New Lehigh County Victim/Witness Coordinator Named

Kimberly J. Mitchell-Silvestri has been named the new victim/witness coordinator for the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

She succeeds Susan J. Fritsch, who is retiring in July 2012 after 18 years with the victim/witness unit and seven years as coordinator, according to a release from the district attorney's office.

As the victim/witness coordinator, Mitchell-Silvestri, 41, of South Whitehall, will be responsible for delivering a broad array of services to victims and witnesses of crimes. She will be responsible for program development, including educating the public about victim issues and recruiting program resources.

Mitchell-Silvestri, who has worked in the field for more than 12 years, will start as coordinator on July 9.

She had been supervisor of the Victim Witness Unit for Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley Inc., which helps victims to recover from the emotional and financial toll of crimes. 

She is a graduate of Allen High School, received a bachelor’s degree in English from Muhlenberg College and is working toward a master’s degree in education at Widener University. She has twin daughters.

She has supervised employees who are victim advocates and prepared agency statistics for grants and reports. She has accompanied victims to court, hospitals, police stations and meetings with prosecutors and has assisted them with victim compensation claims.

Mitchell-Silvestri is certified in crisis response. She has done educational programs at schools, has spoken about victims’ rights and has assisted in fund raising. She has helped to train volunteers of the Crime Victims Council and has assisted in organizing the annual Victim Rights Vigil.

She was a part-time intake officer for the Lehigh County Juvenile Probation Department and a hotline counselor for Crime Victims Council.

The victim/witness unit provides information to victims and witnesses about the court system and the progress of cases, accompanies victims to court and helps victims to file claims for crime victims' compensation.