The former Illinois prosecutor Gov. Dannel P. Malloy nominated 15 months ago to be Connecticut’s Victim Advocate announced his resignation Thursday.
Victim Advocate Garvin Ambrose’s resignation will be effective July 18. Ambrose, who is from Chicago and still has family there, said a good job opportunity presented itself closer to home. The move is largely a “family decision,” he said. Ambrose declined to say what his new position will be because the employer has not yet announced it.
“It was a tough decision because I’ve enjoyed the work here,” he said.
In a press release, Ambrose said he was proud of the work he and his staff have done to boost the Office of the Victim Advocate.
“While I am saddened by my personal decision to resign from this great office, I am confident that the successes of my wonderful staff and I over the past 15-months have once again made the Office of the Victim Advocate a relevant part of the state system on behalf of crime victims,” Ambrose said in a press release. “It is my hope that the relationships that we repaired and gained, the policy and legislative victories that we attained, as well as the necessary rebranding of the Office of the Victim Advocate will continue in my absence.”
Ambrose took over the position from Michelle Cruz, who became a divisive figure toward the end of her tenure for her criticism of the Malloy administration’s risk-reduction credit program. Cruz reapplied for her job, but it went to Ambrose.
During his tenure, Ambrose participated in the policy debate over balancing the state’s Freedom of Information disclosure law with the privacy rights of crime victims and their families. He served on a task force created by the legislation following the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting. Ambrose pushed for greater privacy rights in the panel’s recommendations.
Recently, he helped to launch an advisory commission on victim rights to review state policies and make recommendations to ensure the state respects the legal rights of crime victims.
The Victim Advocate Advisory Committee, a panel that vets candidates for the post, will meet next Tuesday to begin considering potential replacements for Ambrose.