Gov. Tom Wolf announced his nomination of Suzanne V. Estrella, Esq. to serve as Pennsylvania’s victim advocate for the Office of Victim Advocate.
“Suzanne Estrella is a dedicated public servant who has spent most of her career advocating on behalf of victims and survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse,” said Wolf. “Suzanne’s background and passion provide a solid foundation to lead the Office of Victim Advocate on behalf of all of Pennsylvania’s crime victims. I look forward to the important work OVA will accomplish under Suzanne’s leadership.”
Estrella possesses more than 20 years of legal experience primarily serving survivors of sexual and domestic violence. For the past five years, Estrella has held positions with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, most recently serving as legal director. In this role, she established and oversaw the Sexual Violence Legal Assistance Project, which provides comprehensive, short-term civil legal services to victims of sexual abuse, sexual harassment and sexual assault. She also provided training and education to rape crisis centers and other professionals who serve survivors of sexual assault throughout the commonwealth.
In 2020, Estrella was awarded the Luminary Award by Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence for the development and implementation of the Legal Assistance Project. She received her law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law and is admitted to both Pennsylvania and Florida Bar Associations.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the commonwealth as the victim advocate,” said Estrella. “I look forward to collaborating with local community victim service providers to enhance services available to victims and to implement impactful, sustainable solutions to address the complexity of victimization prevalent in our communities.”
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