April 7-11, 12 PT/3 ET

Join us for a special National Crime Victims’ Rights Week discussion series, where we explore this year’s theme of kinship and shared humanity. Each day, we’ll host a 30-minute conversation with a new guest speaker, highlighting the importance of centering victims of crime in our work. Through these conversations, we’ll explore how survivors, advocates, and prosecutors are all part of this shared humanity—and how recognizing these connections can lead to a more just and compassionate system for all of us.

Here is our speaker lineup:

Monday, April 7: Shannon Dion, Director of the Virginia Victims Fund

Shannon Dion is the Director of the Virginia Victims Fund, officially known as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. Prior to this position, Shannon has served the public in various roles since 2001, including former prosecutor, Special Assistant United States Attorney, Assistant Attorney General, and Director of the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services. Throughout her career, Shannon has strived to support everyone who works in and is part of the criminal justice system, such that we all may be safer and successful. In 2023, Shannon was recognized as an Influential Woman of Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Shannon is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond School of Law. Shannon is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

Tuesday, April 8: Cara Cookson, J.D., Director of Victim Services for the Maine Office of the Attorney General

Cara Cookson, J.D. is the Director of Victim Services for the Maine Office of the Attorney General where she leads the Victim Services Unit, comprised of the Maine Victims’ Compensation Program and the Maine Victim Witness Advocate Coordinator Program. She also teaches courses on victim rights law and trauma-informed practice at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Prior to moving to Maine, Cara was the Policy Director and Victim Advocate Coordinator for the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services, where she advocated for victim rights in the Vermont statehouse and provided legal consultation and technical assistance for victim service professionals, prosecutors, and criminal justice stakeholders. Cara previously represented individual and business clients as a litigator in general practice, served as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, and worked as a U.S. Senate committee aide to Senator James M. Jeffords (I-VT).

Wednesday, April 9: Casey Ballinger, Sexual Assault Response Program Manager, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Casey Ballinger works as the Sexual Assault Response Program Manager for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA). Prior to beginning her work with the coalition, Ballinger worked as a community-based victim advocate for over a decade. Her work included the development of the nation’s first post-conviction victim advocacy program – creating intentional spaces for survivors of sexual harm to have their voices considered in the treatment and supervision of those convicted of sexual offenses. Through her current role with CCASA, Ballinger has continued her work to support victim advocates serving survivors statewide as they navigate healing on their own terms. Ballinger currently acts as a victim representative on Colorado’s Sex Offender Management Board, is the vice-chair and practitioner representative on Colorado’s Restorative Justice Council, and in 2024 alongside Dr. Alissa Ackerman, was a co-recipient of ATSA’s Gail Burns-Smith Award for her contributions to the field.

Thursday, April 10: Claire Ponder Selib, Executive Director, National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA)

Claire Ponder Selib has over 25 years’ experience providing direct advocacy services to victims of crime and managing victim assistance programs for civilian and military agencies. In April 2020, Claire was appointed by the NOVA Board of Directors to serve as NOVA’s Executive Director. In this role, Claire leads the strategic vision for the organization; serves as the agency’s primary spokesperson; and manages all operations and staff. Since 2013, Claire has served on the NOVA staff in the following roles: Deputy Director; Director of Education; and Director of the DoD Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP). Prior to joining NOVA, Claire served for over five years as the Project Manager for the Army’s Domestic Abuse Victim Advocacy and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Contract; managing a staff of 164 Victim Advocates at 56 Army installations around the world. Claire has extensive experience developing policies, anti-violence campaigns, training curricula and facilitating national trainings for military and civilian audiences. She has managed state and national anti-violence programs at the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Additionally, Claire provided on-call advocacy, individual counseling, and psychoeducational groups to survivors of sexual assault/abuse and domestic violence while working at Prince George’s Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center and Women Empowered Against Violence. Claire holds a BA in English from Columbia University and a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Friday, April 11: Bass Wolf, Executive Director, Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA)

Bass Wolf has over 15 years of experience in the anti-violence field as a service provider, development director, and administrator. He started his work as a hotline volunteer and college campus preventionist. In 2018, he coauthored “The North Carolina Approach,” a manual for local jails and sexual violence agencies to better serve incarcerated survivors, in partnership with the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Bass received the Philanthropy Champion Award from the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in 2022 for his contributions to combating sexual violence and his role in promoting liberation and social justice. He is passionate about evidence-based decisions, creative collaborations, and care for service-providers.