By Jalayne Robinson, LMSW
TDCAA Victim Services Director
In November at the Key Personnel & Victim Assistance Coordinator Conference, board elections were held for the East Area (Regions 5 & 6) and South-Central Area (Regions 4 & 8). Recent elections to the board are as follows:
Michelle Stambaugh (KP) (Region 6) of the Kaufman County Criminal District Attorney’s Office was elected as the East Area representative. Rosie Martinez (VAC) (Region 4) of the Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney’s Office was elected as the South-Central Area representative and each has been elected to serve a two-year term. Sara Bill (VAC) (Region 4) of the Aransas County & District Attorney’s Office was elected as 2024 Chairperson, and Allison Bowen, Director of Victim Services (Region 7) of the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office was elected as 2024 Vice-Chairperson.
Recent appointments to the Board are as follows: Wren Seabolt (VAC) (Region 8) of the County Attorney’s Office in Williamson County was appointed as a designated VAC representative and Paula Nash (KP & VAC) (Region 5) of the Tyler County Criminal District Attorney’s Office was appointed as a designated KP representative; each have been appointed to serve a two-year term. Dale Heimann (KP) (Region 3) of the County Attorney’s Office in Gillespie County was appointed to complete an unexpired term as a designated KP representative who will serve until the end of the year.
The KP–VS Board assists in preparing and developing operational procedures, standards, training, and educational programs. Regional representatives serve as a point of contact for their region. To be eligible, each candidate must have permission of the elected prosecutor, attend the elections at the annual seminar or be appointed, and have paid membership dues.
If you are interested in training and want to give input on speakers and topics at TDCAA conferences for KP and VACs, please consider running for the board. Elections are held each November at TDCAA’s Key Personnel & Victim Assistance Coordinator Conference, and appointments are made each January. If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected].
Below I have included an introduction of the newest members of our 2024 TDCAA Key Personnel-Victim Services Board:
Michelle Stambaugh
East Area representative
“My name is Michelle Stambaugh, and I have worked for the Kaufman County Criminal District Attorney’s Office for 21 years. During this time, I have held many positions and am currently the office manager, support staff supervisor, paralegal, and assistant to our District Attorney.
When I began with the office, we had fewer than 20 employees, and we have grown to 51 employees as of this year. The growth been both exciting and fraught with growing pains: staff training, case management, document management, personnel and management issues, etc. Our office has learned a lot throughout this growth, but we are still learning and always looking for ways to serve our county better and more efficiently. I look forward to serving on the board to be able to work with other counties sharing our knowledge and resources and being a part of a collective effort to put together training to help all Texas prosecutor offices operate as effectively and efficiently as possible serving our counties and victims.”
Rosie Martinez
South Central Area representative
Rosie Martinez, CA, DVT, is a subject matter expert national trainer and has been the Director of the Victims Unit of the Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney’s Office for eight years. She has 24 years of experience in victim services in system-based and community-based programs. She has obtained national accreditation as an advanced-level Comprehensive Victim Intervention Specialist by the National Organization of Victim Advocacy and is accredited by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress in Domestic Violence Trauma and Crisis Response.
She is a member of the National Center for Crisis Management and the International Speakers and Trainers Bureau of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, the Academy’s Expert Witness Directory, and the Academy’s Deployment Directory. She has attained certification as an Advanced Sexual Assault Family Violence Investigator; as a Crime Victim Advocate by the Office of Victims of Crime, the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice; and she has a trainer certification for Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool and a Baylor University Certification for Motivational Interviewing for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children.
She tells us, “I am excited to join the TDCAA Board and represent the victim services field in this amazing organization that dedicates its effort to system-based victim services. I pray that I can use my acquired knowledge to help carry on this mission. I am here long term for as long as I am elected to serve in this capacity. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate to serve Region 4.”
Wren Seabolt
VAC representative at large
“My name is Wren Seabolt, and I am the Chief Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Williamson County Attorney’s Office. I have been with the office since May 2022. I oversee our team of victim assistance coordinators and help develop practices and procedures to better serve victims in our community. I am looking forward to sharing my professional experiences to assist in the development of new operations, training, and educational programs, as well as aiding other professionals in the field.”
Dale Heimann
KP representative at large
“After earning a degree in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University, I put some of my computer skills to work to create a Hot Check Database for the County Attorney’s Office in Gillespie County in Fredericksburg. In 2003, I was hired on part-time to collect the checks in that database. After five years, I was promoted to the office administrator for the small office, and I have now worked there for over 20 years under three different elected prosecutors. As in many small offices, I have performed a wide variety of tasks including office organization, case management, paperwork preparation, victim assistance, legal research, budget preparation, CJIS reporting and IT work. I truly believe that a primary job of key personnel is to keep the attorneys out of trouble and ensure they have the information and support they need to see that justice is done. I have previously served on the KP Board in 2015 and 2016 and have presented on CJIS reporting at several previous conferences. I am honored and excited to help guide the training of Key Personnel and VACs as a newly appointed board member.”
Paula Nash
KP representative at large
“Hello all, I am honored to serve you in my first term on TDCAA’s KP–VS Board. I have been with the Tyler County Criminal District Attorney’s Office for 20 years. Many of my duties include assisting attorneys with trial prep and during trial. I handle all felony and misdemeanor cases from intake to disposition, and I am the Crime Victim Coordinator and Liaison for our county. I am looking forward to working with each of you to learn and assist in planning future training.”
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
Each April communities throughout the country observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW) by hosting events promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. NCVRW will be observed April 21–27, with a theme of “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors.” Check out the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) website at https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/national-crime-victims-rights-week/ overview.
If your community hosts an event, we would love to publish photos and information about it in this journal. Please email me at [email protected] to notify us with information and photos of your event.
Victim services consultations
As TDCAA’s Victim Services Director, my primary responsibility is to assist Texas prosecutors, VACs, and other prosecutor staff in providing support services for crime victims in their jurisdictions. I am available to provide training and technical assistance to you via phone, email, in person, or Zoom. I can tailor individual or group training specifically for your needs. The training and assistance are free of charge.
Are you a new VAC? This training would be perfect for you! If you would like to schedule a free consultation, please email me at Jalayne [email protected]. Many offices across Texas are taking advantage of this free victim services training.