AVP HOME
 

The Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia is a unique and distinguished organization that provides professional and timely interventions to break the cycle of violence. AVP's coordinated programs are based on the public health model of violence prevention espoused by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and most other researchers on violence. The premise of this model is that the barrage of interventions sustained over time will gradually erode violent behavior.

[FINANCIAL INFORMATION]

AVP 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bios listed below


Ari Benjamin Bank
Albert Blackstock
Nicholas A. Caruso
Razelle Frankl, PhD., Chair
William Hegarty, Treasurer
Anthony Johnson, Vice Chair
William McEwan
Mary McRae
Violet Melton, Secretary
Sarah Snyder
Deborah Spungen, MSS, MLSP
Frank Spungen, CPA
Veronica Tyson
Katherine S. Wade, Esq.


Honorary Board Members


Giuliana & Eugenio Calabi
Louise Gilbert
Mark Lomax
Tom Seamon, MS, CPP
Eunice Trevor, Esq.

Board of Director Biographies


ARI BENJAMIN BANK
Ari Benjamin Bank has been an Instructor in the English and Humanities Department at The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) for four years. He recently received tenure and has been promoted to the rank of Asst. Professor. Bank teaches developmental English skills within the college Achievement Partnership Program (CAP), as well as mass media and society courses, creative writing courses, composition courses and advanced composition courses in research writing. Currently he is developing a course for the CCP curriculum which will have a social activism theme. Bank also holds the position of Faculty Advisor of the Human Rights Club of the CCP, an organization Bank initiated with students three years ago with a mission to increase social awareness about local, national, and global social injustice and a commitment to community service. Bank has also created an annually awarded scholarship for a student with an education major.
Outside of the College, Bank volunteers for the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), is an advocate for the Human Rights Campaign, and is committed to lessening violence wherever it may exist and serving as a voice for the voiceless.

ALBERT BLACKSTOCK
Albert Blackstock is the Comptroller (Treasurer) for New Covenant Church. As the Church comptroller, Mr. Blackstock’s duties include all fiscal responsibilities for the entire church property which includes cash management, financial and regulatory reporting, financial planning, auditing and maintaining all financial records of the Church.
Mr. Blackstock’s work experience has spanned several years with various commercial banking institutions in the Philadelphia area. His professional career includes the staff position of Director of Cost Accounting, and Budgeting at Firstrust Bank and similar positions at Fidelity Bank and Atlantic Financial.
Mr. Blackstock is very involved in his church. He is the director of Men’s Ministry, involved with the prison ministry, choir, and diaconate. He has served as a mentor in the Amachi Program (Part of Big Brothers), and worked with Habitat for Humanity.
He is a graduate of Eastern University, MS, Nonprofit Management and Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, BS in Accounting.
He resides in Wyncote, Pennsylvania with his wife Debbie, two daughters and granddaughter.

NICHOLAS A. CARUSO (coming soon)

RAZELLE FRANKL
Dr. Frankl is a Professor Emerita of Management at Rowan University. As a professor, she also served as Coordinator of the Human Resource Program.
Dr. Frankl holds an MBA from Drexel University and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Bryn Mawr College. Her book Televangelism: The marketing of popular religion (Southern Illinois University Press, 1987) introduced a new perspective on the electric church as well as popularized the word "televangelism." She has continued to write on the Christian Right and electronic media. She presently serves as Chair of the Friends of Campbell Library and the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Rowan University and on the Board of Musicopia.
Dr. Frankl serves as Chair of the Board. Dr. Frankl is the parent of a murder victim and was a founding member of Families of Murder Victims, now AVP.

WILLIAM (LIAM) HEGARTY, CPA
Mr. Hegarty is a Principal at ParenteRandolph, LLC, where he provides accounting and consulting services to middle market commercial clients.
Mr. Hegarty holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from St. Joseph’s University. A native of Ireland, he is active in several professional organizations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Financial Executives International and the Irish American Business Chamber and Network. Mr. Hegarty resides in West Chester, Pennsylvania with his wife Maureen and four children. He enjoys coaching his sons’ soccer teams and is Chairman of the Philadelphia Youth Gaelic Football Association.

ANTHONY JOHNSON
Mr. Johnson works for the Partnership TMA, a non-profit organization that looks to reduce transportation problems and educate about transportation, smart growth and the environment in eastern Montgomery County. He most recently worked as the Assistant Marketing Director for the Princeton University Bookstore where he managed an extensive author events schedule and oversaw community relations. With several years of experience in nonprofit communications, Mr. Johnson has also held managerial positions at Mazzoni Center, Greater Philadelphia Cares, Investor Broadcast Network and the American Association for Cancer Research.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Rowan University and obtained a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies from Ohio University. Mr. Johnson grew up in Camden and currently resides in North Wales.

MARY MCRAE (coming soon)

WILLIAM MCEWAN
William McEwan is currently a manager with Vanguard working in their information technology division. Currently Mr. McEwan manages the Windows Operations team, supporting three thousand servers and fifteen thousand desktops throughout the company. Mr. McEwan has held various roles within Vanguard IT during his six year tenure with the company.
Mr. McEwan holds a BA in Management Information Systems from Villanova's School of Business, and is pursuing a graduate degree in technology management at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. McEwan has been a resident of Philadelphia for five years, and is active with other volunteer groups such as the Martin Luther King Day of Service and the United Way.

VIOLET MELTON
Ms. Melton is a Travel Consultant and Substitute Teacher in Burlington City, NJ. Prior to her retirement she served as a Contract Officer and Negotiator with the Small Business Association.
Ms. Melton is a member of the Kindred Readers and Zeta Phi Beta, where she serves on the Social Amenities Committee. She is also an active member of the Tabernacle Baptist Church, serving as Sheepfold Leader, Editor of the newsletter, and as a member of the Directory Committee. She has also been involved with the Urban League Guild of Philadelphia and the Burlington County Garden Club and has served as President, Secretary and Treasurer of International Training in Communications.

SARAH SNYDER
Sarah Laureene Snyder is currently a project manager with Vanguard working in their risk management division. Additionally, for Vanguard, she has been the corporate chair of the Martin Luther King Day of Service for three years in which Vanguard has remained the leader within the Greater Philadelphia area in number of volunteers and nonprofit agency support.
Ms. Snyder holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT and also studied Psychology at the University of Stockholm, Sweden.
Ms. Snyder has lived in the Greater Philadelphia region for 14 years and has been a Philadelphia resident for the past 5 years. In her free time, Sarah participates in many outdoor sports activities, travels domestically and internationally and frequently attends the National Constitution Center where she is an active member.

DEBORAH SPUNGEN
Ms. Spungen is a founder of FMV (now AVP), and served as the Executive Director of AVP from its inception in 1984 to 1994. She has taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses on trauma and violence. This spring she will be teaching a class at Stony Brook University.
Ms. Spungen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and Master of Social Service and Master of Law and Social Policy degrees from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She is a member of the Philadelphia Coalition of Victim Advocacy, National Victims Center, National Organization of Victims Assistance, National Association of Social Workers and the American Society for Industrial Security. Her book And I Don't Want to Live this Life (published by Villard in 1983 and in paperback by Ballantine in 1984), the story of her daughter Nancy's murder and her family's experience and survival in the aftermath of Nancy's death, has sold more than 320,000 copies. She is also the author of Homicide: The Hidden Victims - A Guide for Professionals (Sage, 1987).
Ms. Spungen is the recipient of several awards for her hard work and dedication, including the Crime Victims Assistance Award from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Women's Way's "Women Triumphant" Award, and the Presidential Crime Victims Service Award. She will be teaching a class in the School of Social Welfare on "Homicide - The Hidden Victims" at SBU.

VERONICA TYSON
Ms. Tyson is an Administrative Specialist with the Philadelphia Water Department, where she works on Special Projects, including the current revamping of the Department’s Work Order Management System, and serves as the Department’s 311 Liaison and on the City’s Emergency Response Team. She has worked in various other capacities during her employment, including, Assistant to the Deputy Water Commissioner.
Ms. Tyson received the ETA Advanced Teacher Certification from Philadelphia Biblical University and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Rosemont College. She is also a graduate of Leadership Philadelphia, a travel destination specialist and an accredited member of the Cruise Line International Association.
Ms. Tyson is involved in several missions and youth organizations. She serves on the Board of Directors for Windows of Hope International Children’s Ministry and is a former Board Member of the Association of City Management and Professional Employees. She also serves as a Ministry Volunteer at the Youth Study Center, Youth Coordinator at Beulah Baptist Church, Adult Bible Teacher at New Life Bible Institute, and as a Judge for the Annual West Philadelphia Baptist Congress of Christian Education Essay & Oratorical Competion. She has also served as a monitor for the District Attorney’s Youth Aid Panel in the 22nd and 23rd Police Districts.

KATHERINE WADE
Ms. Wade is a staff attorney at the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, where her areas of concentration are labor and environmental law. Prior to her employment with the CCMUA, Ms. Wade was a partner in the law firm of Amorer, Battle & Mann, P.C. She also served in the United States Naval Reserves.
Ms. Wade received her undergraduate degrees from Philadelphia Community College and LaSalle University and her J.D. from Temple University School of Law. She is currently a member of the Camden County Commission on Women, Women's Agenda of New Jersey, the New Jersey State and Camden County Bar Associations. She is also a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Character. Her former affiliations include the New Jersey State Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, the South Jersey Chapter of the Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Association of Black Women Lawyers.

JULIE RAUSCH (Ex officio)
Ms. Rausch is the Executive Director of AVP, and is the founder and past Program Director of the SAVE program. As Executive Director, Ms. Rausch is responsible for supervising all of AVP's staff and programs, including SAVE, FMV, West/Southwest Victim Services, and the Crime Victims Counseling Center.
Ms. Rausch has served as a guest lecturer at local colleges and universities on violence prevention education and has presented workshops at educational, public health, religious and professional conferences. Ms. Rausch has appeared on numerous local television and radio shows, addressing the topics of violence prevention and victim’s services; she has also testified at state legislative committees on issues such as death penalty appeals. In 1996, Ms. Rausch was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to his Governor's Community Partnership for Safe Children. Ms. Rausch is an active member of the Homicide Committee of the Philadelphia Interdisciplinary Youth Fatality Review Team.Ms. Rausch graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received the Master of Social Services and Master of Law and Social Policy degrees from the Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Prior to her employment with AVP she served as a member of AVP's Board of Directors.

EUGENIO CALABI (Honorary Board)
Mr. Calabi is a mathematician and professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, specializing in differential geometry, partial differential equations and their applications.
Professor Calabi was a Putnam Fellow as an undergraduate at MIT in 1946. In 1950 he received his Ph.D. from Princeton University. He later obtained a professorship at the University of Minnesota.
In 1964, Calabi joined the mathematics faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He was appointed to the Thomas A. Scott Chair of Mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1967. He won the Steele Prize from the American Mathematical Society in 1991 for his work in differential geometry.

GUILIANA CALABI (Honorary Board)
Mrs. Calabi is an artist, active with the Main Line Center for the Arts. She has exhibited recent works in over 18 juried shows—including the University of Pennsylvania, Burrison Art Gallery, Faculty Club, Artist Equity 2000 Exhibit, Woodmere Art Museum, Phillips Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall, Ursinus College and the Main Line Art Center. She was awarded first prize at the plastic club in 1998.

ALFRED GILBERT (Honorary Board, deceased March 07)
Mr. Gilbert was a Realtor and Real Estate Developer of commercial and industrial real estate in the tri-state area. A native Philadelphian, Mr. Gilbert a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton school. He served as a member of the Regional Board of Continental Bank and as a member and past president of the Cardiovascular Institute of Hahnemann University. He was active in the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and State of Israel Bonds.
Since the murder of his stepson and daughter-in-law, Mr. Gilbert and his wife have been prominently active in AVP. They are founding members of the organization.

LOUISE GILBERT (Honorary Board)
Mrs. Gilbert was born and raised in Texas. She graduated from Stevens College in Missouri. She was a real estate broker and established the Femme Soul Investment Group. Mrs. Gilbert and her husband were the founders of AVP. She was also on the board of Family Support Center. She enjoys playing bridge and golf—which she played with her late husband Al. Mrs. Gilbert is the parent of murder victims.

MARK E. LOMAX (Honorary Board)
Mr. Lomax is a Troop Commander with the Pennsylvania State Police holding the rank of Captain. He is also an adjunct professor in the Campolo College of Graduate and Professional Studies at Eastern University. He is the past President of the Pennsylvania State Guardians.
A Philadelphia native, Mr. Lomax holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from LaSalle University, a Masters of Business Administration from Eastern University, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Higher Education from Drexel University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Mr. Lomax serves as Chairman of AVP’s Board of Directors and as Vice-Chair of the Development and Fundraising Committee. Mr. Lomax currently serves on the boards of Campbell Street Family Youth and Community Association of Lycoming County, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Lycoming County, and the Lycoming County Criminal Justice Advisory Boards. He held numerous professional memberships in national and international organizations and associations Mr. Lomax is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Delta Mu Delta National Business Administration Honor Society, and Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology.

THOMAS M. SEAMON (Honorary Board)
Mr. Seamon is security and law enforcement consultant. He is the former Vice President of Public Safety for the University of Pennsylvania and the past Acting Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Operations of the Philadelphia Police Department. Mr. Seamon is also President of Hallcrest Systems, Incorporated—a security, law enforcement and homeland security consulting firm.Mr. Seamon received a Bachelor of Science in History and Master of Science in Public Safety from Saint Joseph's University, where he also serves as an adjunct professor in the Graduate School's Public Safety Program. He has also lectured at the University of Pennsylvania and Northeastern University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute at Harvard University. In 1990, Mr. Seamon was the first recipient of the Fulbright Fellowship in United Kingdom Police Studies. He conducted research with various UK police forces under the sponsorship of the British Centre for Police Studies at Exeter University.
Mr. Seamon served on the Board of Directors of ASIS International for six years and he is the former Co-chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Private Sector Liaison Committee. He is also the past chairperson of the AVP Board.

EUNICE TREVOR (Honorary Board)
Mrs. Trevor, an attorney, is of counsel to the law firm Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky. She is noted for her record setting results in cases involving burn survivors. She is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers for Product Liability, Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice. Ms. Trevor has gained recognition for her work developing video settlement brochures, which incorporate interviews of key witnesses, concerning liability and damages and use animation to explain complex liability concepts. She has been featured on television’s Prime Time and has had several articles written about her innovations. She has also taught other trial lawyers her techniques at seminars.Ms. Trevor received her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Temple University as well as her law degree. She is on the publications committee of TRIAL Magazine and is a regular contributing author to the publication. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association.

 







Home   |   About Us   |   Media Center   |   Online Resources   |   Contact Us