AVA Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Mark Hertweck, President
Email: Mark Hertweck
Phone: 502-564-8210

Amy Baynes, Vice President
Email: Amy Baynes
Phone: 615-532-2988

Gene Nelson, Secretary
Email:Gene Nelson
Phone: 802-241-1250, Ext. 109

Moriah Pease, Treasurer
Email: Moriah Pease
801-333-3521

 

 

 

Pictured above (from the AVA Strategic Planning Meeting in November 2024) are Mark Hertweck (KY), Laura Quasney (SD), Moriah Pease (UT), Arlene Vassell  (AVA ED), Amy Baynes (TN), Gene Nelson (VT), and Tierra Williams (VA).  Not pictured is Leeana Liska WI), Jackie Hoover (MT), and Lori Miller (IA).  

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Board Members at Large

Lori Miller
Email:Lori Miller
515-725-4130

Laura Quasney
Email: Laura Quasney
605-773-4317

Tierra Williams
Email: Tierra Williams
804-239-8850

Leeana Liska
Email: Leeana Liska
608-243-2100

Jackie Hoover
Email: Jackie Hoover
406-444-4763

Executive Director

Arlene Vassell
Email: Arlene Vassell
Phone: 954-299-7648

Barry Bryant – Former Executive Director
Email: Barry Bryant
Phone: 919-588-9615

 

Committees

Website
Laura Quasney
Tierra Williams

Finance
Moriah Pease
Lori Miller
Jackie Hoover

Communications Committee
Leeana Liska

Current Board Member Bios and Photos

Mark Hertweck – President

Mark Hertweck is the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) Financial Administrator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Mark also currently helps to administer several other federal grant awards including VOCA, JAG, Coverdell, and NCHIP. He began his service as a Kentucky state government employee in 2006 and serves in his current role as a Federal Program Specialist with the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet since February 2016.

Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University (’93) in Waco, TX and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwestern Seminary (’99) in Ft. Worth, TX. He is married with three children and one grandchild. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf, watching baseball (he’s a diehard Red Sox fan), reading, and spending time with family.

 

Amy Baynes – Vice President

Amy Baynes is a Senior Program Manager and the STOP Administrator for the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP). OCJP administers funding for 11 different federal and state fund sources to approximately 250 grantees. Amy is responsible for supervising a team of program managers, as well as providing grant monitoring, training and technical assistance to grantees. As the STOP Administrator, Amy provides STOP specific training and technical assistance to OCJP Program Managers and grantees, and coordinates the STOP Implementation Plan. She has served in her role at OCJP since 201

Amy has over 20 years of experience in the field of victim services and criminal justice. The majority of that time was spent as the Program Director of a Child Advocacy Center, and also includes working for the Department of Children’s Services and the Office of the District Attorney General. Amy is passionate about advocating on behalf of crime victims and ensuring access for all to comprehensive, quality services.

Amy is married with two children and loves spending time with her family – especially attending her kid’s sporting events. She also loves spending time with friends, watching football (Go, Tennessee Titans!) and traveling.

 

Gene Nelson – Secretary

Gene is the Senior Grants Manager at the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, where she has worked since 2008. She is responsible for the administration of twelve state and federal grant programs valued at approximately $12M annually from the U.S. Department of Justice (D.O.J.) Office on Victims of Crime, the Office on Violence Against Women, the U.S. Agency of Health and Human Services and the State of Vermont. Of the four state grants, two support domestic and sexual violence programming, one supports Vermont’s Child Advocacy Centers and Special Investigative Units, and the fourth supports Supervised Visitation Programming. Sub-grantees include 70 state agencies and non- profit organizations and funding is distributed via approximately 170 subgrants. Prior to her work as Grants Manager, Gene assisted crime victims through the Vermont Victims’ Compensation Program. Communicating directly with over one thousand crime victims and listening to the impact that crime had on their lives enabled her to see first-hand the value of these federal and state resources, which serves as her inspiration to come to work each day. Gene has also volunteered with many non-profit organizations benefiting children and families in her state and serves on several advisory boards. Gene received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University. She loves spending time with friends and family, kayaking, hiking and cross country skiing.

 

Moriah Pease – Treasurer

Moriah Pease is the VAWA and SASP Grants Administrator for the Utah Office for Victims of Crime (UOVC).    Moriah has over 14 years of experience in the field of victim services.  She began her career as a victim advocate in a law enforcement-based victim advocate program, providing support and assistance to crime victims.  Moriah received her Bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College and a Certified Public Management Certification from Utah Valley University. Moriah is married and has four children.  For self-care, she enjoys running and working outside in the yard.

 

 

 

Leeana Liska

Leeana Liska is a Program and Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Office of Crime Victim Services. In this role, she is responsible for the coordination and administration of the VAWA STOP grant program for Wisconsin. This includes oversight of grant funding cycles, facilitation of implementation planning, subrecipient grant monitoring, training and technical assistance, and making program and policy recommendations.

Prior to her role as the VAWA STOP administrator, Leeana was a victim service specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Justice in the Division of Criminal Investigation and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. She provided law enforcement-based victim service support to victims of technology facilitated child abuse and exploitation. She also has experience working with victims and survivors in a number of capacities including non-profit advocacy, medical social work, and as a first responder. Leeana earned her Master Degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University.

Jackie Hoover

Jackie Hoover is a Program Manager with the Montana Department of Justice Board of Crime Control. She began her career with state government in 2021 at the Department of Health and Human Services, where she assisted in forming the Housing Stability Services Program. Utilizing COVID funds and collaborating with the Montana Department of Commerce’s (MTDOC) Rental Assistance Program, she helped Montanan’s find and keep their housing. Her work was recognized in 2023 when she received the MTDOC’s “Montana Housing Award”. Gaining years of experience in federal grant management, Jackie moved to the Montana Board of Crime Control in the summer of 2023. In this role she networks, monitors and provides technical assistance of subgrantees, authors implementation plans and oversees grant funding cycles for four grants: the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program (FVPSA), the Violence Against Women Act (STOP/ VAWA), and the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP). Jackie received her Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences from Carroll College. True to her degree, she enjoys supporting her son in all things sports, rock hounding, crafting, and spending time with friends and family.

Lori Miller
Lori Miller is the grant administrator for the victim assistance section of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. Lori oversees funding from four federal formula grant programs: VOCA, VAWA, SASP and FVPSA, as well as discretionary victim services grants, and state of Iowa appropriations. She also supervisors a staff of five awesome women and helps to support nearly 100 victim service organizations in Iowa. Lori has been with the AG’s Office since 2017, prior to her current position, Lori worked for the University of Northern Iowa as a grant administrator and for a nonprofit community action agency. Lori earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UNI. Lori is married with grown children. In her free time, she volunteers at church and for community events, travels and hangs out with the many community cats at her lake house.

Laura Quasney

Laura Quasney, is a Program Specialist with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety Victims’ Services Program.  She began her work in state government in 2015 working for the Department of Social Services Division of Child Support managing cases pertaining to tribal jurisdiction. She began with the Victims’ Services Program in 2018 and works on the administration of Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), Family Violence Prevention and Services Program (FVPSA), STOP, Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP), and Access & Visitation Grant Program.  Within this role, she is responsible for subrecipient management, on-going technical assistance, and federal grant compliance.  Laura also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators.   She is married with two young children and two dogs.  In her spare time, she enjoys watching her kids’ activities and spending time outdoors fishing.

Tierra Williams

Since her first introduction to victim service work in 2008, as a student volunteer in a domestic violence shelter, Tierra Williams has had a desire to promote large scale change in the lives of those impacted by violence. Tierra commenced her career within the Virginia state government in March 2016. She came to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) in April 2018 as a Victims Services Program Specialist (Grant Monitor) and in September 2020, she transitioned to the role of VSTOP and VSDVVF Grant Program Coordinator.

Her primary role is to provide oversight and management of state and federal grant programs and projects under the Virginia Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors (VSTOP) and Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Victim Fund (VSDVVF) funding opportunities. She does this by engaging in grant program coordination, providing technical assistance, training, data collection and federal performance reporting.  She also provides insight to stakeholders and policy makers within the Virginia state government as it relates to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking services and resource development. Through her professional and academic careers, Tierra has had the opportunity to intern within the federal government, volunteer within local community action organizations, and gain insight on working with diverse populations through professional experiences in the education, government, healthcare, research, and local victim service sectors. Tierra enjoys committing herself to her physical wellness, shopping, and scary movies. She also serves as a mentor to undergraduate students and Board member for a local non-profit. Tierra holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Mary Baldwin University (College) and a Master of Social Work from Temple University.

 

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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.

 

Barry Bryant – Former Executive Director

Barry began working with the NC Governor’s Crime Commission in 1993 and worked first as a VOCA administrator.  When VAWA became part of the Crime Bill of 1994 and subsequently in 1995 when VAWA funding was first allocated to states and territories, Barry also begin distributing VAWA funding and helping programs all across NC understand more clearly how VOCA and VAWA funding could be used to improve services to crime victims.  Barry served on the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators (NAVAA) Board from 2003-2008 and was President of NAVAA in 2006 and 2007.  Barry was the first Board President of AVA in 2007 and served until 2009.  Barry retired from State government in 2015 and began working at HopeLine, a crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotline, after his 25-year old nephew died by suicide.  In March 2017, Barry began serving as the Executive Director of AVA.  Barry has remained active in NC serving on his local domestic violence task force since 1993 and currently chairs Wake County’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Task Force.  He has served as Chair since the inception of the fatality review task force in 2013.  Barry is married and has two adult children and three grandchildren.