Roberta Roper is a veteran crime victim advocate who together with her husband, Vincent, founded the Stephanie Roper Committee and Foundation, Inc. in 1982 in tribute to their slain daughter, Stephanie. She was the Executive Director until November 2002, when the missions of this statewide, non-profit victim advocacy and service organization were merged into the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc. (MCVRC) Today the MCVRC continues the missions that have distinguished it as one of the nation’s most effective service providers and voices for crime victims and survivors. MCVRC’s comprehensive free services include:
- Criminal justice information, assistance and advocacy
- Support & accompaniment at criminal justice proceedings
- Individual, family & group counseling & peer support groups
- Legal information, advocacy & representation related to crime victims’ rights
- Faith-based & community referrals
For the past twenty-five years, Roberta has actively participated in a wide variety of victims’ services, assistance and advocacy programs and initiatives. Among these current activities and awards are:
- Chairperson, MCVRC Board of Directors
- Chairperson, Maryland State Board of Victim Services
- Co-Chairperson of the National Victims’ Constitutional Amendment Project
- Member, Maryland Committee on Public Trust & Confidence in the Courts
- Member of the Advisory Board, National Institute of Victim Studies
- Member of the National Victim Assistance Standards Consortium
- Consultant for the Office for Victims of Crime, Training & Technical Assistance Unit
- National Victim Assistance Coordinator for a recent Faith Collaborative Project funded by the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice
Roberta successfully led the Maryland Coalition for a Constitutional Amendment for Crime Victims’ Rights from 1988 until the amendment’s passage in 1994. She is a contributing member of the National Organization for Victim Assistance and the National Center for Victims of Crime, and has received their awards for leadership and advocacy for victims’ rights and services. She has been recognized by Presidents Reagan (1988) and Clinton (1994), and received their awards for outstanding service to victims of crime. In 2006, she was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich, and the MCVRC was honored by the U.S. Justice Department, Office for Victims of Crime and given the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Award for Professional Innovation in Victim Services.
