Guest Host Biographies

OVC Web Forum Guest Host sessions offer an impressive roster of experts discussing best practices for a wide variety of victim issues. You can read about the guest hosts here. For more information, questions, or comments about the sessions, send an e-mail to OVCproviderforum@ncjrs.gov.

To view a biography, click on the guest host's name below. To learn more about previous years’ guest hosts, visit the Guest Host Biographies Archive.

Current Guest Hosts

Jenifer Markowitz
02/15/2012 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Older Victims of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

Jenifer Markowitz, N.D., is the Medical Advisor for AEquitas: The Prosecutors’ Resource on Violence Against Women, located in Washington, D.C. Dr. Markowitz presents on a variety of forensic-related topics, including medical-forensic examinations, strangulation, drug- and alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, and expert witness testimony. She also provides case consultation, expert testimony, and technical assistance; and develops training materials, resources, and publications.

A forensic nurse examiner since 1995, Dr. Markowitz has presented and facilitated for organizations such as the National District Attorneys Association, several state prosecuting attorney associations, and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. She has worked with the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice to develop a national protocol and training standards for sexual assault forensic examinations; with the U.S. Department of Defense to revise the military’s Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit and corresponding documentation; and as an Advisory Board member for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Dr. Markowitz is the author of multiple publications, including several book chapters and the clinical text, The Color Atlas of Domestic Violence, and also serves as a member of the Editorial Board of the Sexual Assault Report. In 2004, Dr. Markowitz received the International Association of Forensic Nurses’ Distinguished Fellow award and was elected to the association’s Board of Directors. She became the board’s President in 2012.

Dr. Markowitz received a bachelor of arts degree from Case Western Reserve University and completed her clinical doctorate in nursing at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She is board certified as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (Adult/Adolescent).

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Jennifer Gentile Long
02/15/2012 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Older Victims of Intimate Partner Sexual Violence

Jennifer Gentile Long is the Director of AEquitas: The Prosecutors’ Resource on Violence Against Women, located in Washington, D.C. She supervises, facilitates, and participates in training events, resource development, case consultation, and the delivery of technical assistance to prosecutors and allied professionals worldwide. Ms. Long has worked on issues related to violence against women for more than a decade; and, for the past 5 years, has worked with civilian and military prosecutors and other allied professionals on the prosecution of violence against women and children. She also has authored several articles and peer reviewed numerous publications. Ms. Long is the former Director of the National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women at the American Prosecutors Research Institute, the research and technical assistance division of the National District Attorneys Association. She also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she prosecuted cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and child physical and sexual abuse.

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Past Guest Hosts

Curtis Allen
04/27/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Using Therapy Dogs to Respond to Child Victims

Curtis Allen is a Detective with the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office in Utah and a member of the Tooele County Children’s Justice Center (CJC) multidisciplinary team. For the past 3 years, Detective Allen has also managed CJC’s Healing Paws Program, which provides canine companions to comfort children who are victims of abuse before, during, and after they participate in justice-related interviews. Healing Paws is the only program of its kind that trains dogs to accompany children into interviews without their handlers present. Detective Allen created the standards by which dogs are evaluated and tested before they are accepted into the program. He also volunteers his time so that he and his dog Bruno can be present when children are interviewed. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Rupaleem Bhuyan
09/21/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Victim Assistance for Undocumented/Temporary Immigrants

Rupaleem Bhuyan, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bhuyan has been working to end violence since 1991, serving as a peer-rape prevention educator, domestic violence and sexual assault advocate, community educator, and now university-based researcher. She has an interdisciplinary background in international studies, cultural anthropology, and social welfare; and has worked closely with indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities. Dr. Bhuyan’s research addresses the sociocultural and political context of domestic violence, migration, citizenship, and social rights. Her current research explores how political pressure to deny immigrants access to public benefits affects their response to domestic violence and related health issues. Dr. Bhuyan has authored and contributed to numerous publications, including The Journal of Interpersonal Violence, The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, and The Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies. She also has authored chapters in Domestic Violence: Intersectionality and Culturally Competent Practice and Body Evidence: Intimate Violence Against South Asian Women in America.

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Russell Butler
10/13/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Providing Pro Bono Services to Financial Abuse Victims

Russell Butler is an attorney and the Executive Director of the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. Mr. Butler has been an adjunct professor at the University of Baltimore Law School since 2005, where he teaches students about the rights of crime victims. In 2007, he also taught a graduate course in criminal justice regarding victims of crime at the University of Baltimore. A member of the Victim Advisory Group of the United States Sentencing Commission today, Mr. Butler also served as the chair of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Section on Criminal Law and Practice from 2004 to 2005, and as cochair of the Victim Committee of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section from 2006 to 2010. He also has served on a number of other Maryland criminal justice advisory committees, including the State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy and the Article 27 Revision Committee. Mr. Butler previously served as a lobbyist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Stephanie Roper Committee, Inc., and as the legal counsel for the Stephanie Roper Foundation, Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland–College Park and the University of Baltimore Law School.

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Andrea Cardona
04/27/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Using Therapy Dogs to Respond to Child Victims

Andrea Cardona is a survivor of sexual assault and the founder of FLA Four Legged Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Polk County, Florida, that provides volunteer advocates and service dogs to assist child victims of sexual assault. Following a sexual assault at age 17, Ms. Cardona navigated her way through the criminal justice system alone and without any knowledge of crime victims’ rights—an experience that motivated her to became a sexual assault counselor for children and teens. In her work, she found that young victims often experience a loss of trust and comfort. In the aftermath of her own victimization, Ms. Cardona found great comfort in the companionship of her dog, so she began taking her service dog with her when she accompanied victims to and from counseling sessions and trials. She discovered that the dog’s presence made the young people feel more comfortable, helped them to trust her, and helped them see themselves as survivors rather than victims, all of which made them more willing to participate in the criminal justice process.

Ms. Cardona’s counseling methods have been replicated throughout the country with victims of all ages and of varying crimes. Her program has received national attention, most notably from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who declared July 12, 2006, as "FLA Four Legged Advocates, Inc., Day" in Polk County. In 2008, Ms. Cardona received the National Crime Victim Service Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services. Her canine partner, Squiggly, also was honored that year with the Pet Hero Award from the Florida Veterinary Medical Association. In 2010, Ms. Cardona received the University of Central Florida’s Alumni Community Service Award for her work with child victims of sexual assault. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Robert Dumond
06/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Addressing Sexual Violence in Detention

Robert W. Dumond, LCMHC, CCMHC, is a board-certified clinical mental health counselor and a Diplomate of Clinical Forensic Counseling who has served adult and juvenile crime victims and offenders in numerous criminal justice venues for more than 40 years. Currently, he is the Mental Health Program Manager for the Merrimack County-Concord District Court Mental Health Court in New Hampshire—an innovative project to divert and manage justice-involved individuals with serious, persistent mental illness. Mr. Dumond also serves on the faculty of Southern New Hampshire University, both in the School of Arts and Sciences and the College of On-Line and Professional Education. He has also served as President and Senior Consultant of his own firm, Consultants for Improved Human Services, PLLC, through which he provides training to correctional agencies and consultation to numerous federal agencies, including the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mr. Dumond has been involved in examining the issue of prisoner sexual violence since the 1980s. He has testified in numerous cases as a qualified expert witness and, as a member of the Prison Rape Task Force, he contributed to and testified on behalf of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He also testified on the impact of prisoner sexual violence at the first public hearing of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission in Washington, D.C., in 2005, and at the first public hearing of the U.S. Attorney General’s Review Panel on Prison Rape in 2006. Mr. Dumond was one of the principal authors of the national health care standards regarding prisoner sexual violence proposed by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, and contributed significantly to several chapters of the commission’s final report on prisoner sexual violence. He has extensively researched, written, and presented on the issue of prisoner sexual assault in a number of venues, and has authored numerous journal articles and chapters on issues related to correctional mental health, criminal justice, and victimization. Mr. Dumond has received awards for his teaching, his extensive community involvement, and his service with the Massachusetts Department of Correction. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Jack Fleming
03/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Transforming Victim Services in the 21st Century

Jack Fleming is a Program Associate at the National Center for Victims of Crime (National Center) and a Project Director for the Vision 21 Initiative, a collaborative effort with the Office for Victims of Crime through which he is examining how to build capacity in the victim services field to better serve victims of crime and expand the field’s vision and impact. Mr. Fleming has been with the National Center for 4 years, specializing in online marketing, outreach, and event planning. He spearheaded the National Center’s integration of new media technologies with traditional communication venues to stimulate the dialogue among all levels of the victim services field, from local service providers to national organizations to the Federal Government. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Ken Followell
08/31/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Male Survivors of Sexual Violence

Ken Followell is Vice President of the Manatee Victim Rights Council in Manatee County, Florida, and a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. He is a volunteer with the Manatee Glens Rape Crisis Center, where he speaks publicly about male sexual abuse and trains rape crisis counselors in how to work with male survivors. Mr. Followell also created and now facilitates a peer support group for male survivors of sexual abuse. A graduate of Milligan College in Tennessee with bachelor of arts degrees in psychology and Bible, Mr. Followell currently works as an information technology specialist with Bright House Networks.

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Howard Fradkin, Ph.D., LICDC
08/31/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Male Survivors of Sexual Violence

Over the course of his 28-year career, Howard Fradkin, Ph.D., LICDC, has counseled more than 1,000 male survivors of sexual abuse and trained almost the same number of professional colleagues. Dr. Fradkin was one of the founding board members of MaleSurvivor, a nonprofit organization committed to preventing, healing, and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men. He served as the organization’s president, on the Board of Directors for 6 years, and currently serves as an advisory board member. As creator and co-chair of the MaleSurvivor Weekends of Recovery program, Dr. Fradkin has directed 36 Weekends of Recovery since 2001, for more than 650 men. He also delivered the keynote address at the 2010 International MaleSurvivor Conference in New York City.

Dr. Fradkin founded Affirmations: A Center for Psychotherapy and Growth in Columbus, Ohio, in 1984. His expertise includes sexual trauma recovery of men and women, as well as facilitating healing for those who experience depression and anxiety, alcoholism, drug and sex addiction, sexual orientation confusion and acceptance, and HIV- and AIDS-related issues. Recently, Dr. Fradkin was featured as an expert on two episodes of Oprah that brought together 200 male survivors of sexual abuse. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Travis Fritsch, M.S.
01/26/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Stalking Victims Using Victim Notification

Travis Fritsch, M.S., is the Program Manager for the Mary Byron Project, which was established in 2002 in memory of the young woman whose murder led to the creation of automated crime victim notification technologies. Ms. Fritsch has been advocating for victims of domestic violence for more than 30 years and, in 1982, qualified as a court expert on domestic violence. Ms. Fritsch was responsible for the National Pilot on Automated Victim Notification of Civil Protective Order Status initiative and the Technical Assistance to Provide Victim Notification and Enhance Protective Orders and Firearm Prohibitions initiative, funded by the Office on Violence Against Women. She currently serves on the Bureau of Justice Assistance Policy Advisory Board on automated victim notification services and is a member of the domestic violence faculty of the National College of District Attorneys and the U.S. Air Force, Security Forces.

A licensed social worker and certified law enforcement instructor, Ms. Fritsch provides training and technical assistance on domestic violence issues nationally. Additionally, Ms. Fritsch has supported legislation and prevention education; helped create protective order databases and protocols; and developed resources that have been replicated throughout the country. She also has performed surveillance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted homicide research for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Hazards, published peer-reviewed articles, and consulted on media initiatives.

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Tamara Fulwyler
02/10/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Applying for Funding and Managing Grants

Ms. Fulwyler is the Chief Financial Officer for a tribal consortium nonprofit agency that funds health and human services programs for small tribes in southwest Washington. She also is a consultant for nonprofit retreats and community planning meetings and a peer reviewer for tribal grants. Ms. Fulwyler has 30 years of leadership experience with community-based organizations. She consults on topics such as nonprofit board development, public and private resource management, and staff motivation. She also helps nonprofit organizations develop entrepreneurial activities to generate unrestricted income to support their direct service programs. Ms. Fulwyler has facilitated strategic planning with law enforcement, criminal justice, and social services agencies; logic model development and community mapping are her specialties.

Previously, Ms Fulwyler served as the executive director of a regional victim services agency, where she was responsible for supervising the staff and volunteers of a shelter for battered women and their children, a crisis advocacy team, a sexual assault response team, a court and community advocacy team, and a thrift store. Additionally, as a member of a nationally recognized coordinated community response team in Oregon, she participated in local and statewide committees working to end family violence.

Ms. Fulwyler is an enrolled and voting member of the Chickasaw Tribe. She completed the National Victim Assistance Academy in 2003 and was an instructor at the Oregon State Victim Assistance Academy; she also has written training curricula. Ms. Fulwyler received her bachelor's degree from Eastern Oregon University and her master's degree in public health (community health) at Walden University. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Trudy Gregorie
01/26/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Stalking Victims Using Victim Notification

Trudy Gregorie is a Senior Director of Justice Solutions, a national nonprofit agency that provides training and technical assistance on justice- and victim-related issues. She has 32 years of experience in criminal and juvenile justice, specializing in victim services. Ms. Gregorie also serves as a victim consultant for the Justice Center of the Council of State Governments and the National Victim Assistance Academy. She is a member of the American Probation and Parole Association’s Victim Issues Committee and a founding member of both the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network and the National Association of Victim Service Professionals in Corrections.

Ms. Gregorie has helped develop several training programs, curricula, and resources on emerging issues for the crime victim services field. She is a certified trainer for numerous agencies including the Office for Victims of Crime, the National Institute of Corrections, the Center for Effective Public Policy’s Center for Sex Offender Management, and the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Gregorie has provided training in more than 47 states and conducted national interviews in the press and electronic media.

Prior to joining Justice Solutions, Ms. Gregorie served as director of Victim Services and Training at the National Center for Victims of Crime and as director of a prosecutor-based comprehensive victim services program in Charleston, South Carolina. She was the first elected crime victim representative on the Delegate Assembly of the American Correctional Association and served three terms. She also served on the first task force that developed statewide victim services policies, procedures, and standards. In 1992, Ms. Gregorie joined the South Carolina Governor’s Office and developed the State Crime Victim Ombudsman Program. Ms. Gregorie is a recipient of the 1999 National Crime Victim Services Award.

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Karin Ho
01/26/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Assisting Stalking Victims Using Victim Notification

Karin Ho is Administrator of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Office of Victim Services, a position she has held since 1995. Ms. Ho oversees direct services to crime victims, including victim notification, crisis intervention and victim safety planning, educational programming, and support through the death penalty clemency and execution witnessing process. She also is the chairperson for the National Association of Victim Service Professionals in Corrections. In this capacity, she serves as a member of the national Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification Advisory Board. As a board member, Ms. Ho has assisted in the development of national program standards regarding automated victim notification systems and critical incident management for correctional agencies as it relates to victim notification.

Ms. Ho has provided technical assistance to other state correctional agencies that have implemented victim service programs. She has conducted numerous national trainings on the impact of crime programming for offenders and on victim offender dialogue, a process through which victims of violent crime may meet with their offenders. Prior to her career in corrections, Ms. Ho worked as a victim advocate in the sexual assault field for more than 10 years.

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Charity Hope
03/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Transforming Victim Services in the 21st Century

Charity Hope is a Senior Program Associate at the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera), where she is involved with the Vision 21 Initiative, a collaborative effort with the Office for Victims of Crime to address enduring challenges within the crime victim services field in order to expand the field’s vision and impact. Prior to joining Vera in 2008, Ms. Hope served as a director at the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) in Kansas City, Missouri, and as the project director for MOCSA’s Safety First Initiative, a multidisciplinary effort to enhance the capacity of service providers and improve the coordination of services for women with disabilities who are survivors of violence. Ms. Hope previously served as a program manager at SAVE Inc., a housing provider for people living with HIV/AIDS in Kansas City. She holds a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis in organizational behavior from the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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L. Patricia Ice
09/21/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Victim Assistance for Undocumented/Temporary Immigrants

L. Patricia Ice is an attorney and Director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance (MIRA) Legal Project, which offers basic immigration services and advocates for immigrants’ rights. Ms. Ice spent 2 years as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer English teacher in Benin, West Africa, and later taught English in the Philippines, Haiti, Honduras, and the United States. Before joining the MIRA staff in 2006 as an Equal Justice Works Katrina Legal Fellow, she had a solo immigration law practice in Detroit, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi. Ms. Ice writes an immigration advice column that appears in the Mississippi-based publications, La Noticia and the Jackson Advocate and online at imdiversity.com. She is licensed to practice law in Michigan, Mississippi, and New Mexico, and has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1993. Ms. Ice holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Spelman College and a master’s degree in linguistics from Ohio University, as well as a master’s degree in library and information science and a juris doctorate from Wayne State University. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Nadja Jones
05/10/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Responding to Missing Children in Indian Country

Nadja Jones, MSW, is the Senior Community Development Specialist for the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), where she manages several contracts and grants that supply information and training to tribal and public constituents. Through the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare’s In-Depth Technical Assistance program, Ms. Jones provides technical assistance to states and federally recognized tribes on systems collaboration between child welfare agencies, substance abuse services, and the court system. She also provides advisory and planning committee resources for various initiatives related to systems improvement and capacity building.

Prior to joining NICWA, Ms. Jones delivered services directly to victims through an urban Indian agency, where she developed skills in reunification and preventive case management. Ms. Jones was integral in establishing a network of tribal relative care emergency placements throughout upstate New York. She also directed reunification and preventive services for the urban tribal populations of central Minnesota, and supervised family services programs and collaborations with urban American Indian organizations that offer mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and youth-at-risk shelters. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Karen Kalergis
01/27/2012 online discussion host
Topic: Building Resiliency within Victim Service Organizations

03/23/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Coordinating Public Awareness Events

Karen Kalergis is the Associate Director of Education and Communications at the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the University of Texas–Austin, where her primary focus is an OVC-funded training and technical assistance grant to build resiliency in child abuse workers. Ms. Kalergis is also a training and peer review consultant for the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center. Her victim services work has included managing a statewide information and referral program and developing curricula on crime victims’ rights and compensation.

Ms. Kalergis’ interest in how victim service work affects service providers dates back to 1991, when she helped Texas develop a state crisis response team to address not only the needs of victims, but the needs of first responders as well. Previously a public affairs producer for WSUI–KSUI (the NPR affiliate in Iowa City, Iowa) and a weekend news reporter for a country music station, Ms. Kalergis found her calling in outreach and training communications. Over the past 30 years, she has handled media relations for a broad range of corporate, government, and nonprofit events. Ms. Kalergis has a master’s degree in broadcast journalism and communications. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Cynthia Kennedy
01/19/12 online discussion host
Topic: Intersections Between Human Trafficking and Other Vulnerable Populations

Cynthia Kennedy, LICSW, is the Outreach Coordinator at Project REACH, a program of the Trauma Center at the Justice Research Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, that offers trauma-focused mental health services to victims of human trafficking and consultation and training to service providers working with trafficking victims throughout the United States. Before taking this position in 2008, Ms. Kennedy worked with survivors of all forms of trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, torture and refugee trauma. Ms. Kennedy received her master’s degrees in social work and pastoral ministry from Boston College. She completed a postgraduate fellowship in trauma and posttraumatic stress at the Victims of Violence Program at Cambridge Hospital. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Julie K. Landrum
03/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Transforming Victim Services in the 21st Century

Julie Landrum is the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) Project Director for the Vision 21 Initiative, a collaborative effort with the Office for Victims of Crime through which she is examining the role of the crime victims field in responding to crime and delinquency in the U.S. Prior to joining NCVLI, Ms. Landrum worked in state politics and human resources. She holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Janice Harris Lord
01/27/2012 online discussion host
Topic: Building Resiliency within Victim Service Organizations

08/28/2008 online discussion host
Topic: Delivering Victim Sensitive Death Notifications

Janice Harris Lord is a licensed social worker, professional counselor, and private consultant on crime victims’ issues. She is a Fellow in Thanatology with the Association of Death Education and Counseling, and a member of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies. She also was recently elected to the Board of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Ms. Lord has worked in the crime victims’ movement since 1976, and has an extensive background in personal and agency resilience, homicide and catastrophic injury, death notification, standards and ethics in victim services, and spiritually sensitive victim services. She is a consultant for a number of crime victim organizations, with special interest in caregiver resilience, trauma grief, and the role of spirituality in human services.

Ms. Lord has presented nationally, regionally, and at the state level in a training and educational capacity. She has authored numerous publications, including I’ll Never Forget Those Words: A Practical Guide to Death Notification; Spiritually-Sensitive Caregiving: A Multi-Faith Handbook; and No Time for Goodbyes: Coping With Sorrow, Anger, and Injustice After a Tragic Death. From 1983–97, Ms. Lord served as National Director of Victim Services for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She received the U.S. Presidential Award for Outstanding Service on Behalf of Victims of Crime in 1994, and an award for Outstanding Services in Crime Victim Advocacy in 1993. Ms. Lord received her master of science degree in social work from the University of Texas–Arlington. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Jennifer Wilson Marsh
09/13/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Using Online Communications to Assist Crime Victims in the Military

Jennifer Wilson Marsh works for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), where she manages the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline and coordinates the services of 1,100 affiliate sexual assault service providers for the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline. In addition, Ms. Marsh is the RAINN program manager for the Department of Defense Safe Helpline, the Nation’s first confidential hotline resource for military victims of sexual assault. With more than 10 years of experience in the victim services field, Ms. Marsh has presented at national victim services conferences on best practices for online crisis intervention and testified before Congress on best practices for sexual assault services. She also has been published in the journal Evaluation and Program Planning, and featured on ABCNews and CNN and in People magazine.

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Shannon May
06/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Addressing Sexual Violence in Detention

Shannon May is a Program Director at Just Detention International, a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. She oversees Prison Rape Elimination Act implementation projects in Oregon and Texas, assists with inmate outreach efforts, and provides training to corrections officers, victim service providers, and allied professionals. Ms. May has extensive experience conducting trainings, delivering technical assistance, and providing direct services to victims of crime. She previously served as the resource delivery manager for the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVCTTAC), where she coordinated OVC’s training schedule for victim service providers and the delivery of OVC’s National Victim Assistance Academy. Ms. May has served as a trainer for numerous OVC training workshops, including Sexual Assault Advocate/Counselor Training, The Ultimate Trainer, and Providing Culturally Competent Services to Victims of Crime.Prior to joining OVCTTAC, Ms. May worked with crisis centers throughout the United States while serving as National Hopeline Network Director for a large Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration grant. Ms. May also has provided direct services to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence as a rape crisis advocate for CONTACT Delaware and as the special projects coordinator for the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Angela Moreland Begle, Ph.D.
03/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Transforming Victim Services in the 21st Century

Angela Begle, Ph.D., is on the faculty of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina, which provides mental health services to victims and their families who have experienced psychological trauma. She also is a Project Director for the Vision 21 Initiative, a collaborative effort with the Office for Victims of Crime to address the crime victim services field in order to expand the field’s vision and impact. As a National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored postdoctoral research fellow for the Child and Adult Trauma Victims: A Training Program grant, Dr. Begle was involved in several research projects investigating the prevention of physical abuse of preschool-age children and the relationships between victimization and high-risk behaviors in adolescents. She has coauthored, edited, and contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, research presentations, and other publications. Dr. Begle earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, her master’s degree in psychology, and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Purdue University. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Paula Pierce
10/13/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Providing Pro Bono Services to Financial Abuse Victims

07/08/2009 online discussion host
Topic: Providing Services for Child Identity Theft Victims

Paula Pierce, J.D., is the Managing Attorney for the Victims Initiative for Counseling, Advocacy, and Restoration of the Southwest (VICARS), a program of the Texas Legal Services Center, where she serves victims of identity theft and financial fraud. Prior to joining VICARS in 2007, Ms. Pierce served on the Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee of the State Bar of Texas, and as an attorney for the Texas Legal Services Center, where she provided legal assistance to elder, disabled, and economically disadvantaged individuals and handled crime victim compensation claims. She has extensive experience in public interest law and has authored numerous publications for victims and attorneys. A frequent speaker on identity theft, Ms. Pierce has presented at the Texas Poverty Law Conference, testified before the Texas House Committee on Business and Industry, and spoken to numerous community groups. She received her bachelor’s degree from Trinity University, and her law degree from South Texas College of Law, where she served as brief writer to the school’s moot court teams and technical editor of the South Texas Law Journal.

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Harlan Pruden
06/08/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Responding to Native LGBT/Two Spirit Community Crime Victims

Harlan Pruden is a member of the Cree Nation and an enrolled member of the Saddle Lake Indian Reservation in Alberta, Canada. He is the Assistant Director of the Empire State Development Corporation’s Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development, which works to ensure that minority and women’s business enterprises have equal contracting opportunities with the State of New York. Mr. Pruden is a cofounder of the NorthEast Two Spirit Society in New York City, where he works to revitalize traditional values, culture, and ceremonies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) urban Native communities. He also is a cochair of the National Native HIV/AIDS Coalition, one of the first national efforts within the HIV/AIDS field to include all of the Two Spirit organizations and groups in the United States. Mr. Pruden was appointed to Manhattan Community Board 12 in April 2011.

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Mollie Ring
01/19/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Serving Child Victims of Sex Trafficking

Mollie Ring is the Director of Anti-Trafficking Programs at the Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE) Project, a nonprofit organization working to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults. Ms. Ring coordinates direct services for domestic minor and international victims of human trafficking and leads outreach, training, and public education efforts. She also oversees technical assistance initiatives for local, regional, and national partners. Prior to joining SAGE in 2008, Ms. Ring served as a consultant to the United Nations Children's Fund's Evaluation Office and the United Nations Development Programme. She is an appointed member of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission's Equity Advisory Committee and the National Victim Assistance Standards Consortium. Ms. Ring holds a master's degree in Public Administration.

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Constance Rossiter
01/19/12 online discussion host
Topic: Intersections Between Human Trafficking and Other Vulnerable Populations

Constance Rossiter is a licensed professional counselor and social worker, and the Social Responsibility Director for the Trafficked Persons Assistance Program at YMCA International Services, where she is responsible for program oversight. YMCA has been providing services to victims of human trafficking since 2003 and has served more than 200 foreign national victims. In 2010, OVC awarded YMCA an Enhanced Collaborative Model Grant to expand its services to domestic victims of trafficking.

Ms. Rossiter has extensive experience working with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and other at-risk populations, with a special interest in trauma and cultural diversity. She is an active member of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance and Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition. As the lead service provider on the Bureau of Justice Assistance-funded Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force, Ms. Rossiter has participated in four immersion learning experiences, training task forces from Wisconsin, Utah, Louisiana, and Missouri. She also has participated in several focus groups for developing curriculums for law enforcement officers and service providers, and has trained extensively on human trafficking. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Ben Saunders, Ph.D.
07/20/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Integrating Evidence-Based Practices Into Victim Services

Ben Saunders, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where he also serves as Associate Director of the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center and Director of the Center’s Family and Child Program. As a licensed independent clinical social worker, his research, training, and clinical interests include the initial and long-term effects of violence and abuse on children and adolescents; the epidemiology of trauma, violence, and abuse; treatment approaches for abused children and their families; and effective methods for disseminating evidence-based practices. His work has been funded by several federal agencies, including the Office for Victims of Crime, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Justice, and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. In 2001, Dr. Saunders received the Research Career Achievement Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. He is the co-director of Project BEST, a statewide dissemination project on Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF–CBT), and a co-course director for two Web-based learning courses on this therapy—TF–CBTWeb and CTGWeb. Dr. Saunders received his doctorate of philosophy in clinical social work from Florida State University and holds a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Virginia Tech.

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Jennifer Shewmake
03/29/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Transforming Victim Services in the 21st Century

Jennifer Shewmake is the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center Project Director for the Vision 21 Initiative, a collaborative effort with the Office for Victims of Crime to address emerging challenges within the crime victim services field in order to expand the field’s vision and impact. In 2008, Ms. Shewmake was awarded a fellowship by the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington to participate in the Future Executive Director Leadership Program. She previously served as the grants manager and the social enterprise director for the LAYC Family of Organizations, a network of youth centers, schools, and social enterprises in Washington, D.C., that are committed to helping young people become successful adults with the skills they need to succeed educationally, professionally, and personally. Ms. Shewmake holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies and community development from the University of Kansas. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Cindy Southworth
05/24/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Using Social Media to Assist Crime Victims

Cindy Southworth is the Vice President of Development and Innovation at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), where she leads the network’s communications, development, technology, and international efforts. Ms. Southworth joined NNEDV in 2002, when she founded the Safety Net Project to to address all aspects of technology as it relates to violence against women. The Safety Net Team works with private industry, state and federal agencies, and international groups to improve safety and privacy for victims in the digital age; and is one of five organizations on the Facebook Safety Advisory Board. Ms. Southworth also is on the advisory board of MTV’s A Thin Line campaign to stop digital abuse.

Ms. Southworth has spent the past 13 years focusing on how technology can be used to increase victim safety and how to hold stalkers accountable for their misuse of technology. She has testified before Congress and is on many task forces and committees that address justice, privacy, technology, and safety. She holds a master’s degree in social work from University of New England. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Bette Stebbins
09/13/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Using Online Communications to Assist Crime Victims in the Military

Bette Stebbins, MSCP, CA, is the Senior Victim Care Advisor for the Department of Defense (DoD), Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, and has been serving military crime victims since 1995. She is considered a subject matter expert on crime victim care in the military jurisdiction and advises several national organizations that assist military victims of crime. Ms. Stebbins has served as the senior victim specialist on two congressionally mandated Defense Task Forces—Sexual Assault in the Military Services and Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies. For nearly 10 years, she was the victim-witness assistance program manager and a paralegal with the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 25th Infantry Division, Hawaii.

Ms. Stebbins has received numerous awards for her work in developing the Victim-Witness Assistance Program for the U.S. Army in Hawaii, and for helping to establish the DoD Safe Helpline—the Nation’s first confidential hotline resource for military victims of sexual assault. She also was named Federal Employee of the Year for the U.S. Army, Pacific Region.

Ms. Stebbins holds a Master of Sciences degree in counseling psychology from Chaminade University, Hawaii. She also holds a paralegal certification from Brigham Young University and is a Credentialed Advanced Advocate with the designation of Comprehensive Victim Intervention Specialist from the National Advocate Credentialing Program.

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David Uhlmann
08/10/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Responding to Victims of Environmental Crime

David Uhlmann is the Jeffrey F. Liss Professor From Practice and Director of the Environmental Law and Policy Program at the University of Michigan Law School. Professor Uhlmann has testified before Congress, appeared on national news programs, and lectured widely about environmental crime and sustainability issues. His research and advocacy interests include criminal and civil enforcement of environmental laws, worker endangerment, and efforts to address global climate change. Professor Uhlmann is the author of a Michigan Law Review article on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and has published articles in the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, Utah Law Review, Environmental Law Forum, The New York Times, and the American Constitution Society’s Issue Briefs series.

Prior to joining the University of Michigan Law School faculty in 2007, Professor Uhlmann served for 17 years at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including 7 years as chief of the Environmental Crimes Section, where he was the top environmental crimes prosecutor in the country. In addition to managing approximately 40 prosecutors responsible for prosecuting environmental and wildlife crimes nationwide, Professor Uhlmann coordinated national legislative, policy, and training initiatives regarding criminal enforcement. He also chaired DOJ’s Environmental Crimes Policy Committee, was vice chair of the annual American Bar Association Environmental Law Conference, and was on the planning committee for the joint American Law Institute-American Bar Association Criminal Enforcement of Environmental Laws Seminar.

Professor Uhlmann earned a juris doctorate from Yale Law School and a bachelor of arts degree in history from Swarthmore College. Following law school, Professor Uhlmann clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Marvin H. Shoob in Atlanta, Georgia. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Roberta Valente, J.D.
10/26/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Understanding Firearms Laws to Assist Domestic Violence Victims

Roberta Valente, J.D., is a consultant on legislative, family violence, and firearms issues for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. She also serves as a consultant to the Domestic Violence Resource Network, advising them on policy issues in the domestic violence field, in particular, those regarding her specialized interests in protection order enforcement, child custody issues, federal laws and interventions, and tribal issues related to domestic violence. Ms. Valente was the founding Director of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic Violence in 1994, and received its Sharon Corbitt Award in 2011 for her exemplary service in the field. She also is the author of several articles on domestic violence issues and family law.

Ms. Valente served as General Counsel for the National Network to End Domestic Violence from 2009 to 2011, and as Assistant Director of the Family Violence Department of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that, she was a consultant and advisor on civil legal issues regarding domestic violence for various organizations, including the Alaska Native Women’s Coalition, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Ms. Valente was one of the lead coordinators of the legislative work to develop the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 as well as its upcoming reauthorization in 2011. Ms. Valente served as Attorney Advisor to the Office on Violence Against Women and, prior to that, worked for AYUDA, Inc., a legal services program for battered immigrants.

In 2009, Ms. Valente received the National Congress of American Indians’ Public Sector Leadership Award for working with American Indian women to obtain additional resources and the authority necessary to bring safety and justice to Native communities. Ms. Valente received her juris doctorate from George Washington University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Maryland, and before the Federal Circuit.

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James Vann, J.D.
10/26/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Understanding Firearms Laws to Assist Domestic Violence Victims

James Vann, J.D., serves as Division Counsel for the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In addition to representing ATF at revocation hearings for firearms and explosives licenses, Mr. Vann provides legal advice to agents and investigators on criminal and regulatory matters involving the Gun Control Act, the National Firearms Act, the Safe Explosives Act, and other areas where ATF has jurisdiction. Mr. Vann also has been designated as a Special Assistance United States Attorney in jurisdictions throughout the country to assist in the prosecution of firearms cases.

Mr. Vann began his legal career as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Virginia. He became a Project Exile attorney after the first year, focusing solely on the prosecution of gun crimes. Mr. Vann received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Virginia and his juris doctorate from William and Mary School of Law.

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Deborah Lamm Weisel, Ph.D.
12/28/11 online discussion host
Topic: Responding to Victims of Property Crimes

Deborah Lamm Weisel is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at North Carolina Central University. She was formerly an Assistant Research Professor and the Director of police research in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at North Carolina Central University. Her portfolio includes research on police responses to crime problems, such as gangs, street drugs, and graffiti, as well as community policing, safety and security in public housing, and repeat victimization from burglary and robbery. Dr. Lamm Weisel has authored several guides for the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, including Burglary of Single-Family Houses and Analyzing Repeat Victimization. Her work also has been published in Justice Quarterly, Public Management, the NIJ Journal, and the American Journal of Police. Dr. Lamm Weisel holds a doctorate in political science and public policy analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago. View this Guest Host's photograph.

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Phelan Wyrick, Ph.D.
07/20/2011 online discussion host
Topic: Integrating Evidence-Based Practices Into Victim Services

Phelan Wyrick, Ph.D., is a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). In this role, he leads OJP’s Evidence Integration Initiative, which provides tools and information to help justice practitioners and policymakers understand, access, and integrate evidence into their work. Dr. Wyrick joined DOJ in 1998 and has held senior positions at the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In 2007, he received the Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Community Partnerships. Prior to joining DOJ, Dr. Wyrick served as a Research Associate in the City of Westminster Police Department in Orange County, California.

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