Joye E. Frost

Joye E. Frost, a pillar of the victims’ community and a visionary leader, is recognized for her lifelong dedication to advocating for victims’ rights and services at all levels of government and helping to change the way victims are treated by the criminal justice system and society at large. Ms. Frost passed away on March 12, 2018, following a courageous battle with cancer. 

Ms. Frost retired on December 31, 2016, after almost 20 years with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). She began as a program specialist and later served as OVC acting director and principal deputy director before President Obama appointed her as director on June 14, 2013. During her OVC tenure, Ms. Frost launched the Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services initiative to expand the reach and impact of the victim assistance field. She forged closer ties with state Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) administrators and championed research innovation to build capacity in the field. 

She initiated and oversaw the complex process of revising the VOCA Victim Assistance Rule for formula funding to the states that was released by the U.S. Department of Justice in August 2016 with transformational results. The new Rule greatly expands the use of this vital funding, ensuring comprehensive alignment with 21st century crime victims’ needs. 

Since 2009, she led OVC’s team that responded to victims of terrorism and mass violence and received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award in October 2014, for her leadership in this area. 

Ms. Frost’s work to support victims of sexual assault has been longstanding and significant. She fostered a groundbreaking partnership between OVC and the Department of Defense to strengthen support to military sexual assault victims. She was instrumental in developing OVC’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and Sexual Assault Response Team Training and Technical Assistance initiatives, including the first SANE Development and Operation Guide in 1999 and its comprehensive revision in 2016. She expanded grant programs to support services to human trafficking survivors and advocated survivor leadership integration. 

Ms. Frost began her career as a Child Protective Services caseworker in South Texas and worked in the victim assistance, health care, and disability advocacy fields for almost 40 years in the United States and Europe. 

Ms. Frost received a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Health Services Management from Mary Hardin-Baylor. She is a Phi Beta Kappa member. Her contributions to the Office of Justice Programs and to the victims’ field will be felt far into the future.