VAVP has a small staff of driven, skilled workers committed to advocacy, outreach, and casework aimed at freeing marginalized groups from oppressive circumstances.
Staff:
Ebony Clark
(she/her/hers) — Executive Director
Ebony Clark was born and raised in Richmond, VA. She comes from a large family and always felt that it was important to stay connected to her roots and close to her support systems. She is a mother, a partner, and a member of a LGBT Greek service sorority. Ebony comes to serve Virginia Anti-Violence Project with 20+ years of administration and coordination experience and a Masters of Nonprofit Studies degree. After working within a private university setting for over 12 years and volunteering countless hours of her time within her own LGBTQ+ community, she determined that it was time to use her voice and body to work towards change. Being a survivor of violence, Ebony felt that her skills, experiences and networks would best serve a community of her own friends, family, and colleagues. Ebony Clark previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for VAVP for 2 years, then moved on to Board President for 3 years. Ebony pursued the role of Executive Director in an attempt to become fully integrated into the work, values and community of Virginia Anti-Violence Project. She is passionate about her role within the organization as well as what the future holds for the work and mission of VAVP.
Natasha Smith
(she/her/hers) — Survivor Community Specialist
Tasha is a Survivor Community Specialist, and her preferred pronouns are she, her, and hers. She is a first-generation American black bisexual woman. She identifies as a survivor of childhood domestic violence and sexual abuse. The communities she belongs to intimately inform her work. Having been marginalized in several areas of her life, she has come to understand how fundamental it is to approach activism from an intersectional, multicultural lens. Her previous experience centered on youth in urban districts and high school retention. This work allowed her to engage with young people on the needs present in their community. Thus far, she has really enjoyed learning and training to be better equipped for the advocacy role, and is looking forward to making a connection with clients and community.
Cat Lamb
(she/her/hers, they/them/theirs) — Survivor Community Specialist
Cat uses both she/her and they/them pronouns. She is non-binary, queer, and a survivor of violence. She has spent most of her life coming to terms with her place in these communities. That journey to herself is what brought her to VAVP. She also carries with her many other intersecting identities — both privileged and marginalized. In this role, she is grateful for the freedom she has to grow and learn in the ways we know are most urgent to us. One way
that shows up for her is through continuously seeking out resources to recognize and unlearn the ways she may participate in systems of oppression. At Virginia Commonwealth University, Cat studied Sociology and Spanish and took classes directly related to this position. Before starting as a Survivor Community Specialist at VAVP, she also worked with multiple non-profit organizations in the Richmond area that offer resources to underserved
populations. In the future, she looks forward to working and learning in the community while contributing to VAVP’s shared mission of an end to violence.
Yamilet Santiago
(she/her/hers) — Survivor Community Coordinator
Yamilet was born in Puerto Rico, raised in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and now resides in Richmond, Virginia. She is the youngest of four children. After watching her older brothers get into trouble with the law time and time again, she was motivated to take a different approach to life. Her childhood consisted of aiding her mother in accessing all local resources due to her not speaking the English language. Navigating systems has been a way of life for her, and she naturally became a very resourceful person because of it. She is a first-generation student who attended college, and now possesses a bachelor of arts degree in Sociology. She identifies as a polyamorous, bisexual female who is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual abuse. For the past two years, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA for a variety of community projects to help alleviate blight in Virginia.
Austin Laingen
(they/them/theirs) — Communications Coordinator
Austin currently serves as VAVP’s Communications Coordinator, and identifies as Non-binary, Queer, and as a survivor of IPV (intimate partner violence). These identities and lived experiences have shaped their work and ethos, and drew them to the important work that VAVP does. They graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in International Social Justice and Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies. In the past, they have volunteered for community organizations such as local Planned Parenthood chapters, local food pantries and more, which align with their belief in intersectional, grassroots justice. Within their role they handle interpersonal and organizational communications, create graphics, and help manage VAVP’s site and social media. They currently live in Marshall, VA with their cat, Sushi, and many chickens & pigs.
Board:
Micky Jordan – Board President
Board President
Micky Jordan is a Black queer and genderqueer activist born in Florida but has called Richmond, VA, home for over 20 years. Micky joined SONG as a member leader in 2014 and in 2016 became the Richmond Organizing Fellow leading campaign work around police accountability and continuing to build SONG’s base. For the past year, Micky has worked at Side by Side, an LGBTQ youth center in Richmond, Va, as the Richmond Youth Programs Coordinator. This job has taught him a lot about the power of queer youth and the depth of the issues in Richmond around LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, combating mental health problems, and just surviving. Micky serves on the board of the Virginia Anti-Violence Project an organization close to his heart, that serves LGBTQ folks in Virginia experiencing violence and offers them support with: help from trained advocates, support groups, operating in a Language Justice framework with interpretation, and political education about what it means to be in a healthy relationship. He has spoken on panels at the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Randolph Macon University and for different organizations about his experiences as a Black queer and trans organizer, racism, oppression and organizing in general. Micky loves graphic design and dreaming about building a safer, beautiful, more affirming world for trans and queer people of color to not just survive in, but thrive in.
Nancy Grim Kells
Nancy Grim Kells serves as both a member of VAVP’s Board and a Facilitator/Manager at Grimalkin Records in Richmond, Virginia, which is “a queer-focused record label & collective comprised of artists from all over the world…[prioritizing] QTBIPOC (especially Black people) & trans, non-binary, & queer artists of all genres”. They identify as Non-binary, Agender, and fluidly trans.
Calvin Hall
Calvin Hall is a Ph.D. candidate in health psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a passionate social activist.
As a scholar, Hall examines the effects of social biases on decision-making processes and their effects on health, with a focus on queer, trans, and gender non-conforming individuals of color.
As an activist, Hall has eight years of experience working with survivors and advocates of sexual and intimate partners on a local, state, and national level. They currently serve as a faculty trainer with the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, a non-profit research consultant, and is a proud board member at The Virginia Anti-Violence Project.
In Calvin’s spare time, they enjoy bike rides, watching copious amounts of television, and collecting Funko pops.