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The mission of TVSA is support, education, and recognition for victim service providers. |
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Texas Victim Services Association Newsletter
Spring 2025 |
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Message from the Executive Director
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By Jeni Pirtle, BA
Sunday, April 6th marked the beginning of National Crime Victims' Rights Week. This year's theme, Connecting < Kinship > Healing, defines kinship as the shared humanity that should be at the center of supporting all survivors and victims of crime. Through kinship, we connect crime victims to services, rights, and healing. It is this sense of kinship from which TVSA developed as an organization with its mission of support, education, and recognition for victim services providers. The dedicated professionals of our field come from a vast array of settings, across geography and discipline, but are united by a shared vision and commitment to serving crime victims, their families, and their communities. TVSA's programs are designed to further enhance connections between victim services providers, such as the Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance (TAAVA), of which one student wrote, "I loved connecting and networking with other emerging leaders and processing common challenges." The TAAVA Alumni Network, described in a column below, provides additional opportunities to maintain the relationships formed at the academy. Next month, May 6th-9th, we will gather for our 2025 Biennial Training Conference on South Padre Island. The conference is TVSA's longest-standing program and provides ample opportunities for professional networking, connection, and kinship. Having recently returned from a pre-conference visit to the island, as our staff continues its preparations, we are incredibly excited to offer a robust set of workshops in a beautiful and relaxing setting. Registration is still open through April 25th. We hope that you will come and join us for a time of education, fun, and community to sustain your work as healers and providers. |
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By Rose Luna, MSLC
Happy
Spring!
This
time of year is a profound reminder of the dedication and impact of victim
service organizations across Texas. It is also a time to honor crime victims
nationwide. April is particularly significant as it marks both Child Abuse
Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, highlighting
the critical, life-saving work being done in communities across the state.
National
Crime Victims’ Rights Week exemplifies the unwavering commitment of both
governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations in supporting survivors and
advancing justice. This season of renewal serves as an opportunity to recommit
to our shared mission—honoring the resilience of crime victims and uplifting
those who provide vital resources for healing.
At
TVSA, we remain steadfast in our support of all who serve crime victims. We
look forward to connecting with you at the upcoming conference in South
Padre Island, where we will share space, knowledge, and opportunities for
growth.
As
always, please feel free to reach out to me or any TVSA board member with
feedback, ideas, or ways we can continue to support you. |
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TVSA 2025 Biennial Training Conference
May 6-9, 2025
Holiday Inn Beach Resort, South Padre Island
TVSA Annual Membership Meeting
May 8, 2025
Holiday Inn Beach Resort, South Padre Island
TAAVA Alumni Network Meeting
June 18, 2025
Virtual
TAAVA Alumni Network Meeting
September 17, 2025
Virtual |
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Professional Development and Training
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By Natacha Peláez-Wagner, M.Ed., Program Specialist and Conference Planner The central tenet of our organization’s mission statement, “support, education, and recognition” is our emphasis on education for our state’s victim services providers. With professional development as a primary focus of our programs and services, trainings form a large part of our work.
To this end, the early months of 2025 have been very busy. We held our ninth annual Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance in management and leadership in February, once again to another class of current and emerging leaders in our profession. With a training academy designed on managing and leading in a trauma-based profession we work to assist victim services programs to elevate the quality of services provided to crime victims through classes based on best practices and current research in the practice of victim services.
As a continuing education service for our academy alumni, we held the second quarterly training of the year for our Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance Alumni Network in March. The training on team habits for Managing a Hybrid Workforce was presented by Charlie Gilkey, a national trainer and author based in Portland, Oregon. Our featured alumna segment of the training was presented by Kristi Thompson, assistant director of the Dispute Resolution Center of Lubbock County, on mediation services for crime victims in Texas.
Concurrently with presenting our academy and alumni network trainings, we have been hard at work throughout these months preparing for our 2025 Biennial Training Conference. The conference is our longest running and best-known signature event. Held over four days in South Padre Island, this year’s conference will take place May 6-9. The training program will consist of a three-hour pre-conference ethics session, opening and closing plenary sessions, and 28 workshops being presented in four breakout tracks: Trauma-Informed Approaches to Service Delivery, Cross-Sector Collaborations and Partnerships, Research and Promising Practices, and Management and Leadership in Victim Services. The full conference program is eligible for 18.0 continuing education credits for TCOLE, Social Work, LPC and LMFT. The list of workshops is available here: TVSA Conference List of Workshops 2025 .pdf
In addition to the outstanding professional training being offered, attendees will also enjoy opportunities for networking with peers from across the state in a fun, relaxing setting. Activities will include: a welcome reception for all conference attendees and exhibitors; an exhibitor space throughout the full conference, filled with resource and referral information for assisting in service delivery to crime victims; our always popular silent auction with fun and exciting prizes large and small; our annual meeting luncheon and board installation, open to all conference attendees with seating by geographic regions, for meeting your local and regional area professional peers; and the grand prize drawing at our closing plenary session, for a complimentary registration to our next biennial conference!
Registration is open through April 25th, so there is still time to register! For more information or to register, please go to: |
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We hope you will join TVSA and many of our professional colleagues in South Padre in May!
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Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance |
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TVSA welcomed a class of 31 students to the ninth annual Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance (TAAVA). TAAVA provides leadership and management training for established and aspiring leaders in victim services, building on foundational trainings such as those provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) - Victim Services Division and the national Office for Victims of Crime. Silvana Giono, Victim Services Supervisor for Austin Police Department, shares her experience from this year's academy: "I found that every portion of the academy was engaging and well put together. The faculty were clearly knowledgeable in the topics they presented. I am always seeking additional leadership training that extends beyond the introductory level and this definitely was it! I look forward to attending the TAAVA Alumni Network's quarterly meetings and getting to know more of the folks in our field." TVSA is incredibly grateful for the staff of the Deputy A.W. Grimes Law Enforcement Training Center of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office, who have been our gracious hosts for three years. We would also like to thank our instructors, whose expertise and dedication bring to life TVSA's curriculum, specially designed for application in a trauma-based profession, and volunteers from TDCJ - Victim Services Division, who provide invaluable assistance to our small team throughout the academy. Welcome to our newest members of the TAAVA Alumni Network! We look forward to meeting our class of 2026 next year. Applications will open in late fall this year. |
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Texas Victim Friendly Initiative |
This
year’s sites participating in our Texas Victim Friendly Initiative (TVFI)
program are actively engaged and progressing well!
TVFI is a
research and best practices based, quality improvement program developed by
TVSA in 2020 to assist victim service agencies in becoming more
trauma-informed/victim friendly in their delivery of services to crime victims.
It is a rigorous, agency-led, TVSA- facilitated and supported process. Agencies
are accepted into TVFI by application and commit to completing the full
program. At completion, sites are eligible for gold, silver or bronze Victim
Friendly agency designation status by TVSA.
Presently,
four sites are working through their action plans to increase their level of
trauma-informed services to the victims they serve. A mid-year All Sites
Meeting is scheduled for April, for the sites to share successes they are
having in service quality improvement and discussing any areas of challenge
they may be working through.
The
program is open to law enforcement and prosecution agencies, as well as to
non-profit organizations serving crime victims and is available through funding
from the Governor’s Public Safety Office. Contingent on continued funding for
next fiscal year, applications for a limited number of sites to participate in the
program will open in the fall. For more information on applying as an FY ’26
TVFI site, please email tvfi@txvsa.org. |
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Victim Services Job Board
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TVSA has a job board on our website! We have retooled the job board to make it easier for employers to submit job postings. Employers wishing to post a victim services position opening can fill out a form online to submit their posting to TVSA. Please send us your available job listings!
Victim services professionals engaged in job searches can view postings as well, with links to the human resources departments of pertinent agencies and/or applications directly for the listed positions. The job board is available at this link: http://www.txvsa.org/Active-Job-Postings |
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By LeShae Haynes, BA, Membership Committee Chair
On behalf of your Regional Coordinators: Kristi Thompson (Region A), Roya Williamson (Region B), Jennifer Betts-Williams (Region C), LeShae Haynes (Region D), Ozzie Carrasco (Region E), and Brenda Fuentes (Region F), we hope you are enjoying the last few months of cooler weather before summer arrives.
We are all excited about National Crime Victims' Rights Week and the events honoring crime victims taking place throughout the regions. Our team has been actively working to raise awareness about TVSA and the exceptional support it offers to professionals in the victim services field, enabling them to better assist crime victims and their families.
Additionally, we are in full preparation mode for the 2025 Biennial Training Conference in South Padre this May, which will feature excellent workshops and engaging topics. We hope to see all of you at the conference - you won’t want to miss it!
Thank you once again for everything you do to support crime victims, and please be sure to take care of yourselves as well.
Regional Coordinator Updates: Region A Coordinator, Kristi Thompson, (Panhandle-Amarillo/Lubbock/ Wichita Falls), KThompson@lubbockcounty.gov: Region A is excited for the upcoming National Crime Victims’ Rights Week! The Crime Victim Coalition of West Texas will be celebrating those who have gone above and beyond in providing services to crime victims at their annual awards ceremony on Friday, April 11th. Recognizing outstanding providers in the difficult work they do day-in and day-out is one of the best ways to support one another, thus enhancing services to crime victims. For more information on the awards ceremony, please contact Kristi Thompson at kthompson@lubbockcounty.gov.
Region B Coordinator, Roya Williamson, (Central-Austin /Waco/San Antonio), rwilliamson@sanmarcostx.gov: Hello all, happy spring! As we approach National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, remember this is the time to shine a light on our field, our victims, and the amazing work of victim service providers, whether through proclamations at your City Council or County Commissioners' meetings, conducting area trainings or awareness campaigns via social media, or attending our Biennial Training Conference on South Padre Island in May. I hope to see many of you at the conference, where I will be coordinating the silent auction. As such, I am requesting your assistance in making it a good one by bringing items that highlight your area of the great state of Texas! See you on South Padre Island! Take care, stay safe.
Region C Coordinator, Jen-Betts Williams, (Northeast-Dallas/ Fort Worth/Tyler), jbettswilliams@theturningpoint.org
Region D Coordinator, LeShae Haynes,(Southeast-Beaumont/Houston/College Station), leshae.haynes@fortbendcountytx.gov: Region D has been actively promoting TVSA and our upcoming conference in May. Registration is still open, so don’t wait until it’s too late! Remember, our conference takes place every two years, so you won’t want to miss it. We hope to see all of you in South Padre!
Region E Coordinator, Ozzie Carrasco, (West-El Paso/Midland/San Angelo), ocarrasco@crmtx.org.
Region F Coordinator, Brenda Fuentes, (South-Corpus Christi/Laredo/McAllen), brenda.fuentes@da.co.hidalgo.tx.us
Not sure what region you are in? Check out our regional map and lists to see where your county lies in our TVSA regions! TVSA Regions |
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We welcome the following new members who have joined TVSA in the last quarter:
Trisha Boardman, Gatesville
Silvana Giono, Austin
Charles Henry, Bay City
Jaiden Juarez, Conroe
Maria Prezioso, Austin
Kayla Smart, Austin
Jesica Vasquez, Austin Is your TVSA profile up to date?
Keeping your profile updated ensures you receive all TVSA communications, including training events and notices. Follow this link to view and edit your TVSA profile: txvsa.org/Sys/Profile |
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THE TEXAS VICTIM SERVICES ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY. Please forward articles, announcements, shout outs, job openings, training information, reviews, information and other items of interest to info@txvsa.org. Be sure and let us know if your email changes. Texas Victim Services Association is very grateful for the support of its sponsors, members, friends and colleagues. TVSA does not specifically endorse or recommend any referral resources or vendors over others.
Copyright © 2025 Texas Victim Services Association. All rights reserved.
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