2024 Board of Directors

Amber Leake, President
Officers
Amber Leake, President – Term CY24-26
Amber Leake is the Victim Services Director for the Department of Corrections. She is a Victim Offender Dialogue facilitator, a NOVA Crisis Responder, and a Critical Incident Peer Supporter. Amber oversees the Department of Corrections’ victim advocacy, notification, training, and support. The Victim Services Unit (VSU) tripled in size in 2017, and Amber now leads a dynamic team of ten staff members serving victims statewide during the post-sentencing phase of the criminal justice system.
Robin L. Bostic, Past President – Term CY24-26
Robin Bostic is Victim/Witness Director for the counties of King William and King & Queen, serving in the position since 2009. Previously, Robin worked as a Deputy Clerk in the King William Circuit Court handling civil and criminal cases as well as the collection of restitution. She has a BS in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Vacant, Vice President
Mindy Stell, Secretary – Term CY24-26
Mindy Stell has been involved in the criminal justice field for over 25 years, where she has provided services and advocacy to both adult and child victims of crime. As the Director of the Dinwiddie Victim/Witness Assistance Program for more than twenty years, she has worked directly with victims of all crime to include victims of domestic violence, homicide, sexual assaults, and robbery. Ms. Stell currently holds the position of Second Vice President for the Virginia Victim Assistance Network, and previously as Treasurer, President, and First-Vice President for 5 years. Her duties within the Network include serving on various committees which include legislation and program committees.
Cristi Lawton, Treasurer – Term CY24-26
Previously the Executive Director of The Network, Cristi Lawton has over two decades of work experience in public service and nonprofit organizations. She previously served as an executive director of two organizations, in addition to positions in fund development and planning. Cristi holds a master’s degree in Urban & Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia.
Brad Lehmann
At Large Board Members
Dr. Brad Lehmann – Term CY24-26
Dr. Brad Lehmann, Ph.D., a former Police Sergeant with the Henrico County (VA) Police Department, a triple graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, and an experienced educator previously with the VCU Honors College and the Virginia Community College System brings over twenty years of experience in academia and practice in criminal justice and education as a Criminal Justice Faculty Member in the Wilder School. In 2023, Dr. Lehmann was awarded status as Visiting Scholar in the Summer Research Institute of the University of Oxford (UK) at Harris Manchester College.
Michael Milnor – Term CY24-26
Co-founder of the Justice 3D training and consulting firm, Mike was involved in law enforcement for over 34 years, most recently retiring as Police Chief of Altavista, Virginia. Over the years he has worked in various positions which include Interim Sheriff, Director of Public Safety, Coordinator of an FBI/Virginia State Police multi-jurisdictional task force, Senior Supervisory Investigator, uniformed Deputy Sheriff and Polygraph Examiner.
In addition to being involved in thousands of investigations, Mike has also done an extensive amount of teaching in criminal justice with an emphasis in the areas of sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse and domestic violence. He has been a Professor of Criminal Justice at Liberty University, as well as lecturing across both Virginia and the United States. In 2016, Mike was selected to the core faculty of the National Center for Campus Public Safety. This position allowed him the opportunity to instruct at colleges and universities across the country in the areas of sexual assault investigation, Title IX and Cleary Act compliance, and campus violence. Mike also co-authored Virginia’s Model Law Enforcement Protocol in the areas of Domestic Violence, Stalking and Child Homicide Investigation.
Laura Pho – Term CY24-26
Laura Pho has been a Homicide Support Group member since 2020 after the tragic loss of her mother Lucy. She credits the group with her post-traumatic growth which ignited her advocacy for victims as they navigate the criminal justice system. Since immigrating to the U.S. from Vietnam with her family in 1979, Laura has called Virginia her home. She earned her B.A. from Virginia Tech in 1997 and J.D. from the George Washington School of Law in 2001. Laura has dedicated her 20+ year career to public service and community advocacy, including testifying before the Virginia General Assembly in support of pedestrian and cycling traffic safety laws and child body safety education in public schools. As a VVAN Board member, Laura continues Lucy’s legacy of service guided by the Buddhist precept of reducing suffering in the world. She resides in Henrico County with her husband Eric, two children Margot and Phoebe, and her mother-in-law Barbara. These days, Laura enjoys perfecting her mother’s pho recipe, reading memoirs and historical fiction, and rucking.
Sharron Saunders – Term CY24-26
Sharron Saunders is a Victim/Witness Services Director for the City of Richmond, serving in the position since 2016. Sharron has been employed with the program since 2004. She has a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling: Criminal Justice from Liberty University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Our Network
We encourage our members to take an active role in the Network. Please contact the committee chairs below to find out more about opportunities to be involved and to join a committee(s).
Legislative Committee
The committee’s duties shall be to promote and encourage laws in connection with the purposes of the organization by recommending and advising the Board of Directors as to the initiation of legislation, the support of legislation, and the status of the laws and legislation, and to plan legislation in furtherance of the purposes of the organization and to monitor the effects of legislation.
Chair: Robin Bostic, rbostic@kingwilliamcounty.us
2022 version General Assembly Legislative Summary Report
Victims’ Rights Committee
The committee’s duties shall include monitoring issues related to the provision of services to victims of crime and informing the membership of any changes in policies or programs that affect victims’ rights; making recommendations for the enhancement and successful delivery of these rights to crime victims; identifying education and training needs; and, in collaboration with the Legislative Committee, make recommendations to the Board of Directors for advocacy regarding legislative changes that promote victims’ rights.
Co-Chairs: Laura Dunn, Esq., and Second Co-Chair Currently Open
Program Committee
The committee’s duties shall be to plan the annual Virginia Crime Victims’ Issues Conference, Crime Victims’ Rights week events and other Network-sponsored training and events.
Chair: Amber Leake, amber.leake@vadoc.virginia.gov
Victim Compensation Committee
The committee’s duties shall be to monitor the Virginia Victims’ Fund (VVF), to keep the membership informed of any changes in services to victims or police made by VVF that may impact upon program service delivery, and to make recommendations to the Board of Directors for formal presentation to VVF.
Chair: Kate Bennett, ben057@henrico.us