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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
Summer 2025 |
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Members of the TVSA board and staff at the 2025 Biennial Training Conference |
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Message from the Executive Director
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By Jeni Pirtle, BA
TVSA has spent the summer reflecting on the spring's Biennial Training Conference, continuing its programs, and preparing for a new season ahead of us.
This year's conference was our most highly attended yet, yielding lots of valuable feedback and connections between colleagues. Opportunities for gathering in person can be rare, given the vastness of our state and the nature of our profession, making the conference's camaraderie and rapport among peers feel extra special. Fostering these relationships is an important part of TVSA's work year-round, as a membership association with the mission of support, education, and recognition for victim service providers.
Our annual meeting was held in person at the conference. We acknowledged the service of our outgoing board members: Suzanne Bradford, Treasurer; Roya Williamson, Region B Coordinator; and Ozzie Carrasco Jr., Region E Coordinator. We also installed two at-large board members, Belinda Beltran Swan and Christina Richardson, both elected for a second term in their positions, having received appointments to the board in their first terms.
In the following columns, you can learn more about the the TAAVA Alumni Network's continuing education opportunities, the Texas Victim Friendly Initiative's trauma-informed improvement plans, and what it's like to serve on the TVSA board, currently seeking candidates for Treasurer, Region B Coordinator, and Region E Coordinator. Whether you are new to TVSA or are a long-time member, we encourage you to get involved and stay connected! |
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By Mary Breaux, PhD
Greetings! This is my first president's column for the TVSA newsletter. I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations and sincere thanks to Rose Luna for her outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to TVSA, who continues to serve on the board as Past President. I deeply appreciate the vision and guidance she provided, which have contributed to many accomplishments for our organization. I am also grateful to TVSA's membership for placing their trust in me as Board President. My goal is to continue advancing TVSA’s mission—supporting, educating, and recognizing victim services providers—while building on the strong foundation laid by those who came before me. As summer transitions to fall, victim services providers and organizations stay committed to their mission while preparing for the upcoming season. Each new phase offers an opportunity to renew their dedication, embrace growth, and continue making a meaningful difference in the important work they do. TVSA continues to engage with our members and the community in fresh and impactful ways, offering ongoing opportunities for learning, collaboration, and growth. We are excited to share the incredible work of TVSA and victim services providers in Texas with colleagues across the country. As we move into fall, we wish you a season full of growth, reflection, and opportunity. We value your ideas on how TVSA can best support you and look forward to collaborating with each of you as we strengthen our community and enhance the impact of crime victim services across Texas. Thanks for your service! |
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TAAVA Alumni Network Meeting
Carrying the Weight: Practical Ways Leaders in Victim Services Care for Themselves September 17, 2025
Virtual Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance
Applications opening in Fall 2025 February 24-27, 2026
Deputy A.W. Grimes Law Enforcement Training Center, Hutto TVSA 2027 Biennial Training Conference
May 4-7, 2027
South Padre Island |
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Professional Development and Training
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TVSA enjoyed a successful Biennial Training Conference on South Padre Island, held May 6th-9th. This was our most highly attended conference yet! Our board and staff were pleased to welcome so many new and returning attendees for a time of education, replenishment, and connection.
The conference provided an ample training program that included our traditional pre-conference ethics course and 27 workshops across four tracks: research and promising practices in victim services, trauma-informed approaches to enhanced service delivery, cross-sector collaborations and partnerships, and leadership and management in victim services. Our opening plenary session was presented by Allen Trimmings, a national criminal justice and victim services expert who truly exemplified the collaborative spirit of which he spoke. Our closing plenary session provided a much-requested update on the 89th Legislative Session, co-presented by Nicole Martinez, Administrator for the Sexual Survivors’ Task Force in the Public Safety Office of the Office of the Texas Governor, and Rose Luna, CEO of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault and immediate past president of TVSA.
Conference attendees also enjoyed having time to meet and connect with professional colleagues at the annual meeting luncheon and welcome reception, as well as the opportunity to engage in some self-care on the island after conference sessions in the evenings. Board member Roya Williamson coordinated the conference’s silent auction, which provided many attendees the chance at items such as complimentary trainings, getaways, and more.
The success of our state conference relies on the many committed volunteers who contribute their time to provide our small staff and our board the additional capacity needed to execute such an event. We are especially grateful to the program review team of victim services professionals who worked countless hours to review our workshop proposals and to select the training program, and to our many workshop facilitators on site in South Padre. TVSA is a membership organization, and the strength of our programs, such as the conference, comes from you, our members! We look forward to gathering again on South Padre Island in 2027! TVSA will provide updates over the coming months about the conference site and plans.
In the meantime, TVSA continues to support victim services providers through our programs, including the TAAVA Alumni Network, the Texas Victim Friendly Initiative, and the Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance in management and leadership (TAAVA).
We are planning now for our tenth annual TAAVA, which will be held February 25-27, 2026. This academy provides advanced instruction in leadership and management for victim services professionals with at least three years of experience in the field. Applications will open in late fall. For more information, please email director@txvsa.org. |
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By Natacha Peláez-Wagner, M.Ed., Program Specialist
The Texas Advanced Academy for Victim Assistance Alumni Network (TAAVA ANW) was not at all idle over the summer. We held the third quarterly training of the year on Advancing Leadership in Victim Services by Leveraging Data. Presented by TVSA board member Patricia Lerma, a doctoral candidate in the School of Rehabilitation and Counseling at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, our alumni in attendance gained valuable knowledge and tools to assist them in using data for seeking funding for their victim services programs, and to assist them in developing and managing effective and identifiably needed services for victims in their service areas. Our featured alumna segment was presented by Ryann Grindstaff, of the Victims Advocate Network at the University of Texas at Austin, on resources and models of victim services in higher education settings.
The last quarterly virtual meeting of TVSA’s fiscal year is scheduled for September 17th, with a training from Dr. Jose Juan Lara Jr., on Carrying the Weight: Practical Ways Leaders in Victim Services Care for Themselves. The session will look back at resources and tools shared with our alumni over the past year, while looking ahead at the future landscape ahead for our leaders and managers in the work of victim services. All TVSA advanced academy alumni are invited to attend. We hope to see you there! Registration is now open at TAAVA Alumni Network Meeting- Info and Registration |
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Texas Victim Friendly Initiative |
The Texas Victim Friendly Initiative (TVFI) project sites for ’24-’25 have been working hard and moving toward project completion by the end of September.
The sites have spent the summer continuing work on their action plans aimed at becoming more trauma-informed/victim friendly. During TVSA staff site visits in the month of August, the sites are sharing their updated action plans toward completion of goals set for improvement in providing trauma-informed victim services, through new or improved operational policies and procedures, training, and physical plant changes to their sites. In September, the sites will undergo their project year-end organizational self-assessments and staff surveys, which will measure growth in their level of trauma-informed organizational culture and service provision from their baseline self-assessments and staff surveys at project initiation last fall. Sites are eligible to receive a designation from TVSA as a trauma-informed victim friendly site, based on their growth during their year of project participation.
If you are interested in the Texas Victim Friendly Initiative Program for the next project cycle (contingent upon continued grant funding) please contact tvfi@txvsa.org for more information. |
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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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Board Spotlight: Patricia Lerma
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This edition's featured board member is Patricia Lerma, an at-large member from McAllen, Texas. Patricia is currently a PhD candidate and Research/Teaching Assistant with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English (2006) and her Master of Arts in School Psychology.
Over the last 15 years, Patricia has worked with unique individuals such as those who have learning and health challenges, including those with behavioral, social, and emotional difficulties. She has worked with students who are at risk of not graduating due to pregnancy, seasonal work, homelessness, incarceration, and those seeking legal status. She has established collaborative relationships with community leaders, stakeholders, and families to prioritize overall wellbeing and success.
Advocating for women and youth in the Rio Grande Valley is Patricia's passion. She has volunteered and worked for a local nonprofit, and she has collaborated with state and federal agencies that service survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and those who have been criminalized by the legal system. In Patricia's words, "TVSA has afforded me the opportunity to continue to educate the public about the need for more resources, social equity, and inclusion. TVSA has provided me with trainings on latest policies, interventions and programs in the victim services profession. Best of all, I love the network of dedicated professionals I’ve met and connect with. Sharing our experiences makes us better advocates." Of her board service, Patricia says, "Serving on the TVSA board has given me the confidence to better address challenges in our region and to ensure that on-going improvements are made in servicing survivors." |
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By LeShae Haynes, BA, Membership Committee Chair
Hello everyone!
On behalf of your Regional Coordinators—Kristi Thompson (Region A), Jennifer Betts-Williams (Region C), Brenda Fuentes (Region F) and myself in Region D—we hope you all had a wonderful summer and are ready for the fall season. Fall reminds us that change can be both natural and beautiful. Our regions are embracing this spirit by adapting to new challenges, strengthening collaborations, and setting the stage for a strong finish this year.
We truly enjoyed meeting and spending time with all of you at the conference in South Padre, and we look forward to continuing to build a strong network of support for professionals dedicated to assisting crime victims across Texas. We encourage you to share information about the resources and professional development opportunities that TVSA provides!
As fall brings about a time for change, we would like to invite you to consider an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in your community/region! We currently have Regional Coordinator board vacancies for Region B (Central - Austin/Waco/San Antonio) and Region E (West - El Paso/Midland/San Angelo). If you’re passionate about getting involved and driving positive change in your region, we would love to hear from you! Please do not hesitate to reach out to either Natacha Pelaez-Wagner, our Program Specialist, at tvfi@txvsa.org or myself for more details.
Regional Coordinator Updates:
Region A Coordinator, Kristi Thompson, (Panhandle-Amarillo/Lubbock/ Wichita Falls), KThompson@lubbockcounty.gov: The Crime Victim Coalition of West Texas will be hosting the Hope, Help, and Healing Conference on November 6, 2025. TVSA will be represented at a resource fair will be available prior to the training!
Region B Coordinator, Vacant, (Central-Austin /Waco/San Antonio).
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: It was a pleasure seeing you all at the conference in South Padre. We had a strong turnout, and I hope you enjoyed the material presented. As your Region D coordinator, I am committed to continuing efforts to promote TVSA and the professional development opportunities it offers.
I know there are always new and emerging organizations out there, so please continue to spread the word or send their names my way, and I will reach out to them.
Wishing you all an enjoyable season ahead. Remember to take care of yourselves—self-care is not a luxury in this work; it’s a necessity.
Region E Coordinator, Vacant (West-El Paso/Midland/San Angelo).
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:
Christina Bristol, Pasadena
Priscilla Drozd, New Braunfels
Michelle Flatt, Georgetown
Valerie Howell-Cruz, Huntsville
Jennifer Radcliffe-Jones, Corpus Christi Lisa Sargent, New Braunfels
Jonathan Taglione, Frisco New Agency Member The Center for Relationships, Austin
Nila Dhinaker Vagdevi Meunier Lor Smith 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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President
Mary Breaux, PhD
Huntsville Past President
Rose Luna, MSLC
Austin Secretary
Sarah Lackey, MSSW, LCSW
Austin Treasurer
Vacant Region A Coordinator
Kristi Thompson, JM
Lubbock |
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Region B Coordinator
Vacant Region C Coordinator
Jen Betts-Williams, MS
Arlington Region D Coordinator
LeShae Haynes, BA
Richmond Region E Coordinator
Vacant Region F Coordinator
Brenda Fuentes
Edinburg |
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At-Large Member
Belinda Beltrán Swan, MPAff
Austin At-Large Member
Patricia Lerma, MA
McAllen At-Large Member
Christina Richardson, MS, LPC
Dallas At-Large Member
Roman Sanchez
San Antonio Ex-Officio
Jeni Pirtle, BA
Austin |
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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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