A Victim's Perspective

Jennifer Storm is the ultimate survivor turned thriver, having recently chronicled her own story of victimization and recovery in her memoir Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America. Ms. Storm will speak specifically about why, as survivors, it is so important to advocate for victims’ rights. As a child and teen survivor of sexual assault, Ms. Storm will talk about her personal struggles and how she made the decision to end her silence and use her voice to help others. She will share her journey through the criminal justice system and the pitfalls she faced as a young crime victim.

Jennifer Storm was born and raised near Allentown, PA and attended Northampton High School. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Rehabilitation Services and a M.A. in Organizational Management from The University of Phoenix.

In August 2002, Ms. Storm joined Victim Witness Assistance Program as the organization’s second Executive Director. Before joining VWAP, Ms. Storm was the first full time director of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition, a non-profit coalition dedicated to securing and defending fully inclusive civil rights for LGBT people in Pennsylvania. During her tenure at Pennsylvania Rights Coalition, Ms. Storm worked diligently on obtaining inclusive hate crime legislation.

In 2002, the Pennsylvania legislature passed one of the most inclusive hate crime statues in the country. Governor Edward G. Rendell appointed Ms. Storm as a commissioner to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. She was later appointed to the Homeland Security, Law Enforcement and Justice Systems Advisory committees where she also serves on the Terrorism Prevention and Local Law Enforcement Subcommittee.

Ms. Storm is active in many local committees and on boards such as: The Greater Harrisburg Foundationâs EGAL Board, Dauphin County Domestic Violence Taskforce, Joint Investigative Taskforce, Dauphin County Elder Abuse Taskforce, Northern Dauphin Human Services Advisory Panel and Criminal Justice Advisory Board of Dauphin County.

This conference is supported by Grant No. 2008-DD-BX-K001 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.