuing Education at Washburn University. He primarily coordinates and instructs criminal justice- and human service-related programs and courses. He recently developed the Victims Assistance Program at Washburn University that provides special topics training to victim service professionals. Mr. Underwood has experience in adult education, mental health, and criminal justice. He has a Masters in Public Administration and is currently working toward a doctorate in adult and continuing education.
Barbara E. Vanarsdall has held the position of the Victim-Witness Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, since 1989. The Southern District is comprised of 48 counties within the cities of Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton and covers a population of 5.5 million people. Barbara earned a B.A. degree from Antioch University and holds a paralegal certification from the American Institute of Paralegal Studies. She is a registered Senior Advocate with the Ohio Victim-Witness Association and a 1996 graduate of the National Victim Assistance Academy. Barbara is an active member of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA), the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Ohio Crime Prevention Association, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Victims' Justice Council, the State Attorney General's Crime Victims' Advocacy Group, the State Victim Assistance Advisory Board and the Federal Leadership Council. She also serves on the Ohio Crisis Response Team, as well as NOVA's national crisis response team. She serves on various other committees within the federal state and local governments providing leadership, training and assistance. Her most recent accomplishment has been the initiation and implementation of the Central Ohio Bank Tellers Support Group. Presently, she is pursuing studies in alternative dispute/mediation resolution.
Steven Walker, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Criminology Department at California State University-Fresno and the Director of the CSUF Victims' Institute. He administers the nation's first Victim Services Program, which includes the Summer Institute and the Victimology Major. He is also responsible for the current development of a Joint Doctorate in Criminal Sciences which will include an option in Victimology. Dr. Walker has been involved in the development of educational standards in victim services for over ten years. He has been on the NVAA faculty since its inception and is the Academic and Site Director for the CSU-Fresno site.
Harvey Wallace, J.D. is the Chair of the Department of Criminology, California State University-Fresno, and also serves as Director of the Justice Center in the Department of Criminology, California State University-Fresno. He is the former City Attorney for Fresno, California and the former County Counsel for Butte County, California. In both positions, he was involved in advising law enforcement agencies on domestic violence. He served as a Deputy District Attorney for the San Diego District Attorney's Office where he prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor cases. Mr. Wallace is the author of Family Violence: Legal, Medical, and Social Perspectives (1995, 2nd Ed., 1999) and is in the process of writing several other books in the area of criminal justice.
Eidell Wasserman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the director of the consulting firm of Wasserman, Leviton, and Hodder, a firm dedicated to improving services to victims of family violence and establishing community-based interventions and healing, particularly in American Indian communities. For the past 9 years she has provided training and technical assistance to victim assistance and Children's Justice Act programs in Indian country, and direct therapeutic services to child victims. Dr. Wasserman has extensive experience in training multi-disciplinary audiences in child abuse and sexual abuse, elder abuse, family violence, grant writing, protocol development, development of multi-disciplinary and child protection teams, juvenile victims and
offenders, community healing, program development and evaluation, and the dynamics of victimization.
Kathi West, M.S.W. has her Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Texas and has been a Victim/Witness Coordinator at the U.S. Attorney's Office for seven years in the Western District of Texas. Before coming to the USAO, Kathi was a Case Manager/Crisis Counselor at the Austin Police Department's Victim Services Division. Ms. West is currently serving a two-year term on the Coordinator's Advisory Council of the U.S. Attorney General's LECC/Victim-Witness Subcommittee. This Advisory Committee assists the United States Attorneys on the Subcommittee in formulating programs and policies surrounding LECC (Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee) and victim/witness issues. Ms. West was also appointed by the Texas Attorney General to serve as an Advisory Council Member for the Texas Crime Victims' Institute. In addition, she is serving a two-year term on the Advisory Council for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services. She as also an active member of the Victim Services 2000 grant project awarded to Travis County to build a model network of victim services that could be replicated throughout the United States. Ms. West participated on the Texas Council for Family Violence (TCFV) Protective Order Working Group of the Public Policy committee to recommend amending Texas law so that Texas Protective Orders meet the federal requirements under VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) Firearms Statutes. Ms. West was on the Advisory Committee that planned the 1999 National Symposium on Federal Victims of Crime for all federal victim assistance coordinators.
Jill Weston is a Victims Services Specialist with the Office of Prevention and Victims Services of the California Youth Authority, a statewide juvenile offender correctional system. Ms. Weston provides services to crime victims, and works closely with institution staff, victim/witness, victim advocates, probation, judges and district attorneys. Ms. Weston has participated in national training for many states and the Department of the Defense. She conducted the first Impact of Crime Training for Trainers for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and continues to provide training and technical assistance for the Crime Victims and Corrections Project. Ms. Weston currently provides local and national training on diverse subjects such as death notification, staff/inmate over- familiarization, staff supervision, and training for trainers. In addition she has served as a line staff, supervisor and manager in correctional institutions, working with juvenile offenders in specialized counseling programs as well as regular programs.
Wendy L. White joined the staff of Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault in February, 1997 as Legal Outreach Coordinator. Her responsibilities focus on legal system advocacy for victims of sexual assault and their families. Additionally, her responsibilities include the development, management and training of a volunteer court advocacy program. She is a graduate of an ABA-approved paralegal program at Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC and 1997 graduate of the National Victim Assistance Academy. She interned with the Ninth Circuit Solicitor's Office and is a former Guardian ad Litem in South Carolina. Ms. White has served as a victim's advocate in the area of sexual assault victimization for more than 9 years. Ms. White also assists at the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy as an instructor for law enforcement basic curriculum, communicators basic, and field training officers courses on the subjects of sexual assault and victimization, sexual harassment, and stalking. She has developed numerous in-service presentations for the Justice Academy on such subjects as Sexual Assault-Impact and Issues, Workplace Sexual Harassment-Intent vs. Impact, Child Victim/Child Witness, Sexual Harassment Issues for Supervisors, and Adults with Disabilities and Police Intervention as well as presentations for other criminal justice professionals.
Arthur Wint, J.D. is an Associate Professor of Criminology at California State University, Fresno. He has served as the Fresno Site Coordinator for the National Victim Assistance Academy. His current academic interests include Victimology and Victims Rights; Juvenile Delinquency, and Community Policing. He previously served as vice chair of the Fresno County Juvenile Commission, and is currently a mediator with Fresno Victim Offender Reconciliation Program. He has written articles on various subjects, including police liability for use of deadly force and victims' attitudes toward the criminal justice system. He is currently preparing an a
article on the role of community based organizations in assessing the merits of alternative detention approaches in juvenile justice, and a book on child molestation and abuse.
Marlene Young, Ph.D., J.D. was a founding member of the board of the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) in 1975 and has served as Executive Director since 1981. She is also on the Executive Committee of the World Society of Victimology, past treasurer of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, co-chair of the Victim Services Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and a member of the Victims Committee of the American Bar Association. She was also a founding board member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. In her capacity as NOVA's Executive Director, Dr. Young developed the first 40-hour, victim-oriented training curricula ever published for allied professional groups of law enforcement patrol officers and managers, prosecutors, and mental health providers. She also designed one of the first 40-hour training courses for victim advocates, victim counselors, and victim service program managers. Dr. Young has published some 75 articles, chapters, and monographs. She has traveled to 49 states and nine countries and spoken on victim-related issues at over 800 conferences and training seminars. Her leadership in the victims' movement has resulted in 50 state, national, and international honors. In 1988, she was the recipient of one of the annual awards of the Foundation for Justice Improvement. In 1992, she was honored by President George Bush for "Outstanding Service in Behalf of Crime Victims."