Cara Gerdiman graduated from Missouri Southern State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration with an emphasis on juvenile justice and a minor in sociology. She began her career with the 26th Circuit Juvenile Office where she worked as a Deputy Juvenile Officer for 10 years, handling delinquency, status, and child abuse and neglect cases. In 2006, Cara began working at Kids’ Harbor, Inc. Child Advocacy Center, as a Child and Family Advocate and later as a forensic interviewer before being named Executive Director of the agency in 2010. Cara formerly served as faculty of ChildFirst Missouri, past legislative liaison for the state network of child advocacy centers, past president of the state network of child advocacy centers, executive board member of the Lake Area Sexual Assault Response Team, and has taught professionals throughout the State of Missouri. In 2011, she was recognized as one of the Top Ten Women at the Lake and in May 2017 she was designated as the Lake of the Ozarks Hometown Hero of the Month both awards recognizing her contributions to her community. In 2019, she received the Standing with Children Award from Missouri KidsFirst recognizing her work advocating for children in her own community and through statewide efforts to assure children are a priority and protected.   

Josephine Pendleton resides in Hinesville, Georgia and has been Military Liaison/Victim Advocate at Helen’s Haven Children’s Advocacy Center since August of 2020. Josephine served in the U.S. Army for 12 years including assignments at Presidio of Monterey, Fort Campbell, and Fort Rucker and is a military spouse. Josephine has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate Liberty and Long Counties since 2016 and she earned her MSW in 2020 from Capella University.  

Maureen “Mo” Basenberg is the Executive Director of Safe Passage Children’s Advocacy Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Prior to joining the team at Safe Passage she served as Director of Childhelp Children’s Center in Phoenix, AZ from 2007 to 2016. In addition to leadership of the Center in Phoenix she supervised a mobile advocacy center operating in Northern Arizona as well as sister rural CAC program in Payson, AZ. From 1999 to 2007 Ms. Basenberg served in the Arizona Governor’s Office providing oversight and support to grantees across Arizona. She has a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Theatre from Grand Canyon University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Arizona State University.

Terri Liles, LMSW has served as the Coordinator of Helen’s Haven Children’s Advocacy Center located in Hinesville, GA for the past 17 years and has been employed by the Mary Lou Fraser Foundation for Families, Inc. for the past 24 years.  In her position as CAC Coordinator, she also conducts forensic interviews and provides direct services for families and children.  She received her Master of Social Work degree from Savannah State University.  She completed a TF-CBT Learning Collaborative and has extensive training in attachment theory, assessment, and treatment.   Terri is a Prevent Child Abuse Georgia Mandated Reporter trainer.  She has worked in the field of child welfare for the past 32 years including as a Social Services Specialist with the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services and as a Regional Team Leader for Georgia Mentor’s Adoption Crisis Intervention Team prior to the opening of Helen’s Haven CAC.