July 6, 2015
OAR Board Confident of OAR’s Continued Success with Acting Executive Director Elizabeth Jones’ Leadership
The Board of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) has asked Elizabeth Jones Valderrama to serve as Acting Executive Director of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) as they conduct a search to replace Gail Arnall, who transitioned into a consulting role, effective June 30, 2015.
“Elizabeth has been OAR’s Chief Operating Officer for almost five years,” said Board Chair Dave Wiley. “We are fortunate to have someone of her experience and capabilities to step into this position. And we are very fortunate to have such a qualified Board to oversee this transition period,” he said.
The OAR Board has just completed an extensive 10-month Board training process, culminating in a comprehensive three-year Strategic Plan for the organization. Board members, through a committee structure, will be taking the lead in seeing that specific objectives are met.
In addition to identifying a new Executive Director, the OAR Board will be adding new members to complement the roles and expertise already on the Board. Currently, the Board is composed of two financial experts, a public safety professional, a regional sales rep, a former professor and activist in the community, a public servant in workforce development, an MBA/development consultant; a retired professional from the Alexandria Sheriff’s office, and a lawyer.
“We are launching a new evidence-based Intensive Reentry Program in July that will increase the amount of time and resources we will be spending on those clients that have a high risk of returning to prison,” said Wiley. “This means we are going to be more reliant than ever on current and new supporters of OAR to help fund this new approach. We are all very excited about the benefits this new program will have for our clients and our community,” he said.”
“Elizabeth Jones has been helping to design this new program, not just for OAR, but for eight other reentry programs around the Virginia Commonwealth,” Wiley said. “She has put into place the measures of accountability of quality control that are needed for a new program of this magnitude.”
Ms. Jones has been part of the OAR staff for almost ten years. Last fall, she was recognized by Leadership Arlington and the Sun Gazette as “one of 40 under 40” in their first awards luncheon to honor young professionals making a significant contribution to the Arlington community.
Ms. Jones is a Valedictorian graduate of Washington-Lee High School in Arlington. She holds a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Virginia, and has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA) and a 2009 graduate of Leadership Arlington.
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