Meet the Team
The National Capacity Building Project, at the Center for Victims of Torture, works in collaboration with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma and the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs to provide capacity building and training to organizations serving survivors of torture in the United States. NCB’s technical assistance partners are recognized leaders in the field of torture rehabilitation, with collectively over six decades of direct service experience and providing technical assistance to survivor of torture direct service grantees and other ORR-supported organizations serving torture survivors, healthcare providers and community-based organizations, including entities in underserved regions.
Hawthorne Smith
President of NCTTP and Director of the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture
Sylvia Acevedo
Vice President of NCTTP and Senior Director of Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services
Denali Fernando
Secretary of NCTTP and Executive Director, Libertas Center for Human Rights
Pete Dross
Treasurer of NCTTP and Director of Policy and Development, Center for Victims of Torture
Ceila VanDeGraaf
Membership Committee Chair of NCTTP and Executive Director, Center for Survivors of Torture
Megan Berthold
Research & Data Committee Chair of NCTTP and UConn’s School of Social Work and Research Collaborator with Khmer Health Advocates
Leah Spelman
At-Large Member at NCTTP and Executive Director of Partnerships for Trauma Recovery
Kathi Anderson
IRCT Representative at NCTTP and former Executive Director, Survivors of Torture International
Martin Hill
At-Large Member of NCTTP and Associate Director, Research and Evaluation at Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center
Madeline Cohodes
Executive Assistant at NCTTP