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Speakers

Speakers

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A CASA for Every Child

Keynote Presenters

Mary J. PetersonMARY J. PETERSON received a B.A. Degree in Education from Chicago State University and her M.A. Degree in Special Education from Roosevelt University. She taught in the Chicago public school system for 25 years before retiring in 1995. While teaching, she also worked as a weekend supervisor at the Phillip Rock Center and School for the Deaf and Blind. Mrs. Peterson is a CASA volunteer. Most recently she has been appointed to serve on CASA of Cook County’s Advisory Council. Jason: Ward of the State is Mary Peterson’s debut memoir.







Workshop Presenters

JENI SILVER is the Family Advocate and Parenting Educator for the Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) in Sarasota, Florida. During her fifteen years at CPC, Jeni has assisted families impacted by child abuse by providing information and support during the investigation, treatment, and judicial proceedings. She co-authored a parenting curriculum entitled Pathways to the Sexually Abused Child because she recognized that there are areas of sexual and emotional development that require special emphasis with child victims of sexual abuse. Jeni Co-Facilitates a group for Non-Offending caregivers through the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program and is a regular presenter throughout the community on child maltreatment. She works with the local Guardian Ad Litem program to provide advanced training on sexual abuse for volunteer Guardians assigned to the most difficult cases. In addition, she has presented her “Survivor Story” at community vigils and national venues, such as the American Prosecutors Research Institute and the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children conferences, and most recently the West Virginia CASA Court Improvement Conference. Jeni was featured in the ‘Saving Children: The Sex Abuse Tragedy’ Documentary produced by Minnesota Public Television in partnership with NAPSAC. Her philosophy is that we are all part of scaffolding children’s steps towards feeling lovable, capable and safe in this often chaotic and dangerous world.

MANDY O'MALLEY'S eleven year career at Child Protection Center has focused on the prevention and intervention of child maltreatment. After beginning as a Prevention Educator providing primary prevention programs to students, Mandy spent over six years as a Case Coordinator for the Child Protection Team. During that time, she assisted law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families with the investigation of more than 1600 cases of suspected abuse and neglect and conducted forensic interviews of over 700 children. In her current capacity as the Director of the Personal Safety and Community Awareness Program, she is charged with the creation and implementation of a variety of educational programs for youth and adults to teach personal safety and to raise understanding and awareness of child abuse and neglect throughout the community. In this role, Mandy has presented at the Florida Department of Children and Families Statewide Dependency Summit, the Florida Guardian ad Litem statewide conference, and is a regular presenter to the local Guardian ad Litem program providing training on identifying and reporting child abuse and childhood sexual abuse for all new volunteers. She is the co-chair of the Sarasota Victims Advisory Council and an active member of the Manasota LINK Violence Taskforce. It is her belief that protecting children is everyone’s job.