Board Members

Suzanne Grable is the Director of the New Kent Department of Social Services and has worked for NKDSS since 2015.  Prior to that, Suzanne worked for the James City County Department of Social Services and the Spotsylvania County Department of Social Services.  Suzanne’s passion for supporting children, families and adults as they work to become self-sufficient and triumph over poverty, abuse and/or neglect enables her to support BOC and its mission to serve victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.  Suzanne has been a member of the Board for Bridges of Change since January 2019.  Currently, Suzanne serves as the Chairperson and is grateful for the opportunity to lead BOC’s talented Board.

A Victim Advocate for 16 years, Shawna Gray is co-founder and Treasurer of Bridges of Change.

Mary is a Domestic Violence and Child Abuse educator for Active Duty military and their families. This is especially near and dear to her heart as a survivor and Navy Veteran. She earned a B.A. in Psychology for Substance Abuse Counseling and is in Graduate school for an M.A. in Clinical Counseling, where she intends to provide clinical services for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Emily Hines is the Population Health Planning and Improvement Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Health/Chickahominy Health District, and has a passion for supporting health initiatives, especially for the most vulnerable populations. As of December 2022, she became a board member for the Bridges of Change and hopes to contribute to the organization via her grant writing and fundraising skills. Emily obtained her Master’s in Public Health from Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2016 and has previously worked in public health as an Emergency Preparedness Grant Coordinator for two years, a Public Health Specialist for two years, and assisted with COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts. In Fall of 2021, Emily and her husband moved from rural northern Iowa to plant roots in the Greater Richmond Area. They have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the food scene, history and beautiful nature Virginia has to offer.

Tyler Klink is the Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Charles City County, Virginia. Previously, he served as Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney for Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Tyler obtained his J.D. from the University of Richmond in 2016 and is passionate about advocating for the victims of violent crime.

Karen Mortensen is the Victim Witness Director for the counties of New Kent and Charles City and an instructor at the Center for Legal Studies. Karen is the co-founder of Bridges of Change and she has a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Karen’s whole career has been directed towards serving victims of crime, especially victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.