Our Staff
Mona Raza
Mona serves as General Counsel and Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley. Mona carries a general poverty law caseload, specializing in housing law. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee University School of Law. Her prior experience includes working at Southwest Virginia Legal Aid Society in Christiansburg, Virginia and ChildLaw Services in Princeton, West Virginia. Mona lives in Roanoke with her husband, Quasir, two children, Nabeel and Zoya, and Jagger the labradoodle. In her free time, she enjoys all disciplines of cycling, but especially loves coaching youth mountain biking for the Roanoke Valley Devo Junior Team.
Emily Faye Jewett
Emily serves as Deputy General Counsel, and has been lucky enough to practice law at the Legal Aid Society since 2005. Emily attended Chadron State College in Nebraska for her Bachelor of Arts degree and Hamline University School of Law in Minnesota. She is a transplanted Midwesterner who has come to love the beautiful mountains of Virginia. Emily is married with three kids and loves to bake in her “spare” moments.
Hunter Hartley
Hunter is a staff attorney who joined LASRV in 2022. They primarily practice landlord-tenant law and provide support for Spanish-speaking clients. A graduate of Howard University School of Law and Virginia Tech, Hunter takes seriously the mottos of their alma maters of truth and service to others. During law school, they organized students traveling to the southern border, providing legal and interpretive services to refugees. A transplant to Roanoke, they have spent the last decade working in the Valley on food security and community resilience. Hunter continues to serve as a director of Lick Run CDC, and enjoys rock climbing, gardening, and playing music.
Elizabeth Barbour
Elizabeth is a Staff Attorney who practices primarily in family law with victims of domestic violence. She earned her J.D. at Washington and Lee University School of Law, and an M.A. in Creative Writing at Hollins University. Former volunteer positions with the Roanoke Valley Rescue Mission and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) with Children’s’ Trust Roanoke Valley helped cultivate her interest in public service. Roanoke native and proud Virginian, Elizabeth has had four careers, is a published author and amateur globe-trotter who loves being Alex’s mom and is never happier than being near water.
Jarryd Smith
Jarryd is a staff attorney who primarily practices in landlord-tenant law. He is from Virginia Beach and is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law and Virginia Tech. While in law school he worked in the Advanced Administrative Litigation Clinic assisting coal miners pursuing federal black lung benefits. Since graduating, he worked for a law firm doing black lung litigation defense and more recently as an Assistant Public Defender.
Henry Woodward
Formerly Senior Staff Attorney and General Counsel at LASRV, Henry is from Bristol, Virginia, and is a graduate of Williams College, Yale Law School, and the Peace Corps. He is a recipient of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Aid Award and the Roanoke Bar Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation, and retired Professor of Practice at Washington & Lee Law School.
Zachary Brown
Zachary Brown is a staff attorney and joined the office in 2020. Originally from Houston, Texas, Zachary is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law. Throughout law school, Zachary engaged in pro bono, clinic, and internship work with the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Now as a practicing attorney, Zachary assists clients with a variety of case matters, including unemployment compensation, consumer issues, and eviction defense.
alexandra m. smith
Alexandra M. Smith is a Staff Attorney who joined LASRV in 2024. She has a background in civil defense litigation, human rights, and education. She is a proud graduate of William & Mary Law School, Central European University, and Bard College. At William & Mary, Alexandra won the Special Education Advocacy Award for her work in the PELE Clinic, and she remains committed to advocating for students and families. She has lived around the globe and is happy to now call western Virginia home. In her free time, Alexandra enjoys gardening and making art, and she is always ready to talk about her newest film discovery.
Gail Anderson Baxter
Gail has been a Legal Secretary at The Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley since 2003. Gail lived in New Jersey and New York before transplanting to Virginia. Gail received her Bachelor's degree from Clemson University. Married with three children and five grandchildren, her hobbies include quilting and cooking.
Austin Bouffard
Austin joined LASRV in 2021 as our housing and evictions paralegal and assisted hundreds of clients with the Rent Relief Program. She moved into a new role in 2023 to assist with reception in addition to other tasks. She has been a paralegal in the Roanoke Valley for over 16 years and obtained a Paralegal Certificate from James Madison University in 2018. She has an undergraduate degree in English/Creative Writing from Hollins University. Austin spends her free time hanging out with her spastic dog, Gizmo, who sometimes is her very cute assistant at the office. She enjoys being “Auntie”. Her hobbies include refinishing furniture, crafting, antiquing, and caring for an insane number of indoor plants.
Jan Keister
Jan is a non-profit specialist working as an office administrator, bookkeeper and grant writer for Roanoke organizations including the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley, Kids Soar, and Old Southwest, Inc. She is a founding member of the Child Health Collaborative Partnership, recently served with the City of Roanoke to update the city’s 20-year plan and headed the Franklin Bridge Art Project.
Roy Creasy
Roy Creasy is a Lawyer Emeritus volunteering at the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley. He is a graduate of Virginia Tech (Aerospace Engineering), University of Tennessee (MBA), and West Virginia University Law School. In 1975 he began his solo general law practice retiring in 2021. He is a member of the Virginia Law Foundation, past president of the Roanoke City Bar, and Roanoke City Law Foundation receiving the Distinguished Service Award. He is presently Chairman of the Virginia State Bar’s Conference of Local and Specialty Bars. Legal accolades include recognition by the Virginia Legal Elite, Super Lawyer, and Best Lawyer in America. He is married with three children and four grandchildren.