Rape Crisis Advocate/Coordinator
Posted on: 2009-01-24
Ms. Seletha D. Willis 1712 Williams Street, Apt A4 Valdosta, GA 31601 229-247-3271 (home) 702-401-2716 (cell) 229-242-1544 (work) [email protected] OBJECTIVE To expand my career boundaries by utilizing my acquired education within a challenging, professional, and rewarding environment WORK EXPERIENCE Rape Crisis Advocate/Coordinator: The Haven-Battered Women’s Shelter, Inc., Valdosta, Georgia 07/01/07-present 40+ Hours per Week Duties: Maintain client, shelter, and program security, respond to rape crisis calls as outlined in the SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) and agency policies, monitor SART and SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program, and facilitate monthly case reviews. Conducts intakes interviews, contacting other sources of information for victims and their family and friends, provide immediate and aftercare service to victims determining the presence and evaluating the level of violence in the situation. Provides advocacy with the criminal justice system, and resource referrals, participate in and manage 24-hour on-call duties as described in the program policies, assist with community plans related to SART/SANE. Develops a proposed treatment plan for clients, work with other program coordinators for comprehensive case management with program clients, work with volunteer coordinator to safely integrate volunteer assistance into program, supervise all rape crisis volunteers, compile date for monthly statistical reporting and submit to Director within established State guidelines, rules & regulations, and laws as required for all grantors, the Board of Directors and as requested by Director. Supervise and develop Sexual Assault Prevention Programming and presentations for other organizations, including schools, universities, and other community agencies, recruit, train and supervise peer mentors and other volunteers to assist with programs, interface with appropriate agencies for program development and client intervention, and participate in public relations activities. Utilizes a variety of software packages in the performance of assigned duties. Extremely proficient and knowledgeable in the operations of computer software and spreadsheet packages to include: Microsoft Power Point, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook in order to prepare reports and correspondence. Shelter Advocate: The Haven-Battered Women’s Shelter, Inc., Valdosta, Georgia 12/13/06-06/30/07 20 Hours per Week Duties: Answered and properly documented all telephone and/or crisis calls as per policies, maintained client, shelter, and program security (protected confidentiality of client information and shelter location, documented all client, volunteer and/or shelter-related incidents, policed facilities to ensure all fire safety codes, client and building security procedures are being maintained, maintained awareness of client-children’s safety by keeping all medicines locked, supervise all client phone calls), managed assigned caseload for comprehensive case management for program clients (monitored cases for progress, maintained complete and accurate client records, implemented direct services, assistance and referrals for service per case plans, including but not limited to nightly support meetings, daily review and planning with clients and chores list), interfaced with appropriate agencies for program development and client intervention, recommended program changes, updates, policies needed to supervisor, maintained an organized and clean workspace and shelter (supervised client clean up chores in the facility, policed yard and removed trash, toys, etc. notified supervisor of any needed repairs or safety concerns regarding yard/play equipment), participated in public relations activities. Training Secretary: Valdosta Police Department, Valdosta, Georgia 12/13/05-03/31/06 40 Hours per Week Duties: Answering telephone, relaying messages, acted as a receptionist for the training division, established and maintained training files/records for department personnel, entered and retrieved data from a computer terminal respective to the training function, typed correspondence and memorandums for the training division, and posted announcements for training classes, copied large volumes of materials including lesson plans, handouts for training aids, and instructional classes, processed adjunct training enrollment forms, recorded enrollment attendance, and assisted with student substitutions, received and recorded adjunct training certificates/course completion records, maintained files for radar logs, verification of calibration, and maintenance of radar inventory, typed request and process orders for equipment, requisition forms, and processed items purchase files, prepared training request enrollment payments/tuition fees and travel arrangements and performed other duties as assigned. Victim Advocate: District Attorney’s Office Southern Judicial Circuit, Valdosta, Georgia 10/13/03-09/25/05 40+ Hours per Week Duties: Contacted victims of crime as soon as possible, notified victims of all court dates pertaining to their cases, opened and closed victim files, filed any personal expenses, such as medical bills, lost wages, crime scene clean-up charges, and funeral expenses with the Victim Compensation Program, court accompaniment, filed restitution forms in property crime cases, entered new criminal cases into the computer, assisted prosecution by locating witnesses for trial, made travel arraignments for out of town witnesses, helped organize National Victim Rights Week candle light ceremony, listened when a victim needed someone to talk too, Administrative Assistant to the Prosecutor of Juvenile Court, trained in death notifications. Deputy Real Estate Clerk: Lowndes County Clerk of Superior, State & Juvenile Court, Valdosta, Georgia 01/18/93-10/10/03 Duties: Filed of real estate deeds, powers of attorney, military discharges, plats (maps of property), liens, corporations, trade names, partnerships, notice of commencements. Assisted customers in search of all the above named items. Balanced daily cost bills and intangible tax register. Prepared monthly intangible tax and transfer tax reports for the Clerk of Court to file with the State of Georgia. INTERNSHIP Paralegal: Karla Walker, Esq., Valdosta, Georgia 10/01/06-12/12/06 10 Hours per Week Duties: Summarized medical records, summarized GBI case notes, and summarized testimonies in a deposition, searched Lexis Nexis for statues and similar cases pertaining to a working case. EDUCATION Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, Major-Legal Assistant Studies Presently Attending Valdosta Technical Institute, Valdosta, Georgia, Major-Microcomputer Specialist Graduated: 1991 Valdosta High School, Valdosta, Georgia Graduated: 1988 VOLUNTEER WORK Secretary: Union Cathedral, Valdosta, Georgia 04/01/06-06/28/07 20-30 Hours per Week Duties: Answering telephone, relaying messages, typing, mailed correspondence, assisted Associate Pastors as needed, directed incoming individuals to appropriate departments, entered and retrieved data from computer, copied large volume of material, ran errands, made travel arrangements and performed other duties as assigned. JOB-RELATED SKILLS/TRAINING Typing Skill Level: 45 wpm IBM Computer Skills: MS Office Suite, WordPerfect, Excel, Power Point Office Equipment: Telephone Switchboard, Facsimile, Copiers State of Georgia Intangible Tax Seminar-1994, 1998 State Deed Indexing Conference-1998, 1999, 2000 Deputy Court Clerks of Georgia VideoConference-2000 Suicide Prevention Seminar-2004 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council Conference-2004, 2005, 2008 Crisis Response Team 40 Hours Training-2005 Certified Crisis Responder-(2005-2007) Georgia State Victim Assistance Academy-2005 NOVA (National Organization for Victim Assistance) Conference- 2005 Suicide & Bullying Prevention Seminar-2007 Domestic Violence, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse: Working With Victims With Special Needs and Challenges-2007 Domestic Violence: What Every Front-Line Worker Should Know-2007 JOB-RELATED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, HONORS, AWARDS, MEMBERSHIPS Deputy Court Clerk (1996-2003) Notary Public - State of Georgia (1993-2006) ActiveMember, Lowndes Area Adoptive Parents Support Group, Inc. Former positions held Public Relations Officer, Former Secretary Board of Directors for The Children Advocacy Center (2004-2006) Georgia State Crisis Response Team (2005-2007) National Organization for Victim Assistance (2003-2005) National Dean’s List (2004-2005) National Scholars Honor Society (2007)