Washington, DC— Five new members have been elected to the Board of Directors this year. Jeni Gamble, M.S.S.W., is the most recently elected member, voted onto the Board this July. She is currently the Product Manager for the VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) Protective Order (VPO) with Apriss, Inc., a technology corporation that provides protective services to victims of abuse and their families. Ms. Gamble is participating in the Marine Corps Marathon with Witness Justice's team, Team Heal Trauma, for the second year in a row this coming October.

Joining the Board in April were David Washington, Alexis A. Moore, Mildred Muhammad and Lukas Strout.

Ms. Muhammad is a nationally recognized speaker on domestic violence. She is a survivor of domestic violence, experienced at the hands of her ex-husband, John Allen Muhammad—also known as the "D.C. Sniper." She is the Founder and Executive Director of "After the Trauma, Inc.," a Maryland based non-profit organization that offers support to women and children affected by domestic violence.

Lukas Strout, M.A., previously a member of the WJ Advisory Board, was asked to join the Board of Directors based on his strong commitment to victims and his paralleled passion with the WJ mission. Mr. Strout is a certified Victim Service Practitioner with the Durham, North Carolina Police Department. He has used his fluency in Spanish to work with the growing Hispanic/Latino population in Durham.

Mr. Washington, LGSW, LCADC, AD/PC Sup, is a social worker, who specializes in treating substance abuse as a result of trauma. He also works with prison inmates who have experienced childhood trauma. In July, Mr. Washington accepted the H.O.P.E. (Healing Ourselves through Promises of Empowerment) Award on behalf of the State of Maryland for "State Trauma-Informed Care Leadership" at the Dare to Transform conference in Washington, D.C. sponsored by SAMHSA's National Center for Trauma-Informed Care.

Alexis A. Moore is the Founder and President of Survivors in Action, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to educate service providers and the public on victims' experiences, while offering support to survivors, their families, and their friends. Ms. Moore has an extensive understanding of technology, gained from years of experience as a "high-tech" investigator. She uses her knowledge of technology to inform the public about high-tech crimes such as identity theft and cyber-stalking. Ms. Moore is also a survivor of domestic violence and identity theft and is an advocate for privacy protection.

These dynamic additions to the Witness Justice Board join five returning members whose terms were active or renewed this year. This diverse group includes:

• Helga West, President and CEO of Witness Justice and a survivor of violent crime;
• Kathleen O'Hara, M.A., survivor, author, therapist, and activist;
• Jarad Platt, substance abuse specialist with the Maine prison system;
• Maria Tarajano-Rodman M.A., Associate Executive Director with the Western Massachusetts Training Consortium; and
• Andree Mattix (Board Secretary), M.A., professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, and survivor of both domestic violence and Hurricane Katrina.

Witness Justice is a national, grassroots, nonprofit organization created by survivors for survivors. Our mission is to provide support and advocacy for victims of violence and trauma. Witness Justice offers support regardless of where a victim lives, when or where the crime occurred, or whether the crime was ever reported. For more information, visit www.WitnessJustice.org