Beatrice (Bea) Hanson has been nominated by President Obama to head the U.S. Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime. Hanson is chief program officer for Safe Horizon, a crime victim assistance organization in New York City. She oversees a staff of more than 600 professionals who provide services to more than 350,000 people annually. Hanson joined Safe Horizon (formerly Victim Services) in 1997 as the Director of Emergency Services. She went on to oversee the agency's domestic violence, homeless youth, and child abuse programs, before being promoted to her current position in 2004.
Hanson had served as director of client services for the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. She has degrees from the University of Michigan and Hunter College School of Social Work. In 2010, she is scheduled to receive a Doctorate in Social Work from the Social Welfare Program at the City University of New York. Joye Frost has been acting director of the agency since Bush administration director John W. Gillis left.