Mary Lyons, an assistant principal in Edenton who began the push to upgrade the penalty for second-degree murder, has been added to the board of the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network.

Lyons' son was murdered in Winston-Salem three years ago, and her concerns regarding the sentencing of her son's killer caused state Sen. Ed Jones, a Halifax County Democrat, to sponsor legislation this session that would boost sentences for second-degree murder to as much as life without parole, Dan Kane reports. The bill has not passed the legislature.

The network is a 23-year-old nonprofit organization that helps crime victims and their families deal with the justice system and advocates for laws and services that assist crime victims. The network's board has 18 seats. Board president William Hart said Lyons' efforts regarding the second-degree murder penalty issue brought her to the attention of the board.

The N.C. Victim Assistance Network, a nonprofit that advocates for crime victims, has a new executive director — Thomas V. Bennett.

Bennett is a veteran of several advocacy groups, and most recently led the N.C. Association of County Directors of Social Services, Dan Kane reports.

He has also been the executive director of the N.C. Quality Leadership Foundation, N.C. Child Fatality Task Force and N.C. Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. He has a bachelor's degree in English from Maryville College and a master's degree in communication from the University of Tennessee.

"I'm honored to be with NCVAN," Bennett said in a statement. "The organization is approaching its twenty-fifth year of advocating for victims’ rights in a time when economic pressures put heavier burdens on crime victims; they will need our help more than ever."

NCVAN has worked to increase the number of victims' legal assistants in prosecutors' offices, provide more financial assistance to crime victims through the state's Victim Compensation Program and push for legislative changes such as amending the state constitution to include the Victims' Rights Declaration.

NCVAN President William P. Hart said Bennett "brings the leadership, fundraising and lobbying skills that will enable NCVAN to provide new levels of service to crime victims."