Char Rivette has served as Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center’s Executive Director since 2009. In addition to overseeing the operations of the not-for-profit entity, she facilitates the Multidisciplinary Leadership Team housed at ChicagoCAC, which includes members of Chicago Police Department, Department of Children & Family Services, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Cook County Health. During her tenure, the organization has grown by more than 50 percent and expanded its building by 75 percent, allowing for expanded investigative services and support, mental health services, outreach and prevention, and collaborative partnerships. Ms. Rivette is currently a member and past Chair of the Illinois Children’s Justice Task Force, and she is on the board of Changing Children’s Worlds, a not-for-profit organization focusing on strengthening parenting to prevent abuse. In addition, she is active on the statewide and national levels in collaborating with other leaders within the children’s advocacy center movement to advance the cause and increase the positive impact of their work. Ms. Rivette holds more than 25 years of experience in the field of child abuse and mental health, beginning her work in direct clinical services to abused and traumatized children. Prior to her arrival at ChicagoCAC, she served as Chief of Program Operations at Little City Foundation. She also held positions at Our Children’s Homestead and DuPage County Health Department. Ms. Rivette earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is a licensed clinical social worker.

Gene Klein, LCSW, is the Executive Director of Project Harmony, a non-profit Child Advocacy Center in Omaha, Nebraska providing services to enhance the quality of child abuse investigations. Mr. Klein has over 34 years of leadership experience in agencies serving children and families. He has served on the board of directors for the National Children’s Alliance in Washington, D.C., the Nebraska Foster Care Review Board, the Governor’s Commission for the Protection of Children, and the Omaha Archdiocese Review Board for the Protection of Children. Mr. Klein has served as a grant peer reviewer for the Department of Justice (OJJDP) as well as an Accreditation Reviewer for the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) for more than 10 years. Mr. Klein holds a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is also a licensed Mental Health Practitioner. He is a certified as an Emergenetics Business Associate, and well as a certified Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i) coach.

Teresa Huizar was appointed the Executive Director of National Children’s Alliance, February 26^th, 2008.  National Children’s Alliance, headquartered in Washington, DC, is the national association and accrediting body for nearly 900 Children’s Advocacy Centers in the US.  These centers provide comprehensive services to child victims of abuse including:  forensic interviews, victim advocacy, medical evaluations, and mental health treatment. Children’s Advocacy Centers coordinate the multidisciplinary team as it carries out its investigative, prosecutorial, and treatment functions.  In 2018, Children’s Advocacy Centers served over 367,000 child victims of abuse, and provided child abuse prevention education to more than 2 million individuals.

Prior to her tenure with NCA, Ms. Huizar served as the Executive Director of the Western Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, a technical assistance and training center for­­­ two hundred Children’s Advocacy Centers and multidisciplinary teams in twelve Western states.  And, has served as the Executive Director of two local Children’s Advocacy Centers.

Ms. Huizar has a special interest in public policy in the child welfare arena, especially, in reducing child abuse fatalities and in the provision of trauma-focused, evidence-supported mental health treatment to child victims of abuse.  She has testified before Congress on child abuse issues.  And, she has conducted and participated in numerous child abuse-related Congressional briefings.  Ms. Huizar has been interviewed by CNN, WSJ, USA Today, New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News, NPR, and numerous other media outlets, on child welfare policy matters.

Ms. Huizar has served on numerous related Boards and Committees over the years.  She is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the Steering Committee of the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths.