Board Documents
Board of Trustees
Season Roberts, Chair
Virginia Beach
Season Roberts is a native of Virginia Beach, VA. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University in Communications, a minor in Political Science; and attended George Washington University for graduate studies in Political Management. As a Public Relations and Community Engagement consultant, Season provides strategy and implementation solutions to government, private, non-profit, and individual clients in the areas of digital marketing, brand awareness, corporate communications, and engagement.
From 2012-2021, Season served as the Executive Director of Virginia Beach Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). As the Executive Director of Virginia Beach CASA, Season led the organization in providing volunteer advocates for child victims of abuse and neglect. Under her leadership, Virginia Beach CASA increased the number of volunteers serving, increased the number of children being served, and increased Virginia Beach CASA’s visibility within the community. In 2015 Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads honored Season with the esteemed Champions for Children Award.
Before Virginia Beach CASA, Season also served as the Director of Volunteer Services at Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia (2010-2012), Hampton Road’s Area Agency on Aging; and before that, the Development Operations Manager at The King’s Daughters, founders of Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters (CHKD) from 2002 – 2012; where she managed over 1,000 volunteers in their efforts to raise funds, friends, and awareness for CHKD. Currently, Season is active in her local community and church. She sits on several local and state non-profit boards and committees. Season resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and daughter
Abigail Wescott, Vice Chair
Richmond
Abigail R. Wescott is the Director of Partner Relations for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), Gubernatorial Appointee to the Board of Trustees for the Family and Children’s Trust Fund of Virginia, Vice Chair of the Marymount Alumni Board, and Adjunct Professor at Marymount University. Abigail is a Virginian native and first-generation college graduate and received her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Marymount University, where she played lacrosse. She went on to receive her Master’s in Business Administration from DeSales University.
Before moving to Richmond and starting her career at VEDP, Abigail served as Chief Operating Officer at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. While residing in Southwest Virginia, she developed a love and passion for that area and its people, leading her to be involved in several initiatives across that region of the Commonwealth, ranging from youth programs to economic development.
When not working, you can find Abigail trying a new recipe, watching football or basketball, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.
Tarina Keene, Secretary
Alexandria
Since 2008, Tarina Keene has served as the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. She is committed through NPCV’s work to ensure that every Virginian has access to the full range of reproductive healthcare options despite where they live, age, race, immigration status, gender or sexual identity, or their socioeconomic status. Tarina has served as a commissioner on the Alexandria City Commission on Women as well as the President of Virginia NOW. She holds bachelor degrees in Media Studies and Political Science from Radford University and a Master’s of Public Administration from Old Dominion University. She is also a 2006 graduate of the University of Virginia’s prestigious Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.
Dr. Tyler Hart, Treasurer
Richmond
Dr. J. Tyler Hart currently serves as the President & CEO of Commonwealth Autism (CA), a non-profit whose mission is to innovate, operate, and model services that support diversity, equity, and community inclusion for Virginians with autism. CA envisions an inclusive Virginia where all people have the opportunity to participate in every aspect of their community and realize their full potential. . Before accepting the CEO role, Dr. Hart served as Provost, overseeing all student facing functions at the College inclusive of Enrollment Services, Student Support and Academics at Richard Bland College (RBC) of William & Mary
As an executive leader who has earned recognition throughout the region as a strategic thinker and an innovative problem-solver, Dr. Hart has overseen a number of major initiatives, including planning and implementation of the RBC’s strategic plan (RBC-19) that redefined and refocused the mission and vision along three critical areas: (1) enrollment, (2) programs and delivery, and (3) operations and resources. As project manager for the Exceptional Student Experience (ESE@RBC) program, Dr. Hart led a team that successfully implemented a predictive analytical tool, using business intelligence along with a case management approach. This model program pairs students with a Learner Mentor who guide them from orientation to graduation as a single point of contact to positively impact student retention and graduation.
Dr. Hart holds a Ph.D. in Leadership from Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia, where his research focused on entrepreneurial practices in community colleges. He has a M.B.A. from Averett University in Danville Virginia and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Longwood University in Farmville Virginia. He and his wife, Mali, love to spend time outdoors with their three daughters (Ruby, 9; Maizy, 7, and Tilly, 5).
Allison Lawrence
Richmond
Allison Lawrence is currently the Executive Director for the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus and adjunct faculty for Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. She holds an A.S. from Reynolds Community College, a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, a graduate of the Sorensen Institute’s Political Leaders Program at The University of Virginia, and a member of the 2019 Class of Leadership Metro Richmond. Allison has fundraising, legislative and advocacy experience having worked for a large political consulting firm, a political state party, a trade association, and M. H. West & Co., Inc. She is a member of several organizations such as The 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center and The Links Incorporated, Commonwealth (VA) Chapter. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering in her community and especially with her parents with the Friends of Anderson Cemetery which was formed to restore, preserve, and enhance one of Henrico County’s oldest African American Cemeteries
Beverly Crowder
South Boston
Beverly Tennessee Crowder is a product of Southampton County Public Schools. She holds a B.S. in Education from St. Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, VA; an M.S. in Reading from Longwood College in Farmville, VA; and an endorsement in Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. She holds licensure in teaching, primary and secondary administration, and superintendent. A retired educator, Mrs. Crowder served nearly 40 years in the Halifax County Public Schools, where she served as teacher, principal in a number of schools, mentor to many teachers, and Director of Student Services. Engaged in the South Boston Community, Mrs. Crowder serves on the South Boston Planning Commission and a member of the South Boston Museum. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Currently, Mrs. Crowder is the State Community Ambassador for AARP, a position that allows her to carry out the work of the Association at the community level in a geographic area. In this position, she recently received the Virginia’s Gordon Morton Award for Volunteer Service, the highest award of service from AARP. She was married to the late Rev. Dr. James M. Crowder and has one daughter, Antoinette.
Virginia Powell
Richmond
A sociologist by training, Dr. Virginia Powell received a Master’s and a Doctoral degree from Michigan State University in the late 1980s. She taught at colleges and universities in Michigan, Wisconsin and Virginia, worked for the State of Virginia for 20 years, and retired in August of
2017.
Her interests in the FACT Board are a natural extension of her experiences working for the Virginia Department of Health in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Virginia was the Program Manager in a department devoted to understanding injury and violence patterns through fatality review and surveillance projects. Dr. Powell coordinated Virginia’s State Child Fatality Review team; co-authored a protocol for use by local domestic violence review teams; provided training and technical assistance to Virginia communities working to establish teams; and was instrumental in the development of Virginia’s maternal death review team. She also served as principal investigator for the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System and the Sudden Death in the Young Case Registry, two CDC funded initiatives designed to build data driven understandings and solutions to premature deaths. In Virginia, fatality review is at its core a public health effort designed to describe how and why people die and to educate others about those fatal injuries to assist policy makers, advocates and planners in reducing violence.
Dr. Powell also assisted the Chief Medical Examiner with strategic planning, policy and legislation initiatives, and with grant writing and program implementation. She has served on national and state workgroups to address child abuse, domestic and sexual violence, and elder abuse.
Cindy Han
McLean
From 2017-2022, Cindy served as the Family Counseling Center of Greater Washington’s Board of Directors Chairperson. This non-profit is dedicated to providing mental health services for low-income immigrant families primarily in and around Fairfax County and the Northern Virginia area. Prior to her work at the Family Counseling Center, she was nominated by former President George H.W. Bush to be Commissioner of the U.S. Copyright Tribunal and assumed Chairmanship of the agency in December 1991. Cindy also spent time at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in a variety of positions and was a columnist for an Omaha, Nebraska newspaper. She now resides in McLean, VA and has three children and five grandchildren.
Cherie Short
Bio coming soon!
Maureen Coffey
Bio coming soon!
Carl Ayers, Deputy Commissioner of Human Services – Designee for VDSS Commissioner
Carl Ayers is the Deputy Commissioner of Human Services for the Virginia Department of Social Services. He rejoined the Department after 2 ½ years with Casey Family Programs (CFP) as a Sr. Director of Strategic Consulting. In his current role, he oversees the Division of Family Services, the Division of Benefit Program, Local Engagement and Support, Training and Continuous Quality Improvement. In his previous role with CFP, he supported work around transforming and improving the child welfare systems with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, PA and Philadelphia County, PA as well as the state of New Mexico. Immediately prior to joining CFP, Carl served as the Director of the Division of Family Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 to 2020. This Division was responsible for the supervision of the Child Protective Services, Foster Care, Adoption, Prevention Services, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance and Title IV-E programs for Virginia. Prior to joining the Virginia Department of Social Services, Carl held a number of positions with local departments of social services. Most recently, he served as the Director of the Floyd County Department of Social Services from 2004-2014. He was an active member of the Virginia League of Social Service Executives including serving four-terms on the executive committee and two-terms as President before joining the Virginia Department of Social Services. Overall, Carl has nearly 25 years’ experience in local and state government.
Throughout his distinguished career, he has held numerous leadership positions at the local, state and national levels. These leadership roles included chairing the Interagency Partnership to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness for the Commonwealth of Virginia and served on the Executive Committee for the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators. He led Virginia’s implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act and he led Virginia’s Three Branch Initiative to reduce child fatalities as well as Virginia’s statewide study involving Substance Exposed Infants with a focus on how Virginia can improve its response to children and families impacted by Substance Abuse. He currently serves as a board member for the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). Carl holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Radford University and is a graduate of the Virginia Executive Institute as well as the Commonwealth Management Institute.