Elizabeth Batista-Boone, Housing Resource Center Site Administrator
Ms. Elizabeth Batista-Boone has over 25 years of experience working in the Human Services profession. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ. After graduating she returned to her home town of Jersey City, NJ, where she began her professional career as a Director of Prenatal Services for a Health Clinic. There she received much of her practical experience and solid foundation as a Social Worker.
Ms. Batista-Boone joined the Virginia Beach Human Services Department (HSD) in 1999 shortly after relocating to Virginia Beach from New Jersey. After receiving her Masters in Clinical Social Work - MSW from Norfolk State University, she followed her passion of working with domestic violence victims and survivors. Utilizing her grant writing skills she wrote her way into a newly developed position as the Domestic Violence Clinician for HSD. Several years later after firmly establishing the domestic violence program she decided to return to her first love as a leader and manager. She has been the administrator for the Adult and Employment Services Division since 2013 and was recently named as the Human Services Housing Resource Center Site Administrator.
Contact Info: Housing Resource Center, 104 N. Witchduck Road, 3rd Floor, Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Phone: (757) 385-3524
Deidra W. Bolden, Financial Assistance Division Administrator
Ms. Deidra W. Bolden is the Social Services Financial Assistance Division (FAD) Administrator responsible for overseeing and administering benefits programs, most of which are funded by the federal and state government. The programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Energy Assistance, and local programs which include General Relief and the Water Assistance Program.
Ms. Bolden has over 25 years of experience working in human service delivery and financial assistance programs. Prior to becoming the FAD Administrator, Ms. Bolden was an Assistant Director for the Office of Family Independence with the Georgia Department of Family and Children's Services (DFCS). In this role she provided oversight, coordination, and monitoring at the state level for Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Education and Training, and Performance, Planning, and Reporting. Ms. Bolden worked for more than 21 years with Georgia DFCS. Earlier in her career, she worked as State Director for the Title IV-E Foster Care Medicaid Program, Regional TANF Consultant, Eligibility Supervisor, and as a Family Independence Case Manager.
Contact Info: Social Services, 3432 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Phone: (757) 385-3620
Timothy M. Capoldo, Developmental Services Administrator
Mr. Timothy Capoldo has over 23 years of experience in the Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Mental Health and Substance Use field and comes to us from Norfolk where, as ID Director, for the Norfolk CSB, he has overseen the City of Norfolk’s Intellectual Disability Support Coordination program, Infant and Part-C Services, Child and Adolescent Services, Intake and Outpatient Services, ID Residential and the Virginia Independent Clinical Assessment Program (VICAP). He served as the State ID Director Chair from 2013 to 2015. Mr. Capoldo received his Bachelor’s in Psychology and his MPA from Old Dominion University.
Contact Info: Human Services Developmental Services, Pembroke 6, 297 Independence Boulevard, Suite 218, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: (757) 385-0601
D. Rebecca China, Children's Services Act (CSA), Administrator
D. Rebecca China began her role with the department as Children's Services (CSA) Administrator on September 22, 2015. Ms. China holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Mary Washington College and a M.B.A. from Old Dominion University. Ms. China began her career in the Tidewater area where she worked for the Tidewater Youth Services Commission for 17 years operating group homes, electronic monitoring and created their 501 (c)(3) foundation. While in this role, she served on the original funding committee that created the CSA funding streams.
Ms. China served in executive management in both state and local government as well as in the non-profit and for-profit private sectors. Her experience includes managing program funding for local juvenile justice programs in Virginia communities to include detention centers, group homes and community programs for DJJ and building a private company specializing in mental health services for juvenile corrections, First Corrections Corporation, for First Hospital Corporation from two people to 500 employees in six states and Puerto Rico. Shortly after 9/11, Ms. China decided to return to working locally where she served as the Executive Director for Jackson-Field Homes and developed the mothers and babies program for foster care teen mothers. In 2009, she accepted the position of CSA Administrator for the City of Richmond where she served for six years.
Contact Info: Social Services, 3432 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Phone: (757) 385-3341
Vacant, Behavioral Health Administrator
Contact Info: Behavioral Health, Pembroke 6, 297 Independence Boulevard, Suite 302, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: (757) 385-0504
Sharon Jones, Community Corrections and Pretrial Administrator
Ms. Sharon Jones has over 30 years of experience in the criminal justice field. She began her career as a State Probation and Parole Officer. Thereafter, she worked as the Deputy Director of Prince William County Criminal Justice Services. She has been the Administrator of Virginia Beach Community Corrections and Pretrial since 2005.
Ms. Jones has been an active member of Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association for many years having served in several positions on the Executive Board and the conference committee. Locally, she serves as the co-chair of the Virginia Beach Re-Entry Council. Ms. Jones holds a Bachelor degree in Social Work and a Master's degree in Business Administration.
Contact Info: Community Corrections and Pretrial, Municipal Center, Building 10B, 2425 Nimmo Parkway, Suite C107, Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Phone:
(757) 385-4689
Alfred Steward, Child Welfare Division Administrator
Mr. Steward has over 29 years of experience in the human services field. He began his career with First Hospital Corporation where he served in a variety of roles for ten years, most notably as a Regional Group Home Manager and was responsible for developing and managing community-based group homes for male and female adolescents. Mr. Steward began working in the public sector in the mid 1990's; he served as a Program Manager at Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center and was part of a team that developed and managed therapeutic programs at the facility. He has worked in child welfare since 1998 and served as a Child Welfare Social Worker, Social Work Supervisor, Child Welfare Programs Manager, and now as a Child Welfare Administrator providing direct services, supervision and managerial oversight for Child Protective Services, Ongoing Child Protective Services, Resource Development, Foster Care and Adoptions, and Prevention Services.
Mr. Steward earned a Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration in 1988 and a Master of Arts Degree in Guidance and Counseling in 2001 from Norfolk State University.
Contact Information: Social Services 3432 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Phone: (757) 385-3624
Jim Thornton, Child and Youth Administrator
Mr. Jim Thornton is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 23 years of experience working with emotionally disturbed youth and their families. Mr. Thornton has worked in both the private and public mental health sectors, founding a private practice in Lynchburg, Virginia, before accepting the position of Intensive Community Services Director for the Central Virginia Community Services Board (now Horizon Behavioral Health). While in that position, he supervised multiple programs, including the state's first fully-functioning mobile crisis team for children and adolescents. He helped develop and implement a youth crisis stabilization program that provided seven days per week of intensive service to youth in multiple localities. In August of 2012, he moved to Virginia Beach to become the Clinical Services Coordinator for the Child and Youth MH/SA Division with the City of Virginia Beach, where he was also able to successfully start a Youth Mobile Crisis Intervention Program in addition to the many other services the division provides.
Contact Info: Human Services Child and Youth Services, Pembroke 6, 297 Independence Boulevard, Suite 300, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Phone: (757) 385-0850
Pete E. Withers, Juvenile Detention Center Superintendent
Mr. Pete Withers has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History-Political Science from Virginia Wesleyan College. He began his juvenile justice career with the City of Norfolk in 1975 as a Juvenile Detention Child Counselor at the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Center (NJDC). Five years later, he was promoted to Child Facility Administrator I. In 1988, he became the Superintendent of the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Center and served in that capacity until 2003. Mr. Withers was hired as the Superintendent of the newly designed Virginia Beach Juvenile Detention Center in September, 2003. Under his leadership, the building was completed and eighty staff were hired in time for the opening in October, 2004. Mr. Withers has served on numerous local and state-wide boards and commissions and is often consulted as an expert on juvenile justice issues.
Contact Info: Juvenile Detention Center, Municipal Center Building, 2533 George Mason Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23456 Phone: (757) 385-0690