By The Vanguard Staff
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Monifa Willis is the new Chief of the office’s Victim Services Division, according to a statement from controversial new San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins this week.
Willis has been a community health professional for nearly two decades, and will “lead the division that provides assistance and support to victims of crime and their families,” said the DA Office announcement statement.
“I want victims and their families to know loud and clear that my office will serve as a champion for them and their rights,” said Jenkins. “Helping victims of crime and their families is a top priority for me and a critical service we provide for those who need support during the most desperate of circumstances. No longer will victims be left in the dark about the services or support that they deserve.”
Chief Willis is an Assistant Clinical Professor for the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing, training students in trauma- and culturally-informed nursing practices.
Prior to her role as a professor, Willis served as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital of Oakland’s Department of Psychiatry, working directly with patients and their families as a Psychiatric Registered Nurse at the San Francisco General Hospital and a Family Facilitator I/Mental Health Clinician at EMQ Child and Family Services.
Wills has a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner from University of California, San Francisco, and holds a Masters in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University.
“It is an honor to serve victims and their families. It is a responsibility I do not take lightly. Through my career in psychiatry and community health, I understand the resources and practices that best support victims and their families,” said Willis. “I will lead the Victim Services Division with care for those who we serve and ensure that their voices are heard and respected.”
The Victim Services Division (VSD) of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office provides support and assistance to victims and their families after a crime, during criminal prosecution and after a verdict.
Willis said she plans to help “educate the office’s attorneys and victims services staff how to interact with victims using trauma-informed language and practices,” and “will increase direct participation from advocates in and with the diverse communities across San Francisco that they serve.”
Willis starts officially Aug. 8, 2022. 
