Three years ago, Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC) began a multi-year journey to create our organizational theory of change. This past year, we’ve engaged the entire NVRDC staff in a series of “fireside chats” to further build on the ideas and philosophies we want to center as an organization. The next step in this journey will be for NVRDC to host a series of shared spaces with external partners to discuss how our field is evolving and the role we all can play in shaping progress in the larger nonprofit sector.
Over the course of the next year, we hope to bring local nonprofit leaders together for a virtual discussion on strategies to drive impact, lessons learned in organizational advocacy, culture shifting, community empowerment, and transforming systems. Our hope is that by creating this shared space for like-minded visionaries, together we can discuss and explore the ways we can promote these ideas at our own organizations while also working together to advocate for broader systemic change that strengthens the nonprofit community.
As we move into 2022 we invite national leaders to share ideas and approaches around core values that support sustaining talented and diverse staff in this mission-driven work.
Braving in Nonprofits: Innovation on May 5, 2022 at 12 pm, will focus on promoting innovative thinking, services and policies among our own organizations while navigating resource scarcity and its impacts on authentic collaborations.
This event will be conducted in spoken English. ASL and spoken language interpretation are available upon request. In order to ensure that interpreters are available, please submit any language access requests to outreach@nvrdc.org at least 5 business days in advance of the event date.
Meet Our Panelists
Ashley McSwain, LMSW, MSOD, Executive Director
Ashley McSwain is a recognized expert in women's reentry. Prior to joining CFLS, Ms. McSwain served as Executive Director for Our Place DC, a nonprofit providing programming and resources to currently and formerly incarcerated women in the D.C area. Ms. McSwain is a licensed Social Worker in the state of Maryland and in the District of Columbia and holds a Master's of Social Work from Temple University, a Master's of Organizational Development from American University, and a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Temple University. Ms. McSwain served as Deputy Director for a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit for ten years, overseeing five shelters, three transitional housing programs, four food pantries, a first-time homebuyer program, and a Homeowner Emergency Assistance Program (HEMAP). She has worked in the human services field for more than twenty-five years.
Tyrone Walker, Director of Reentry Services
Tyrone Walker works for the Justice Policy Institute, where he researches reform of juvenile sentencing laws and looks for ways that government resources can be better allocated to address the needs of returning citizens.
Tyrone has an established profile as an advocate and speaker: he has testified in front of lawmakers and policy leaders at the local and national levels.
Tyrone’s advocacy work began while he was incarcerated. He tutored other inmates studying for their GEDs and mentored young men in his facility. Recognized for his outstanding leadership abilities, he formally became a mentor for Young Men Emerging, a program in his facility that matched young men with mentors.
Paige Allmendinger, Head of Safe Stays at ReloShare
Paige Allmendinger (she/her) is the Head of Safe Stays with ReloShare, a hotel booking platform designed to streamline and simplify the hotel reservation process for social service agencies. Before launching Safe Stays, Paige was the Acting Deputy Chief at the San Francisco DA's Office where she was responsible for grant management, program and policy development for the Victim Services Division. Paige has worked in the field of power-based violence for 10+ years, including work in shelter programs, 24/7 crisis response programs, and in program development and management. Paige received her Master of Social Work with a concentration in Social Change from George Mason University and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Women’s Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Lindsey Silverberg, NVRDC’s Head of Services
Lindsey Silverberg is the Head of Services with NVRDC. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the advocacy and case management program. Lindsey directs the Sexual Assault Crisis Response Project, trains and supervises program staff, and manages the data collection and reporting for the organization. Lindsey has worked as a victim advocate for almost 10 years providing hospital accompaniment for sexual assault survivors, attending court, and offering direct advocacy support to survivors of crime.