Board of Directors
Officers
Chair
Ronald C. Long
Ronald C. Long is a consultant in the aging field. He retired in 2022 as head of Aging Client Services for Wells Fargo. In this role, led a team that worked with all of Wells Fargo’s business units to help them stay abreast of the changing regulatory environment concerning issues related to the aging client. He has spoken at several conferences including the Institutes of Medicine, the American Society on Aging, the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and the White House Conference on Aging to name a few. He is a recipient of the Barbara McGinity Service to Seniors Award presented by the National Adult Protective Services Association, the North American Securities Administrators’ highest award for non-state regulators, and recognition by Next Avenue as one of 12 Influencers in Aging for 2019. He is a graduate of Williams College and
received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Vice Chair
Melvin Hewitt Jr.
A member of the Georgia Bar since 1985, Melvin L. Hewitt Jr. is the managing member of Isenberg & Hewitt PC in Atlanta. Hewitt attended Lakeland and Kent State University, later graduating from Atlanta Law School. After serving in the military, Hewitt spent six years in public law enforcement and 15 years in the private security industry. He has held positions in middle and upper management and was ultimately named president of Globe Security Systems Inc., a private security firm with more than 13,000 employees and 110 offices in the United States and Europe. Hewitt left corporate America in 1989 so he and his wife, Harriet Isenberg, could open their private practice law firm in Atlanta. In addition to the Georgia Bar, Hewitt is a member of the Sandy Springs Bar, the Trial Lawyers of America, the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the National Crime Victims Bar Association, the National Organization for Victim Assistance, the Lawyer’s Club of Atlanta, and the Million Dollar Verdict Club. He has spoken on issues of premises liability, negligent security, wrongful death, rape, and violent assaults at local and national seminars, including the National Crime Victims Bar Association, the National Organization for Victim Assistance, Odyssey Family Counseling Centers, the Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, and Mealey’s Lexis-Nexis.
Treasurer
Kerry Watson Jr.
Kerry Watson has served as the executive vice president of public affairs for the Baltimore Orioles since September 2023. In this role, Watson oversees government affairs, public relations, communications, community engagement, and creative content for the organization. His key focuses are to provide vision and direction for a team that inspires the fanbase, identifies strategic partners, provides impactful community leadership and engagement, and brings positive attention to the organization. Previously, he served as MGM National Harbor’s vice president of government affairs and is also a former consultant and 20-year veteran of the Prince George’s County Police Department. As a Maryland police officer, Watson served as an academy instructor, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 vice president, and a K-9 handler. He is also the 2002 recipient of the Prince George’s County Police Officer of the Year award.
Secretary
Michael Haggard
A partner in the Haggard Law Firm in Coral Gables, Florida, Michael Haggard is a former assistant public defender who now practices personal injury law. He focuses on negligent security, wrongful death, unsafe premises, product liability, and insurance coverage issues and has established himself as a powerful force in the south Florida legal community. He has won high-profile cases and multimillion-dollar verdicts in cases dealing with pool accidents involving children, as well as the first case involving cell phone distraction. Compassionate, empathetic, and a fervent advocate for victims of crime, Mr. Haggard has dedicated his career to the pursuit of justice on behalf of his clients in the courtroom.
VIPs
Co-Founder
Alexander Auersperg
With his sister, Alexander Auersperg co-founded the National Center for Victims of Crime in 1985 in honor of their mother, Sunny von Bülow, and they both continue to support the work of the National Center. In 1986, Mr. Auersperg co-founded the Sunny von Bülow Coma and Head Trauma Research Foundation, a private operating foundation established to promote medical research and public awareness as it relates to coma and head injury, also with his sister. He received a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Brown University in 1982 and resides in New York with his wife and children.
Co-Founder
Ala Isham
With her brother, Annie Laurie (Ala) Isham co-founded the National Center for Victims of Crime in 1985 in honor of their mother, Sunny von Bülow. In 1986, Mrs. Isham co-founded the Sunny von Bülow Coma and Head Trauma Research Foundation, a private operating foundation established to promote medical research and public awareness as it relates to coma and head injury, also with her brother. She is an experienced filmmaker, whose credits include works on photographer Alfred Eisenstadt, Wagnerian tenor Peter Hoffman, and the award-winning production “Surviving Coma: The Journey Back”. Mrs. Isham is the mother of two children, Sunny and Alexandra, and is married to Ralph H. Isham.
Board Members
Member
Hedi Bogda
Hedi Bogda is an attorney at Bogda Law Office in Bena, Minnesota. She also serves as an attorney, consultant, and prosecutor for the Pauma Band of Mission Indians in Pauma Valley, California; as an appellate justice for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Court of Appeals in Belcourt, North Dakota; and as a tribal liaison for the National Criminal Justice Training Center, AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program, in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Member
David Brown
David Brown is a senior associate with the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group of the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. Brown, who joined the Casey Foundation in 2011, coordinates grant-making, budget development, and other aspects of the juvenile justice system reform work. The Casey Foundation’s agenda is designed to improve the odds that delinquent youth can make successful transitions into adulthood, primarily by reforming the juvenile justice system so that it incarcerates fewer youth, relies more on proven and family-focused interventions, and creates opportunities for positive youth development.
Member
James Clemente
James Clemente is a retired FBI supervisory special agent and former prosecutor from New York City. Clemente, a 22-year veteran of the FBI, worked on cases ranging from bank robberies to public corruption to serial killers, and he was a profiler with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit for more than a decade. Since his retirement in 2009, he has worked as an independent consultant for Park Dietz & Associates and the Academy Group Inc. Clemente also writes, teaches, and consults on several television programs, including “Criminal Minds” and “Crime Farm”.
Member
Alexandra Galloway
Member
Kim Goldman
Known nationwide as a victims’ rights advocate after her brother’s murder in the infamous O. J. Simpson murder trial, Kim Goldman is the executive director of The Youth Project, a nonprofit organization that provides free counseling, support groups, crisis intervention, and education and outreach to thousands of teenagers since opening in 2000.
When not working with teens, Goldman travels the country as an impassioned public speaker on victims’ rights, the role of the media, judicial reform, and other related topics. Some speaking highlights include being the keynote speaker for numerous occasions, such as National Victims’ Rights Week events, Parents of Murdered Children Victims conferences, the FBI National Academy Conference, Department of Justice (OJP), Gov. Wilson’s Conference for Women, and at universities and national events.
In 2016, Goldman joined the nationally syndicated, Daytime Emmy-nominated show, “Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen” as a special correspondent dedicated to telling stories from a victim’s perspective. As an accomplished writer, Goldman has appeared twice on The New York Times Bestseller list with “His Name is Ron, Our Search for Justice”, and “If I Did It, Confessions of the Killer”. In 2014, Goldman authored her memoir “Can’t Forgive”, and in 2015, “Media Circus, A Look at Private Tragedy in the Public Eye”. Kim is the Executive Producer and Host of “Confronting: O.J Simpson” podcast series, which launched in June 2019 and was named No. 4 of the Best 100 Podcasts of 2019, with more than 7 million downloads. She was previously the co-host of “Broadcast”, a radio show and podcast for and about women.
As the founding co-chair of The Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice, Kim has also served on the board of the National Center for Victims of Crime for many years, including time as vice chair and co-chair. She is a past advisory board member for Habitat For Heroes, Survivors Empowered, a Vision 21 Committee member, and has collaborated with P.A.V.E (sexual assault prevention and awareness), Crime Survivors Inc., and other nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving victims of crime.
Kim contributes to a variety of national media outlets and has been a guest on news programs such as “Oprah, 20/20”, “TODAY”, “Good Morning America”, “CBS This Morning”, “Dateline”, “Primetime Live”, “Dr. Phil”, and others.
Kim’s commitment to youth and those in need has positioned her as a leader in her community, where she was recognized by Soroptimist International with the Making a Difference for Women award, honored as one of “40 under 40 Leaders” business professionals, nominated for Leadership in Non-Profit, received a Going Above and Beyond award from Crime Survivors, recognized as one of “51 Most Influential Leaders in Northern Los Angeles”, and is a recipient of the Frank Carrington Champion of Civil Justice Award.
She is currently a resident of greater Los Angeles, where she raises her son.
Member
Julie Grant
Julie Grant is the host of “Opening Statements with Julie Grant” on Court TV! The former prosecutor and victims’ rights champion brings a powerful blend of legal expertise and journalism experience to the network. The licensed attorney, former prosecutor, and trial expert earned her juris doctor from the University of Akron. She further developed her trial expertise by earning her master of laws with honors in trial advocacy from Temple University’s School of Law. While serving as an assistant district attorney in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Grant tried numerous felony and misdemeanor cases before both judges and juries. She enjoys teaching trial advocacy. She has taught in Temple’s highly regarded LL.M. program and served as a faculty member of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Grant is also an award-winning journalist. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass media from Mount Union College and has worked as an anchor and reporter at three television stations: WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio, WGHP in Greensboro, North Carolina, and KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she was also the station’s legal editor. Her notable interviews include civil rights leader and literary icon Maya Angelou, famed criminal defense attorney F. Lee Bailey, world-renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.
Member and Chair Emeritus
G. Morris Gurley
G. Morris Gurley is one of the original founders of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Gurley received a law degree from Harvard and was previously the vice president of trusts and estates and the head of trust administration at The Chemical Bank. He was also the chairman of the Annie Laurie Aitken Charitable Distribution Committee and the cofounder of the Brain Trauma Foundation. Gurley is an active lay member of the Methodist Church and serves as the vice president on the board of directors of the New York City Council of Churches. He also serves on the Commission of Religious Leaders of the City of New York and he is on the advisory council of the New York Board of Rabbis.
Member
Randall Kaplan
Randall Kaplan is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist with a passion for working with and mentoring talented entrepreneurs. Randall is the founder and CEO of JUMP Investors, a venture capital firm; the founder and CEO of Sandee, a travel company; the co-founder and co-CEO of Thrive Properties, a real estate investment firm; and the owner and CEO of CollarCard LLC, a promotional product company. Randall is also a co-founder of Akamai Technologies, the global leader in content delivery network (CDN) services. Akamai serves nearly 30% of the world’s web traffic and employs nearly 8,000 people. Randall graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Michigan and also graduated with honors from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. He has served on the board of Northwestern’s law school for 19 years, and he previously served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee at Michigan for 18 years.
Randall lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.
Member
Stephen Rickman
Member
Hon. Eric Smith
Eric Smith is the assistant dean for external affairs emeritus at the Florida Coastal School of Law. He is also a professor there. He is the president of the Victim Assistance Legal Organization (VALOR), vice chair for Families of Slain Children, the founder of the Jacksonville Victim Services Center, and a partner at Maddox Horne Law Firm. Smith is also the producer and host of the television program “People and Politics”.