OVWA Staff

Elyse McConnell, MBA
Executive Director

Elyse McConnell is the Executive Director of OVWA. Elyse earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Ohio University and her Master of Business Administration from Capital University. She is a graduate of the YWCA Columbus’s Leadership for Social Change Program (formerly the Chase Gen Y Leadership Project) and the Columbus Foundation’s Fundraising Leadership Academy. Elyse has provided case management for families experiencing homelessness, individuals with disabilities, and victims and survivors of crime. Prior to joining OVWA, Elyse led the victim advocacy and youth services departments at Asian American Community Services (AACS) in central Ohio. She has provided trainings for law enforcement officials, prosecutors, victim services providers, and community members in order to enhance awareness, decrease stigma, and promote understanding around issues of family violence, human trafficking, mental health, and cultural responsiveness.

Wendy Ricks-Hoff, BA, RA, CA, TRCC
Program Director

Wendy Ricks-Hoff is the Program Director for OVWA, a Registered Advocate with Senior Standing through the Ohio Advocate Network, and an Advanced, Comprehensive Credentialed Advocate through the National Advocate Credentialing Program. Wendy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wright State University, and has over 30 years of experience in the field of victim advocacy. She previously served as the Director of the Victim Assistance Program in Xenia, a prosecutor-based misdemeanor level crime victim advocacy program. She collaborated within Greene County on projects including the Greene County DV/SA Consortium and the Critical Incident Review Committee. Wendy has presented trainings on various topics including General Victim Advocacy, Program Implementation, Funding, Domestic Violence, Stalking, Advanced Strangulation, Trauma Responsive Care, Cybersafety and Social Media Ethics, Crisis Intervention and Response, Social Resilience Model, Self Care and Trauma Stewardship and more. Under Wendy’s leadership, the Victim Assistance Program offered collaborative learning opportunities for students at Wright State University, Cedarville University and Wilberforce University. Wendy is a member of the Ohio Crisis Response Team, is certified through the Tri State Trauma Network, is a certified Trauma 101 trainer and is certified in Mental Health First Aid.  Crisis response remains one of her biggest passions in the field, as well as mentoring and collaboration with other programs, trauma responsive advocacy, and inspiring others to advocate strongly for victims of crime while initiating active engagement within their communities.

Brianna Carter
Training & Outreach Coordinator

Brianna Carter is OVWA’s Training & Outreach Coordinator. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Akron. Before joining OVWA, Brianna was a Training Coordinator at the Victim Assistance Program of Summit County, where she facilitated learning opportunities for advocates and support staff. She has over 18 years of experience aiding non-profit organizations in dynamic roles, including 11 years in staff training & development capacities.