About AVA

Mission Statement

The MISSION of the Association of VAWA Administrators (AVA) is to encourage and facilitate mutual support, peer enrichment, awareness and collaboration among states and territories administering STOP Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Formula Grant Programs.

Purpose

AVA brings together VAWA grant administrators to collaborate, share knowledge, and exchange best practices. We provide access to essential resources that support the effective administration of VAWA grant programs. By fostering a culture of learning and inclusion, we ensure that our members have the tools and support they need to thrive
in their roles.

AVA is not a technical assistance provider. Instead, we are uniquely positioned to provide a platform for peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange – centered on shared personal experiences – rather than formalized, expert-led training or highly specific and in-depth guidance or support.

Historical Background

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From 1995 until 2006, VAWA administrators progressed without the assistance of a national association representing their interests and challenges.  They relied heavily on the former Technical Assistance Provider (STOP TA) to provide them with individual telephone consultations, dial-in conference calls, and timely information about pending VAWA legislation, Full Faith & Credit issues, model program site-visit opportunities, publications, resource material, literature and much more.

Effective administration of any federal grant program is reliant on accurate and timely information.  In a survey of state administrators conducted in 2007, communication was listed as the number one challenge faced by administrators. Following the example of other national associations, AVA was formed to work directly with the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and other national organizations to improve response time and communication to and among STOP administrators.

Services Offered

  • Provide information to STOP Administrators, including peer to peer support, networking opportunities and communication via the AVA website and Listserv.
  • Information gathering, including surveying Administrators on various topics.
  • Liaison to OVW, advocating on behalf of state administering agencies
  • Collaborate with national organizations and associations
  • Website, in eluding a Members -Only online Resource Center.
  • Conference/training scholarship fund for members

Board of Directors

AVA has an 8 member Board of Directors, four of which hold positions on the Executive Committee and the remaining 5  positions are members-at-large, participating on the various other committees identified by the Board.

With each modification to the Violence Against Women Act, administrators are challenged to implement new requirements and guidelines at the state level.  In past years, administrators voiced concerns with such things as the challenges of enforcing new certification requirements, navigating the technical problems with reporting forms, and enduring the impact of match exemptions on state budgets.

The AVA Board of Directors has and will continue to present these and other challenges to the Office on Violence Against Women as the collective voice of state administrators, and will work together with OVW to develop effective solutions.  In addition, AVA solicits valuable and insightful information and perspectives from administrators that is used to educate policy makers and leaders on the potential impact of proposed legislative changes.

 

If you’d like additional information about the Association of VAWA Administrators, please contact:

 

Arlene Vassell – Executive Director Arlene Vassell (she/her) is a dedicated advocate with over 25 years of experience  in the movement to end gender-based violence (GBV). As a nationally recognized leader, she has devoted her entire career to preventing GBV, disrupting systems of inequality and oppression, advancing the leadership of people of color, and creating equity-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally relevant policies and programs.

Her “formal” advocacy journey began as a direct service provider with the YWCA Women’s Advocacy Program in Virginia. She later held significant leadership roles with the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence. During her tenure with these organizations, Arlene led, coordinated, developed, implemented, and evaluated numerous programs and initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Violence Against Women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services Program.

Throughout her career, Arlene has served on numerous boards, task forces, committees, and workgroups aimed at ensuring that all survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault have access to inclusive, survivor-centered, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed services that promote safety, justice, wellness, and healing. Notably, for the past eight years, she has been an active member of the National Organization of Victim Advocacy (NOVA), Department of Defense Sexual Violence Certification Review Committee. Additionally, she served as a member of NOVA’s Office for Advocacy Ethics Committee for several years.

Currently, Arlene serves as a trainer and facilitator for the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center.

She is a proud immigrant from Jamaica, the mother of two amazing humans, an Auntie and mentor to many, a published author, and the Founding Director of the TooREL Institute for Social Change.