Andrea Darr

Andrea Darr is a Handle with Care subject matter expert at JBS International. Prior to this position, she was the Director of the West Virginia (WV) Center for Children’s Justice. The WV Center for Children’s Justice promotes and supports a statewide trauma informed response to child maltreatment and children’s exposure to violence. Andrea is a co-founder of the West Virginia Handle with Care Initiative which promotes safe and supportive homes, schools and communities that protect children, and help traumatized children heal and thrive. Before devoting her work full time on children’s initiatives, Andrea served as the Coordinator of Victim Witness Services at the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute. In that capacity she coordinated with prosecution-based victim witness assistance programs as well as community-based programs to improve their collective knowledge concerning available resources and information and to establish a bridge between local, state and federal agencies regarding victim issues. Andrea has also worked in direct services with victims of crime, violence and abuse at the Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in West Virginia. She began her career in victim services as a CASA volunteer.

As the Director of the WV Center for Children’s Justice and the Coordinator of the WV Children’s Justice Task Force, Andrea led many initiatives in identifying barriers as well as creating solutions to the successful outcomes for children during the investigation, prosecution and resolution of child abuse and neglect cases.  Her experience both in direct services as well as program management enabled her to bring agencies, organizations, and communities together to find consensus is solving problems and creating resources to help children be protected, heal and thrive.