Ashleigh Fuller has been employed as a Child/Adolescent Forensic Interviewer with the FBI Victim Services Division, Child Victim Services Unit since October 2020. Prior to joining the FBI, Ms. Fuller was a Forensic Interviewer at a Children's Advocacy Center in Louisiana for over six years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Louisiana State University and a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver. Additionally, Ms. Fuller provides interviews, consultations, and training for FBI Agents, Assistant United States Attorneys, and other federal, state, and international law enforcement.

Michele is a Child/Adolescent Forensic Interviewer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In that role, Michele serves as a subject matter expert in forensic interviewing and child abuse for the Bureau. She conducts forensic interviews following the FBI’s protocol for presentingevidence in cases involving juveniles and adult victims of CSEC/trafficking cases. 

Previously, Michele was the Executive Director of SafeSpot Children’s Advocacy Center in Fairfax, Virginia and prior to that, she was the Supervisor of the Forensic Interview Program at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Child Abuse Program in Norfolk, Virginia. Michele has conducted over 3,500 forensic interviews in a multidisciplinary team setting for local, state, federal, and military agencies. She has provided extensive training in child abuse and forensic 
interviewing, participates in supervision and peer review, and provides expert testimony upon request. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Cambridge College.

Ms. Parnell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and supervisor with more than 20 years of experience as a subject matter expert for domestic violence, child maltreatment, and high-risk family concerns. She has provided policy implementation guidance, clinical and administrative oversight, training, and program development support to Army behavioral health and Family Advocacy teams across a large multi-state region.  She earned an M.S.S.W. and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Parnell is currently a FAP Specialist with HQDA, G-1. Her previous positions include Regional Social Work Consultant, for more than 27 Army FAP clinics both CONUS and OCONUS, Child and Family Behavioral Health/School Based Behavioral Health Clinics, Supervisory Social Worker for the Warrior Transition Brigade at Fort Hood, Family Advocacy Program Clinical Social Worker, Combat Stress Social Work Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, including deployment to Iraq and Slavic Linguist, including deployment in support of the Bosnia Mission. Across these roles, she has led multidisciplinary teams; provided trauma-informed, family-systems-based care; contributed to suicide prevention and resilience initiatives; and helped commands align practice with Department of Defense, MEDCOM, and accreditation standards, with a consistent focus on improving safety, readiness, and outcomes for soldiers and their families.

Naeshia McDowell serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Development at the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia (CACGA), where she leads cross-sector partnerships and strategic initiatives that strengthen Georgia’s response to child abuse and child trafficking. Previously, she served as Director of the Statewide CSEC Response Team, leading a CAC chapter program that provided assessment, crisis intervention, and coordinated support services for children impacted by sex trafficking. Naeshia actively contributes to state and national workgroups focused on child protection, systems improvement, and multidisciplinary collaboration. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Public Health from Georgia State University.

Kimberly Gunning-Marcantonio is the Manager of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children programming and Special Projects for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania. While working in social welfare, Kimberly obtained her Juris Doctorate at Rutgers Law School. Kimberly has spent a career in child welfare, as an MDT coordinator for a CAC and a Deputy Attorney General, representing New Jersey’s Child Welfare Agency. With PennCAC Kimberly supports a multidisciplinary response to CSEC in Pennsylvania, in partnership with 41 CACs and MDT partners.

Latirah Cisero is a lifelong advocate for children, families, and community empowerment. She began working with children at age 14 and has more than two decades of experience supporting children, families, and communities. She holds a BA in Psychology, an AS in Sociology from Temple University, and an MEd from American International College.

Latirah spent more than a decade in Springfield Public Schools as a paraprofessional and union representative before transitioning to community-based family support work. Most recently, she served as the CSEC Coordinator for Hampden County, where she strengthened multidisciplinary collaboration and supported responses to youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation.

She is currently the CSEC Statewide Program Manager for the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance a role we will hear more about throughout the presentation today.

Beth Pierson joined Missouri Network Against Child Abuse in January 2024 as Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Program Specialist. In this position Beth leads the rollout of Statewide multidisciplinary team (MDT) CSEC initiatives and assist programs in developing and implementing best practices around training, policies, and protocols to guide screening, investigations, and service delivery to CSEC cases.

Prior to coming to Missouri Network Against Child Abuse, Beth was employed as a law enforcement officer and a clinical social worker providing mental health therapy to children and adults. She retired from Missouri Children’s Division as a Program Manager of child abuse investigations in Kansas City, MO. She has also worked as a volunteer coordinator and trainer of Missouri Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Jackson County, MO.

Beth is passionate about ending the cycle of abuse to Missouri’s children and has advocated for children in many roles. She has witnessed first-hand the effects of trauma on children and families and the secondary trauma that can affect those individuals that work in this field.

Beth attended Missouri Western State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and emphasis on criminal justice. She received her Masters of Social Work from University of Kansas. 

Dedra Hardaway is the Senior Director of Partner Services at the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, where she provides leadership across multidisciplinary team coordination, forensic interview services, and partner services. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and brings nearly 20 years of experience with the Department of Family and Protective Services, including multiple leadership roles.

 
Dedra joined DCAC in 2022 as the Director of MDT Services and was later promoted to her current role, where she focuses on strengthening collaboration, practice alignment, and systems that support effective outcomes for children and families.

Joanne Smith, LMSW is the Director with Chenango Child Advocacy Center and Chenango Safe Harbour Program in Central New York. With over 30 years of experience in the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Exploitation field, she thrives on providing trauma-informed care services for clients, families, staff, and administration in the field. Throughout her career, Joanne Smith has led numerous initiatives in the development of programing for Child Advocacy Centers, such as the expansion of CSEC/CSAM services for rural communities.  A MSW graduate from Syracuse University, she is committed to continuous learning and has earned several awards while providing clinical supervision for intern students.  Joanne is passionate about working with children and families impacted by a crime and thrives on providing services, developing programming, and making a lasting impact in the domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual exploitation field.

Noelle Ainslie is a Senior Social Services Supervisor and Child Abuse Services Team (CAST) Coordinator for Orange County Children and Family Services. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and has dedicated more than 20 years to serving children and families in Orange County, spending the majority of her career in Emergency Response as both a Senior Social Worker and Supervisor.

Over the past three years, Noelle has served as the CAST Coordinator, where she oversees multidisciplinary collaboration and works closely with law enforcement, medical professionals, prosecutors, and community partners to support child abuse investigations and promote best practices in child advocacy. She is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families through teamwork, education, and strong community partnerships.

Shannon Martucci has been a Child/Adolescent Forensic Interviewer (CAFI) for the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2014. Shannon is located in the Atlanta regional office and covers some of the Southeast region of the United States of America to include Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and parts of northern Florida. Shannon has a Master of Science degree in Professional Counseling, a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and she is a National Certified Counselor. She began her career as a forensic interviewer in 2010 at the 13th Judicial Circuit’s Administrative Offices of the Court- Children’s Advocacy Center in Tampa, FL. Shannon has conducted forensic interviews for a variety of violations to include: cyber exploitation, human trafficking, kidnapping, domestic terrorism, homicide, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and domestic violence. Shannon also has extensive experience as a trainer to law enforcement, service providers, and community members in various topics related to child abuse. Due to her training and experience in Forensic Interviewing, Shannon testifies in court as an expert in the Forensic Interview process.

Kathryn VanDewark has been employed as a Child/Adolescent Forensic Interviewer with the FBI Victim Services Division, Child Victim Services Unit since January 2023. Kathryn is located in the Salt Lake City regional office. Her Area of coverage includes Utah, Idaho, and triages New Mexico. In her role as a Forensic Interviewer, Kathryn serves as a subject matter expert in forensic interviewing, trauma, and child abuse for the Bureau. Prior to joining the FBI, Kathryn was the Executive Director and Forensic Interviewer at The Children’s House Child Advocacy Center for nine years. In her 14 years of forensic interviews experience, she has conducted interviews in many violations to include but aren’t limited to physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, mass violence victims, sex trafficking, homicide, cyber exploitation, and kidnapping. Kathryn in addition to conducting forensic interviews, Kathryn also provides expert testimony, case assistance, and training both at a national and international level to FBI personnel, United States Attorneys, and other federal, state, and local agencies. 

Amanda Goharian is the Director of Research & Insights at Thorn, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming how children are protected from sexual abuse and exploitation in the digital age. She is a subject matter expert in technology-facilitated child sexual abuse, CSAM, and online safety. At Thorn, she leads the organization’s research strategy focused on identifying emerging online child safety risks and translating findings into practical, decision-ready insights for the child safety ecosystem. With over a decade of experience, her work prioritizes applied research to inform effective policies, tools, and interventions that strengthen digital protections and resilience. 

Heather Provencher, LCSW, is Senior Manager for Federal Partnerships at National Children’s Alliance (NCA). Prior to joining NCA, she worked in foster care and child protective services and held investigative, forensic interviewing, advocacy, and prevention education roles at Children's Advocacy Centers in Maryland and California.

Amber Garrison-Ahmed, LCSW is the Coordinator for Federal Partnerships at NCA. She received her education at University of Denver earning her Masters of Social Work and a certification in Animal Assisted Social Work in 2008.  Amber became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2011. She is an experienced Social Worker with over 18 years of experience specializing in the care of domestic violence, child abuse, crisis intervention, child protection, and military social work.

Prior to joining Guardify, Dr. Rhonda Wurgler was a Deputy Sheriff, an Executive Director of a Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in Ohio, and a Training and Application Specialist for NCA. In addition to her 20-plus years of serving her community in those capacities, she has also served on many task forces, councils, not-for-profit boards, and her local school board. In addition to providing technical assistance and support with case management systems, Rhonda also develops and delivers training programs.