ANN BURDGES – Chief Executive Officer – End Violence Against Women International

Ann Burdges brings a robust diversity of professional experiences to her current position as Chief Executive Officer for End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI). Burdges served 12 years with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, including 10 years as a detective investigating sexual assaults and other major crimes. Burdges also has an education in behavioral sciences and nursing, and for two decades she led metro-Atlanta’s largest and most comprehensive sexual assault and child advocacy center, offering 24/7 on-site medical-forensic care, legal counsel, and advocacy services for victims/survivors across the lifespan, as well as statewide law enforcement and SANE training programs. This innovative climate of care and dual-operation of services became a model of specialty care for Georgia, as well as the rest of the country. Burdges has long been recognized as a national trainer for groups like the International Association of Forensic Nurses’ Sexual Assault Technical Assistance project (IAFN-SAFEta), and she has served as a subject matter expert and independent contract consultant for organizations like the US Attorney General’s Task Force on Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault, the IAFN’s Pediatric Medical-Forensic Protocol Working Group, the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, the Office of the (Georgia) Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, and the Department of Justice, US Attorney’s Office, in the Southern District (Manhattan, New York) and Eastern District (Brooklyn, New York). Through active work on legislative policy reform, Burdges has provided committee testimony at the state and federal level on sexual assault investigations training, medical forensic evidence analysis, resources for gender-based violence, and state victim services and assistance. She has also worked closely with local and national media, where Burdges has addressed high-profile cases, system injustices, and the importance of best practices. Burdges’ work has been recognized with several awards, including Improving the Criminal Justice System for Women Award (from the National Center for Women and Policing), Outstanding Child Advocacy and Leadership Award (from the United Way Metro-Atlanta), and Outstanding Community Service Award (from the American Businesswomen’s Association in Atlanta, Georgia). In 1999 Georgia’s Coalition of Sexual Assault Centers created the Ann Burdges Leadership Award, first bestowed on its namesake. Burdges was also recognized in 2013 with EVAWI’s Professional Impact Award. Burdges first joined EVAWI’s Board of Directors in 2015. She then served as President from December 2018 to April 2023. In 2023, Burdges stepped off the Board to become EVAWI’s Chief Executive Officer, bringing a versatile body of knowledge, diverse experience, steadfast leadership, and a passion for elevating future leaders.

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan – Member of the U.S. Representatives 4th District, Virginia. 

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan has dedicated her life to serving the people of Virginia and to ensuring that all Virginians have their voices heard in government. Congresswoman McClellan has served greater Richmond in the General Assembly for 17 years. She has earned a reputation as a strong legislative champion for Virginians, passing landmark laws to protect voting rights, safeguard abortion access, tackle climate change, rebuild crumbling schools, expand Obamacare in Virginia, protect workers rights, and reform Virginia’s criminal justice system. Now, Congresswoman McClellan is continuing to deliver for the people of Virginia and making sure their voices are heard in Washington, D.C. McClellan recognizes the tremendous legacy of Virginia’s 4^th Congressional District, from Rep. John Mercer Langston to Rep. Donald McEachin. She is committed to continuing that legacy of service, and to breaking barriers as Virginia’s first Black woman member of Congress. As a daughter of community leaders and educators raised in the segregated South during the Depression, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan was raised with a strong sense of servant leadership and a calling to strengthen her community. Congresswoman McClellan was born in Petersburg to parents who served the community: Her father worked as a professor at Virginia State University and her mother worked as a counselor at VSU. Her family’s experience and her study of history taught her that government can either be a force for progressive change to solve problems or a force of oppression that benefits a select few. At a young age, McClellan dedicated herself to ensuring government was that force of positive change for all. Congresswoman McClellan has channeled those values into her commitment for progress, equity, and justice in the Commonwealth. She has implemented those values as a leader in the community, the Democratic Party, and as a legislator. McClellan was elected to the House of Delegates representing Richmond in 2005. When the late Donald McEachin was elected to Congress in 2016, McClellan was elected to serve McEachin’s former Senate seat. She has served in the Senate since 2017, and serves as Vice Chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. Congresswoman McClellan has also been a leader in addressing Virginia’s painful history of racial inequity. As Chair of the Virginia Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission, Jenn promotes Dr. King’s legacy and continues his work, particularly racial healing, economic and social justice, and community engagement. As a community leader at the local, state, and national level, McClellan has served on a wide variety of non-profit and civic organizations’ boards, including the YWCA of Richmond, the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and the Robert Russa Moton Museum. She is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.