Claire Ponder Selib

Claire Ponder Selib (she/her) has over 25 years’ experience providing direct advocacy services to victims of crime and managing victim assistance programs for civilian and military agencies. In April 2020, Claire was appointed by the NOVA Board of Directors to serve as NOVA’s new Executive Director. In this role, Claire leads the strategic vision for the organization; serves as the agency’s primary spokesperson; and manages all operations and staff. Since 2013, Claire has served on the NOVA staff in the following roles: Deputy Director; Director of Education; and Director of the DoD Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP). Prior to joining NOVA, Claire served for over five years as the Project Manager for the Army’s Victim Advocacy and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Contract; managing a staff of 164 Victim Advocates at 56 Army installations around the world. Claire has extensive experience developing policies, anti-violence campaigns, training curricula and facilitating national trainings for military and civilian audiences. She has managed state and national anti-violence programs at the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (MNADV) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Additionally, Claire provided on-call advocacy, individual counseling, and psychoeducational groups to survivors of sexual assault/abuse and domestic violence while working at Prince George’s Hospital Center, Children’s National Medical Center and Women Empowered Against Violence. Claire holds a BA in English from Columbia University and a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Pennsylvania.