Board and Staff
BOARD
Board Chair
Joyce Conyers
Vice Chair
Records Manager, Department of Navy, History and Heritage Command
Roberta Roper
Founder and Secretary
Victim/Survivor
William A. Smith
Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer
William (“Bill”) Smith became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1987 and has worked in various financial management roles for the last 30+ years, primarily in contracting with the Department of Defense. Bill currently serves as Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for a DoD contractor in Maryland. Bill and his wife Maura are involved with their church and with other organizations in caring for those with special needs.
Clyde Boatwright
Member
President, Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police
Born and raised in the Sandtown-Winchester Community of West Baltimore, Sgt. Clyde Boatwright has spent the last 22 years in Maryland law enforcement, including the previous 19 years with Baltimore City School Police Force. He currently serves as the President of The Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police, representing over 21,000 members. Clyde also serves as president of the local union, representing Baltimore City School Police officers.
Clyde, is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, The Southern Police Institute at University of Louisville, and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA) program.
Clyde, has been awarded 26 meritorious departmental commendations and is a 2015 Inductee into the Carver High School Hall of Fame. Clyde and Donna are the proud parents of three children Brianna (27, Graduate of both Morgan State and Stevenson Universities), Tyree (20, McDaniel College) & Kyle (16, High School 10th grader). Clyde enjoys spending his time spoiling his grandchildren, Kinsley and Kason.
John D. B. Carr
Member
Sheriff, Prince George’s County
John D. B. Carr is a proud Prince George’s County resident. Growing up in Suitland, Maryland, John attended Bishop McNamara High School. After graduating from Bishop McNamara, John attended the University of Maryland at College Park, focusing his passion on service and protecting his community, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice. After graduating, John started his career at the Prince George’s County Office of the Sheriff as a deputy sheriff. While working, John continued his education by attending Norwich University, earning a Master’s degree in Public Administration. In his 20-year law enforcement career at the Office of the Sheriff, John has served Prince George’s County citizens through various units. John has stayed grounded in his community roots, fighting to end domestic violence as a deputy in the Domestic Violence Intervention Division and has led the apprehension of violent offenders as a commander in the Warrants & Fugitive Division. John’s (community first principles) have been the foundation that’s guided him to promote through the ranks to obtain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Assistant Sheriff, commanding the Bureau of Field Operations.
In addition to his field-related experience, John has served as a certified instructor teaching the International Association of Chief of Police (IACP) leadership in police organizations program to other leaders throughout the state. John is affiliated with several professional associations, including the International Association of Chief of Police (IACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA).
Sydney Comitz
Member
Attorney/Office Manager, Bowers Law, LLC
Sydney is an attorney and the Office Manager of Bowers Law, LLC, a small family owned, law practice located in the town of Elkton, Maryland. She has been running the law practice with her husband, Jobeth Bowers, Esq. for nearly 7 years. Day-to-day she helps people who are injured in car accidents and strives to provide all of her clients with skilled and compassionate representation. Outside of the office, she also serves as an active Cecil County Court Appointed Child Advocate, appointed to a local child who is currently in the foster care system.
She has a long history of advocacy, dating back to her time at University where she served as the University of Baltimore’s President of the Student Government Association for multiple terms, prior to being appointed by Governor Hogan to serve as the Student Regent for the University System of Maryland. She has experience serving on governance boards, search committees, and foundations, as well as, managing campaign finance and fundraising.
When she is not advocating for the rights of others she can be found promoting and working events for Elkton Magic, whose mission is to better the lives of others in their community by supporting existing non-profits in their fundraising efforts, all while promoting the local arts and bringing Las Vegas quality talent to Elkton.
While work and community engagement certainly keep her busy, she is also a step-mom of two, who is deeply dedicated to her family. Being the daughter of two first-generation college students, she has seen firsthand the power of education and the blessings of opportunity it can bring. She works to pay forward those blessings, and her family serves as her inspiration to continuously learn and grow, and empower and support others as they strive to better their own lives.
Member
Lobbyist, Evans & Associates
Gerard E. Evans has been one of Annapolis’ top lobbyists for the past twenty-five years. Over the years, he has represented a wide range of clients and interests before the Maryland General Assembly including the Baltimore Orioles, Constellation Energy, Verizon Communications, Glaxo, Medical Mutual, the Maryland Hospital Association, the State Medical Society, Penn National Gaming, the Fraternal Order of Police and Professional Fire Fighters, the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos, and the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association, as well as the Maryland Asphalt Association.
Mr. Evans began his career in 1976 working for Montgomery County Senate Delegation Chair Victor L. Crawford as his top aide. In 1977, he went to work for Senator Mike Miller for Prince George’s County. When Senator Miller became Chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in 1982, Evans became his top legislative assistant. During this time, he earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore. Later he served on the Law School Dean’s Advisory Board and the University of Maryland’s Board of Visitors.
His political life has included Chairman of the Prince George’s County Democratic Party and Deputy Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party. He has held numerous executive level positions with campaigns ranging from Mondale/Ferraro to Clinton/Gore. He also served as State Finance Director for Gore for President in 1988 and ran Joe Curran’s successful campaign for Attorney General in 1986. He directed the National Democratic Party Presidential Convention site selection committee in 1992.
Mr. Evans has taught pro-bono at the University of Maryland, College Park in the School of Public Policy for the last two decades. He also served as a Senior Scholar to the James McGregor Burns Academy of Leadership. Evans is active in a host of community and philanthropic causes including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Hope House Rehabilitation Center, and Next One Up where he serves as a member of the Board of Directors. He is married to Kathleen Evans, a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commissioner. They have five children, seven grandchildren, and live in Davidsonville, MD.
George Langbein
Member
George Langbein graduated from Pennsylvania Military College (now known as Widener University), Chester, PA and was commissioned in the US Army (USA) Signal Corps. This started his first of three careers. While in the US Army, he initially held increasingly responsible assignments worldwide leading telecommunications operations organizations. Later in the second half of his career, he trained and held increasingly responsible assignments leading program management offices He retired as a senior commissioned officer after over 22 years of service. While in the USA, he obtained a Master’s degree in Business (MBA) from the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington and became certified as a DAWIA Certified Level III Program Manager. While in the USA he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal W/4 OLC, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal W/STAR, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon W3, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff Badge.
For his second career, as an Executive Management Consultant/Program Manager, he provided team leadership, organizational development, and the business use of information technology to manage the delivery and selling at major commercial (Fortune 500) and Government (DoD/Intelligence Community/Federal Civil) information technology program offices and engagements. During this career, he obtained a second Master’s Degree in Project Management, Master’s in Science in Project Management (MSPM) from The George Washington University, Washington DC. and the project management certification Project Management Professional (PMP).
For his third career, he started up a Government contracting company named The Brandon Green Management Group, LLC (BGMG). In this career, in his role as the Founder & CEO, BGMG became a procurement ready, CVE Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) specializing in providing consulting and management services to the Government or prime contractors. BGMG grew from a start-up to a profitable firm in four years and maintained profitability for four consecutive years. The company was then sold in December 2022.
George has previous Board experience as the appointed Ft. Monmouth, NJ Representative to the Eatontown Middle School Board of Education; Vice-President, Programs at the Silver Spring Chapter of the Project Management Institute; Board Member and Volunteer at the Bethesda Help, Inc; and President of the Doral Homeowners Association.
Marilyn Moses
Member
Ricardo Wiggs
Member
Ricardo “Rick” Wiggs became a crime victim advocate after the fatal shooting of his wife Sharon Wiggs in February 1992. Rick and Sharon were the parents of two daughters, Jenine (4 yrs) and Janelle (5 mths), and the couple was attacked at their Clinton MD home. Sharon was a victim of stalking following a 1983 breakup from an old boyfriend. Ricardo was first shot with a shotgun blast into his right arm after a brief discussion with the intruder in his home. Sharon ran for help at a neighbor’s front door where she was fatally shot twice. The children were unharmed.
Following arrest and trial, the man responsible for the shooting was found innocent on all charges and his brother was not charged at all. Rick not only endured the tragedy but also the outcome of a trial where he was the primary witness with sure identification. Rick endured Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for which he did receive successful treatment, which was documented in the treatment creator’s book EMDR by Dr. Francine Shapiro. Rick’s story is also documented in Transcending Reflections of Crime Victims by Howard Zehr.
In March 1992, Ricardo became a member of the Stephanie Roper Foundation (now Maryland Crime Victim Resource Center) support group. He has been able to receive and provide the help in the transition or adjustment from his traumatic experience. He continues to participate in the meetings to help others in preparation, adjustment, and acceptance. With the Maryland Crime Victim Resource Center (MCVRC), Rick also participates in the Crime Victim Impact Panels for Prince George’s County Law Enforcement In-Service Training and New Officer Recruit Training. The Panel is also in the Maryland Correctional System in Jessup MD to inform inmates of the role and impact of crime on survivors. Rick testifies in support of progressive recommendations for law implementation at the Maryland Senate.
“Because of MCVRC I was able to restart life in a positive manner. Nothing can prepare you for homicide or recovery. There was a Rick before this happened. I only wanted to return to being Rick.”
Other notable efforts include:
• Rick has worked to strengthen Anti-stalking and Harassment laws nationwide and was invited to the White House to witness the signing of the Interstate Anti-stalking and Harassment bill into law (1996).
• Rick has provided peer support to US Navy military and civilian following the September 2013 attack on the Washington Navy Yard Building 197.
Awards:
● Maryland Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Victim Rights and Services (1997)
● Maryland State Board of Victim Services- Vincent Roper Memorial Award (2016)
● Phil Foreman People Helping Award for Peer-to-Peer Support in the Return to Building 197 (2015)
STAFF
Executive Director
Deputy Executive Director
Director of Legal Services
Jennifer Abell is the Director of Finance and Operations at MCVRC. She previously held the position of Senior Development Manager for the March of Dimes, Greater Washington DC. She served as a member of the Charles County Board of Education for 18 years. She has over 22 years of accounting experience and 20 years of non-profit, personnel, and grant management experience. She has a demonstrated history of skills in Nonprofit Organization Management, Grant Management and Strategic Planning. She has held numerous volunteer positions and is an active member in several community organizations including Charles County Chamber of Commerce, Partnerships or a Healthier Charles County Fetal Infant Mortality Review Board and Center for Abused Persons. Jennifer received her undergraduate degree at the College of Southern Maryland, lives in LaPlata, has four children and 3 grandchildren.
Trilingual Staff Attorney
Staff Attorney
Mr. Robertson is managing partner of the Robertson Law Group, LLC, a boutique firm catering to nonprofit organizations and clients with privacy and national security concerns. Mr. Robertson also serves as statewide law lecturer with Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc.
He serves on several Board of Directors including the Maryland Governor’s advisory board on services to victims of crime, the Prince George’s School board ethics panel, and the Education Foundation of the Prince George’s Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Prior to private practice, Mr. Robertson served as chief legal counsel for the Intelligence Committee of the House of Representatives and senior counsel for five Executive branch agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. In 2002, he served as investigator and counsel to the Congressional inquiry into the terrorist attacks of September 2001 and in 2010, he was voted the Intelligence Attorney of the Year for the US Intelligence Community.
Mr. Robertson has been an adjunct Professor at Bowie State University, lecturing on the topic of ethics as it pertains to the intersection of psychology and the law. He is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and Morehouse College.
Staff Attorney
Anika Harvey is a Staff Attorney for Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center and serves crime victims in Prince George’s County.
Anika formerly served as a Court Appointed Attorney in Montgomery County, Maryland; an Assistant State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County and a Deputy District Attorney in Ventura County, CA. Anika has her bar membership in Maryland, DC and California and holds a J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA and B.A. from New York University. Anika is also an avid runner and active in serving her community by helping women, indigent clients, and victims of crime.
Staff Attorney
Chris Quasebarth is a Staff Attorney for the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc., proudly serving crime victims in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland.
With over thirty years of public legal practice, Chris formerly served as the Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Berkeley County, West Virginia; the General Counsel and the Deputy Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Labor; the Director of Legal Services for the West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health and Safety; and a West Virginia Assistant Attorney General focusing on labor and employment issues and civil rights protection. Chris is a member of the Bars of Maryland, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. Chris holds a J.D. from West Virginia University, and a B.A. from Mary Washington College. Chris is a certified yoga instructor.
James Thomas has been a Marylander his entire life. He grew up in St. Mary’s County, and he attended community college, then Salisbury University, and eventually University of Baltimore where he earned his law degree. James was law clerk to the Honorable Lawrence R. Daniels and the Honorable John Hanson Briscoe before beginning practicing law. Throughout his career, he has represented hundreds of clients throughout the Maryland courts in several areas of law. James spent many years giving back to the community, through religious organizations, volunteer work and pro-bono legal services. He was the 2015 recipient of the pro bono award from Community Legal Services in Prince George’s County, Maryland, in recognition of his volunteer efforts for their Self Represented Family Law Clinic. James has been married to his high school sweetheart for more than 40 years, has three grown children, and seven grandchildren. He and his wife spend much of their leisure time bicycling together locally and while on vacation.
Danielle Trollinger is a Staff Attorney for the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center and serves crime victims throughout Southern Maryland. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Danielle graduated from Purdue University, majoring in business management. Danielle then went on to attend law school at Regent University. After graduation, she moved to Maryland and began working for a law firm, where she practiced civil litigation as their primary trial attorney for Prince George’s, Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties for the last 12 years. Danielle resides in La Plata, with her husband and three kids. In her free time, Danielle can be found serving at her church in children’s ministry, at a kid’s sport practice or on her Peloton.
Johann Wehrle was born in Washington, DC, and spent most of his life in the DC Metro area. He attended the University of Maryland, majoring in Government and Politics, and later studied at the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, where he earned his J.D. He began his career at a small DC non-profit working on the issue of dental mercury. He later joined the Office of the Public Defender in Baltimore City. His spouse’s education and career brought him to Phoenix, AZ and Winchester, VA, where he was employed as an Administrative Law Judge and Magistrate, respectively. Based in Cumberland, MD, Mr. Wehrle is the MCVRC Victims’ Attorney for Garrett, Allegany, and Washington counties. He takes great satisfaction in seeing the organization’s mission extend west beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains and Great Valley. He works to see that crime victims in Western Maryland have another place to go for help and enjoys assisting new clients.
Staff Attorney
Before joining MCVRC, Mr. Stone worked in the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney, Parole Commissioner, Immigration Judge, General Counsel to the Corrections Trustee, Chief Counsel to the FBI Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force and to the Federal Witness Security Program and was victim’s rights advisor in the Criminal Division where he received various awards for helping victims. He was appointed by the Secretary of Defense to the Congressionally authorized Judicial Proceedings Panel examining sexual assault in the military. In 2015 he received the Governor’s Citation for helping crime victims in Maryland. He has represented the U.S. at the Council of Europe, the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, the Attorney General’s Appellate Advocacy Institute, FBI and DEA training courses, and at the International Law Enforcement Training Center in Budapest.
He represents Maryland crime victims in the Maryland Appellate courts, and in federal trial court in Maryland, and has filed cases in every federal appellate court including the Supreme Court.
Troy Morgan
Staff Attorney
Troy Anthony Morgan is a Staff Attorney in the Appellate Division of Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc., proudly serving crime victims throughout the state of Maryland.
Troy worked as an attorney for a major city, a large corporate and a small boutique law firm, before opening his own practice. His experience includes serving as Guardian Ad Litem for mentally and physically challenged individuals, representing community groups in crime-nuisance proceedings and in negotiations to improve nursing home conditions, corporate law, civil litigation, franchise and trademark law, regulatory compliance, family law, contracts, real estate, wills, and trusts. He has also served as Law Clerk for extraditions and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty requests at the DOJ Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs (Mexico & Spanish-speaking Caribbean) and as a Business Risk & Controls Consultant for a large, diversified financial services company. Troy is admitted to practice in the courts of Maryland, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Stanford University and his JD from Harvard Law School.
Steph Stoneman
Staff Attorney
Steph Shoneman is the staff attorney assigned to Prince George’s and Montgomery County. Prior to joining MCVRC, Steph worked as a staff attorney at House of Ruth Maryland, providing legal services to victims of intimate partner violence in Prince George’s and Montgomery County. Steph previously worked as a Legal Assistant at Venable, LLP, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She attended The George Washington University and received a degree in International Affairs. Steph went on to attend law school as a night student at American University’s Washington College of Law
Michael Braunstein
Staff Attorney
Glenna Barner
Staff Attorney
Glenna Barner is a graduate of the University of Maryland and The George Washington University School of Law. Glenna previously served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Maryland Attorney General where she was assigned to the Maryland Child Support Administration. She diligently pursued the rights of children to ensure that they received the child support benefits to which they were entitled. Glenna also represented the administration in bankruptcy cases. Currently, Glenna is a staff attorney for Maryland Crime Victims Center, Inc.
Amy Hobaugh
Operations Specialist
Amy Hobaugh holds a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over 9 years, with roles in finance, donation processing, event logistics, daily operations and other support services. She also has prior experience in payroll and staff scheduling. She volunteered for MCVRC for 2 years prior to joining our team. She is passionate about MCVRC’s mission and is excited to be here.
Barbie Adams
Administrative Assistant
Barbie Adams worked at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for 35 years before retiring on October 1, 2015 as a Budget Analyst. Adams also served as a Senior Accounting Technician, Management Assistant and Administrative Assistant with WMATA.
After being retired for 5 years, Adams went on to work for Telecommunications Development Corporation during the pandemic. She had the opportunity to support District residents who needed assistance with their rent and utilities.
Adams has also worked Dominion Dental and From the Heart Church Ministries (Christian School). She hopes she can make a big difference and be able to add value to our organization.
