The physical injuries she sustained left her in danger of paralysis, with neurological damage, extreme back and neck pain, debilitating migraine headaches, and a permanent scar from a bite that ripped through the muscle of her arm. Helga mobilized quickly after the attack, responding as an impassioned activist. Her story and message were heard on national programs, including Larry King Live, Prime Time Live and Good Morning America.

Helga has more than 15 years of communications and marketing experience, garnering numerous awards for her work and, most recently, starting up Mission Works Communications, a public relations firm serving a variety of public interest and nonprofit organizations. Prior to working with Mission Works, Helga worked with numerous public relations firms, serving dozens of national nonprofit organizations as a strategic management and communications expert. Prior to that, she was a television news producer.

Helga holds an M.A. in international business from the University of Maryland and a B.S. in marketing from American University. She is also a certified private investigator and has earned certification in women's self defense.

Kathleen has been involved in the health and healing community for 25 years. She has been an active participant in the drug and alcohol recovery field since 1982, and a therapist since 1993. She has developed many innovative programs throughout the years including creating a system of stress management approaches based on meditation and has recorded a CD called Modern Meditation.

In 1999, she faced her greatest loss and her ultimate challenge. On Memorial Day, her eldest son Aaron and his roommate Brian, both students at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH, were kidnapped, beaten, and murdered. The families of Aaron and Brian searched for five days before their bodies were found.

The grief and trauma was devastating—yet she survived and became an activist and author. Five years later, she wrote A Grief Like No Other: surviving the violent death of someone you love (Avalon, May, 2006), a book based on her personal experience as well as her professional work with many other survivors who have lost someone to violence.

Kathleen received her BA in Psychology from Antioch University and her MA in Psychology from The California Institute of Integral Studies. She lives in Philadelphia, PA where she is active in the community and an advocate of victim’s rights and services. She continues to develop approaches to health and healing.

Previously, Maria served as Executive Director of the Montague Catholic Social Ministries' Turners Falls Women's Resource Center, which grew out of the Women and Co-occurring Disorder and Violence Study. Prior to that, she was the Program Specialist for Save the Children’s Southeast Programs where Maria witnessed the profound discrimination that impacts the health, education, quality of life, and hope of children and families throughout the United States. As the Assistant to the Director of Global Missions for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., Maria understood the importance of working side by side with those in need in over 80 countries around the world. Serving as the National Program Administrator for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, she worked with health professionals, researchers, social workers, families, local providers, and business organizations to raise over four million dollars for basic, clinical, and translational research, seeking to find the cause and cure of childhood brain tumors.

Maria strongly believes in working for and with trauma survivors, promoting the need and importance of trauma-informed practice in all systems (health, social, educational, correctional and others).

Maria holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Florida and is currently completing her M.A. in Service Leadership and Management from the School for International Training. She immigrated from Cuba in 1968 and is fluent in Spanish.

Andree is an adult survivor of child abuse and a survivor of Hurricane Katrina. She continues to develop programs to assist individuals who have experienced trauma and are in the Criminal Justice system. She is committed to helping others develop and enhance their resilience.

Andree is committed to rebuilding New Orleans. She has rebuilt her home and is raising her two children in the spirit of gratitude.

A victim of domestic violence and identity theft, Ms. Moore plays an active role in the fight against domestic abuse, particularly the use of electronic means to invade a person’s privacy, by working with local, State, and Federal agencies to pass legislation that will protect consumers. At the present time, she is working with lawmakers to create a bill that would require data furnishers to notify consumers when they sell private information to a third party.

In addition to coordinating public awareness campaigns, Ms. Moore is a licensed process server and a debt collection specialist. While operating a debt collection agency, she helped victims with the location of assets and the collection of restitution. In 2008, she will attend law school with the goal of using her training to help victims of domestic abuse and electronic crimes.

Ms. Moore maintains a blog at alexisamoore.blogspot.com, where she posts her thoughts about various issues related to domestic violence and public safety.

A certified Victim Services Practitioner with the Durham, NC Police Department, Lukas is very enthusiastic about his work and the opportunities to assist people exposed to trauma and violence. Fluent in English and Spanish, he is experienced in addressing the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community, a rapidly growing population in Durham. He joined the Department in 2004 and is also a steering committee member of the Mental Health Association-Durham, an affiliate of the North Carolina Mental Health Association which aims to eliminate service gaps in the local system of care.

With an educational background in anthropology, he trained as an archaeologist and has worked in cultural resources management in the context of environmental impact assessments. His focus is in applied anthropology, with special interests including cultural and physical anthropology. He holds an MA in Applied Anthropology from the University of Maryland and a BA in Anthropology from Clarion University in Pennsylvania.

Mildred Muhammad is the founder and Executive Director of After The Trauma, Inc., a non-profit organization that supports survivors of domestic violence. Mildred knows first-hand the destruction that domestic violence has on individuals and their families. After fleeing from her violent estranged husband, John Allen Muhammed – also known as the “D.C. Sniper,” and pursuing justice for herself and her three children, she finally lives with a sense of security. Keeping the promise she made to herself while being “hunted” and terrorized by Muhammad, Mildred now helps other survivors who have lived in the painful shadow of domestic violence. She has become a nationally recognized speaker on domestic violence; addressing survivors, law enforcement, advocates, and students about the seriousness of the issue and the impact it has on victims. She is also a consultant with the Office for Victims of Crime.

Mildred is currently writing Scared Silent, an autobiography on her experience, due to be released in October 2009 and publishes a monthly newsletter on her website.

David A. Washington, a licensed social worker who specializes in the treatment of trauma and chemical dependence, is the program coordinator for both the Jail Substance Abuse and TAMAR (Trauma, Addictions, Mental Health, and Recovery) programs for the Washington County, Maryland, Health Department.

Mr. Washington’s two decades of experience in the field of substance abuse began at the Department of Health and Public Hygiene, followed by a five-year tenure at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as an assessment specialist with the hospital’s Program for Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies.

Mr. Washington specializes in the treatment of inmates with histories of childhood trauma. In addition to his work as a trauma specialist, he has worked to advance trauma services in the criminal justice system. A frequent speaker in the field of trauma informed care, he has shared his expertise during numerous presentations for the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, including appearances at the 2004 GAINS Conference and the 2007 American Psychiatric Associations Conference.

No stranger to volunteer work, Donna has worked with abused children and numerous charitable organizations. She has served as a board member for a non-profit, worked with school government, volunteered for the Junior Achievement organization, and for Witness Justice for a number of years.

Most recently, Donna worked as an independent business consultant. Earlier in her career, she was the financial systems manager for the General Foods/Phillip Morris Corporation for many years, where she won the prestigious President's Award.

Donna holds a B.A. in sociology and speech communications from the State University of New York and an M.B.A. in finance from Pace University.

Tobin earned two Masters degrees – one in English from Michigan State University and one in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.

Allison has volunteered her knowledge and talents to Witness Justice because she is dedicated to the mission of the organization. After teaching special education at the middle school level to autistic children for 10 years, Allison left teaching to extend her compassion to victims of violence and trauma and their families. Prior to teaching, she worked as an accountant for several years.

After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Shepherd University, Allison earned a teaching certificate from Hood College.

After working in the legal field for several years, Danielle joined Witness Justice to pursue a more fulfilling career: one that would present both a challenge and an opportunity to contribute to society in a positive and meaningful way. By offering support and compassion to survivors of violence and trauma and their families, Danielle is expanding her knowledge while supporting the many programs of Witness Justice.

Danielle earned an M.A. in Government from The Johns Hopkins University, and two B.A. degrees from Hood College—one in History and one in Political Science.

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James Radack, Communications Consultant

James has more than 15 years of communications experience, promoting various social issues at the national and local levels. Most recently, he was the senior vice president for public affairs at Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association), the country's oldest and largest mental health advocacy group.

During his decade-long tenure at MHA, James led a number of highly successful health communications and social marketing campaigns, including the "Do You Know It?" PSA campaign on bipolar disorder; mpower: musicians for mental health; and the Campaign for America's Mental Health, a broad-based educational initiative active in more than 60 sites nationwide. Trauma-related work included development of Operation Healthy Reunions, an awareness-raising program for members of the military and their families; "What Does Gay Mean?," an anti-bullying communications campaign; educational and media resources for the public in response to 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and other disasters; and, collaborating with Witness Justice, a media relations program for SAMHSA's "Women, Violence and Co-occurring Disorders" study.

James received his B.A. in History and a Certificate in Latin American Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

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Sandra created and advocates for the Sanctuary Model, a trauma treatment model, and worked on numerous grant programs to implement the model for the benefit and healing of children and adolescents. She also developed the Sanctuary Leadership Development Institute at Andrus Children's Center in 2005.

Dr. Bloom graduated from Temple University School of Medicine. She currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Health Management and Policy at the School of Public Health of Drexel University. She is the author of Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies, and co-author of Bearing Witness: Violence and Collective Responsibility. Sandra speaks internationally about the impact of traumatic experience on individuals, families, organizations, and cultures.

Sharon has a diverse background in child development and early childhood education, as well as a wealth of experience in working with special populations, including survivors of domestic violence, criminal justice involved clients, and those affected by HIV and AIDS.

A pioneer in trauma-informed approaches to healthy relationships, David is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Kent Center. Previously he worked with the Herbert Lipton Community Mental Health Center and the Cedar House, using his leadership skills to assist individuals with mental health and substance abuse concerns to recover and live well. David was the chief psychiatric social worker with The Madison County Mental Health Department and supervising social worker with the Hutchings Psychiatric Center. He has held numerous other appointments as a psychiatric social worker, manager, and teacher.

David received his MSW in social work from Syracuse University and his undergraduate degree from Springfield College. David held professional and board affiliations with dozens of organizations and has been recognized as an award-winning leader. He is licensed as a social worker, certified in Kingian Nonviolence, and qualified in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Michelle was born in California USA to a military family and has traveled to many places as a result. At the age of 4, Michelle lost her father, Serviceman Michael Robert Myers, who was murdered while on deployment in Germany. It was not a mission that killed him, but a senseless act of violence. This one act of violence was beginning of Michelle’s trauma and heartache. Michelle herself experienced violence as a child when a family friend, who later became her step-father, physically and sexually abused her. One of her inspirations and a great support to her during this time was a young man named David Terry. But Michelle would experience loss, trauma, and deep sorrow yet again when David Terry was murdered at the age of 26 in a random act of violence committed by teenagers. Michelle credits much her survival to God, her mother, and David. Knowing first-hand the struggles of trauma survivors, Michelle has dedicated her life to make a difference in the lives of survivors of violent crime. She attended the University of Oklahoma and Houston-Tillotson College and currently lives in Oklahoma with Ron and their seven children.

In 2001, Cynthia reconnected with her friend and former colleague, Helga West. Helga was seeking the support of America's Most Wanted host John Walsh in an effort to thwart the attempts of her accused perpetrator from avoiding his prison sentence on a technicality. In the meantime, Cynthia shared with Helga that she too had become a victim of a crime just a year before, and she was able to relate her personal fear and pain with someone who had been affected in much the same way. When Helga expressed her desire to launch Witness Justice, Cynthia became just as excited and committed. Her mission in serving as a member of the board of directors is to be tenacious in making Witness Justice thrive, expand and become the beacon for victim rights, healing and justice.

A graduate from Temple University with a bachelor's degree in radio/television/film and theater, she began her career in the early 1970s. In 1980, Cynthia joined a handful of other television specialists to build a new television station for Howard University, which represented the first black-owned and -operated television station in the nation.

In addition to being an invaluable leader and visionary for Witness Justice, Cynthia has also served as the Chair for various professional and community committees and boards.