|
|
2008 National Crime Victims' Rights Week The honorees received special recognition during the awards ceremony hosted April 11, 2008, by the Office for Victims of Crime to honor victim advocates, organizations, and programs in the field of victim services.
To view more details, click on a photo for an enlarged view.
Steven D. Walker, Ph.D. Dr. Steven D. Walker has dedicated more than 25 years to promoting higher education, professional development, and training programs for crime victim advocates, victim service providers, and allied professionals. In 1988, as a faculty member at California State University, Fresno (CSU, Fresno), he initiated the first academic Victim Services Certificate, and in 1989, he created the Victim Services Summer Institute, a 4-week session tailored to the needs of full-time practitioners who were not able to acquire the Victim Services Certificate during the traditional academic calendar. Since the inception of both programs, thousands of individuals have received the Victim Services Certificate. In 1992, Steven received approval from CSU, Fresno, to develop a bachelor's program in victimology, the first undergraduate degree of its kind. CSU, Fresno, currently has more than 250 students majoring in victimology, making it one of the largest majors in the College of Social Sciences. Shortly thereafter, he created graduate-level and online courses in victimology. In 2007, Steven received approval to develop a joint doctoral program between CSU, Fresno, and the University of California, Davis, in forensic behavior sciences with an option in victimology. The first such program in the United States, it will welcome its first students this fall. Steven has also been a faculty member and previous Academic Coordinator of the Office for Victims of Crime's National Victim Assistance Academy. At the state level, he served as the California Victim Assistance Academy's codirector and was a consultant for the creation of several other state victim assistance academies. He is one of the founding members of the Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies, an interuniversity consortium of CSU, Fresno; the University of New Haven; and Washburn University designed to advance research about victimology and its practice through professional development programs and academic courses. In this capacity, Steven has taught numerous professional development courses throughout the United States and has served as a consultant for states creating such courses for victim service providers. He also was the founding vice president of the American Society of Victimology. Steven Walker, Ph.D., was nominated by Dr. Bernadette T. Muscat, Assistant Professor, California State University, Fresno.
Since 1987, Kim Ogg has advocated for victims of crime in a number of professional capacities, beginning as a Chief Felony Prosecutor. In 1994, she became the City of Houston's Anti-Gang Director, the first such director in the United States, where she developed policies to reduce gang violence. In 2000, Kim became the Executive Director of Houston's Crime-Stoppers, where she made sure that crime victims had a vital voice in the organization. She also developed the Safe School Program, which teaches students how to use the Crime-Stoppers tip line. Since its Safe School Program began, Crime-Stoppers has solved more than 650 crimes occurring on school campuses and confiscated more than 80 weapons. In 2002, Kim initiated the Top Ten Most Wanted Sex Offenders in Harris County program, which led to more than 100 arrests of fugitive sex offenders, as well as a local weekly news segment titled “Predator Check.” During her tenure there, Crime-Stoppers was ranked the number one community-based, crime-solving organization with the highest clearance rate for previously unsolved violent crimes. Throughout her career, Kim has advocated for legislation that enhanced public safety and victims' rights, such as national legislation to combat the sale of “murderabilia.” She was recognized by the Foundation for Improvement of Justice in 1998 for her contributions to improving the criminal justice system, and received the 2006 Distinguished Steve Chaney Award from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Victims Services and the 2007 Father Ken Czillnger Award from the National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children. In 2002, Kim was appointed to serve on Texas Governor Rick Perry's Advisory Anti-Crime Commission, and she is currently a member of the National Alliance of Victims' Rights Attorneys. Kim has developed professional and personal relationships with members of Parents of Murdered Children and currently serves as the Heights Chapter's De Facto Legal Advisor. Currently, she is a private attorney specializing in victims' rights. Kim Ogg was nominated by Andy Kahan, Director, Mayor's Crime Victims' Office, City of Houston.
|
||
