Kathleen Radford Demro 

Richmond, Virginia 

As the regional training and technical assistance team lead for the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC), Kathleen Radford Demro helps build the capacity of victim assistance organizations nationwide. Ms. Demro has been a victim advocate for 37 years, including serving as executive director of Safe Harbor, a sexual and domestic violence program in Henrico County, Virginia, and director of the Victim/Witness Program in Campbell County, Virginia. During her tenure at those agencies, Ms. Demro promoted trauma-informed practices, provided direct services to hundreds of survivors, and responded to communities in the aftermath of mass violence incidents. In her previous positions as vice president of community engagement at the Community Foundation and president and CEO of the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence in Richmond, Virginia, Ms. Demro directed the delivery of capacity building and leadership development programs to support hundreds of strong, sustainable, and high-impact nonprofit organizations. During her years with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, she administered federal funding, crafted policies, and created public sector solutions for victims of crime. Ms. Demro has a master’s degree in Agency Counseling from Lynchburg College, a bachelor’s degree in Government from the College of William and Mary, a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a certificate in Fundraising and Development from the University of Richmond. She has trained nationally on vicarious trauma, nonprofit governance and leadership, sustainability, strategic and succession planning, and financial management. She has also served on multiple local, state, and international nonprofit boards. 

Cheryl Peace

Charlotte, North Carolina    

Cheryl Peace has been in the victim services field for more than 12 years. She is a training and technical assistance specialist for OVC TTAC. She began her career in direct services as a residential victim advocate for domestic violence and sexual assault victims in emergency shelter services. After completing her graduate degree, she was a grant and database coordinator for a domestic violence nonprofit, managing federal and state grant reporting and data collection. There, she developed training for all shelter staff and new employees. She began teaching in 2017, developed her own Victimology course at Winthrop University, and has been an adjunct professor for the last 8 years. She also does yearly presentations for the Department of Sociology & Criminology, educating students interested in careers in victim services and criminal justice. She has experience working for local government as a victim advocate, helping victims navigate the criminal justice system by preparing them for jury trials, preparing victim impact statements, and providing resources. She also has extensive expertise working as a program manager for a child advocacy center in Charlotte, North Carolina, overseeing all trauma-trained clinicians for children who have experienced child sexual abuse, human trafficking, exposure to domestic violence, or who witnessed homicide. She is knowledgeable of trauma-informed practices for victim service organizations and evidence-based therapy modalities for survivors. Ms. Peace is regularly requested to give presentations on subjects ranging from mental health services for victims of crime to victimology lectures for multidisciplinary teams and conferences. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a Criminology concentration from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and her master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.