About me
Staci has been a victim advocate in the criminal justice system for over 30 years. She joined the FBI’s Victim Services Division (VSD) in 2010 and works with domestic and international terrorism victims as a Victim Services Coordinator. Staci’s responsibilities include immediate liaison with next of kin of deceased victims and support to victims and families following a terrorist attack, coordination of medical evacuation and repatriation of remains, providing crisis intervention to victims and family, and serving as a liaison between the victim and FBI throughout the course of the investigation. She also leads the trauma notification training development and program management for the FBI’s VSD.In addition, Staci is also a Crisis Response Canine (CRC) handler for Wally. Wally is a yellow Labrador Retriever facility dog who is trained in providing animal assistance crisis response to crime victims. Wally reduces stress and anxiety brought about by exposure because of violent crime, tragedy, and/or critical incidence. The CRC program aims to use the canine human bond to promote resilience and connection for victims and responders. Staci and Wally responded in the aftermath of the IRC shooting in San Bernardino, the personal effects return to the victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing, the police shootings in Dallas, TX, the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL, the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting, and the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, TX.For several years, Staci coordinated VSD’s Victim Services Response Team (VSRT). VSRT is a multi-disciplinary team consisting of victim specialists, analysts, and special agents after a rigorous selection process. The VSRT is utilized when the FBI needs to fulfill its legal responsibilities to victims of mass casualty crimes such as terrorism and transportation disasters or when the FBI is requested to support state and local agencies investigating violent acts. Staci responded to over twenty VSRT responses and led nine of them including the EAME shooting in Charleston, SC (2015), the Grand 16 Theater shooting in Lafayette, LA (2015), the IRC shooting in San Bernardino, CA, the Dallas Police shooting (2016) and the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, TX in 2022. In addition, Staci coordinated Family Assistance Centers, investigative briefings, site visits, and the return of personal effects in many of these cases.Staci completed her Doctor of Social Work at the University of Southern California. She has been published in Overcoming Loss: The Other Victims of Homicide, and Days in the Lives of Social Workers. She has been an adjunct instructor at DeSales University in the Criminal Justice Program for over 20 years.
