Kelly Carpenter serves as the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Project Manager for the Office of Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring. Mrs. Carpenter previously served on the Steering Committee for this project in her former role as the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Payment program coordinator for the Virginia Victims Fund (VVF), the state’s crime victim compensation program. During her ten-year tenure at VVF, she established and managed the process for payment of medical provider fees incurred in the collection of evidence through Physical Evidence Recovery Kits. Mrs. Carpenter entered the victim advocacy field in 2000 as assistant director of the Chesterfield Count Victim/Witness Assistance Program with a primary specialization in domestic violence and stalking, developing a specialized position within the program to focus on the unique needs of sexual violence cases. Mrs. Carpenter has served on several state and local committees tasked with implementing and enhancing services to victims of sexual violence and currently serves as a subject matter expert for the Department of Defense’s Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program.
In additional to working for systemic change for survivors of sexual violence, Mrs. Carpenter is also a dedicated advocate for disability rights. Mrs. Carpenter has held board and advisory positions for non-profit and systems-based disability-focused organizations and served as a mentor with the Virginia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities program. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from VCU and is a graduate of Partners in Policymaking.