Essentials Of Trauma
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
For teachers, social workers, school counselors, child advocates
Understanding the Impact of Trauma
Thursday, February 3, 2022
For teachers, social workers, school counselors, child advocates
Trauma Informed Legal Approaches
Friday, February 4, 2022
For prosecutors, law enforcement, and other investigative professionals
Speakers
Deanee’ Johnson, Ph.D., M.A., B.A.
Deanee’ Johnson, Ph.D., began her career in victim services as a mentor for adolescent sexual assault survivors. She has over 20 years of experience in the crime victim field, working directly and indirectly with victims, meeting the needs of children and their families.
Dr. Johnson is CEO and Founder of Ascent Connection and Consulting Solutions, LLC, leading a group of consultants who, through coordinated strategic collaboration, pave the way for victim service providers to meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations. Prior to launching this initiative, Deanee’ served as Chief Program Officer for the National Center for Victims of Crime, responsible for establishing the protocols and policies for federally funded projects and established federal grant writing protocols as well as the National Crime Victims Advisory Board.
Dr. Johnson has worked as a survivor specialist and is a child forensic interviewer. She assisted in establishing the first forensic interview program for Patsy’s House Children’s Advocacy Center in Wichita Falls, Texas, and in drafting their initial policies and procedures. She was the director of the statewide sexual assault coalition in Delaware and managed the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southern Maryland.
During her fellowship with the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, Dr. Johnson created the Child Exploitation and Polyvictimization Working Group which worked in conjunction with the U.S. Office of the Deputy Attorney General to identify the range of child sexual exploitation programs available nationwide, illuminating best practices.
Dr. Johnson has assisted Facebook’s Safety Advisory Board in establishing policies protecting children and youth on their social media platform. Locally, she is an active member of the Charles County Board of Education Safety Advisory Council, speaking on behalf of child victims and witnesses. She is Chair of the non-profit Preparedness Without Paranoia’s advisory board and serves on the national steering committee for Linking Systems of Care for Children and Youth, OVC, Demonstration Project.
Dr. Johnson has a B.A. in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University, an M.A. from Midwestern State University in counseling, and a Ph.D. in child development from Texas Woman’s University.
Victor Vieth
Victor has trained thousands of child-protection professionals from all 50 states, two U.S. Territories, and 17 countries on numerous topics pertaining to child abuse investigations, prosecutions and prevention. Victor gained national recognition for his work in addressing child abuse in small communities as a prosecutor in rural Minnesota, and has been named to the President’s Honor Roll of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. In 2012, Victor was awarded the Pro Humanitate Award from the North American Resource Center for Child Welfare.
Victor is the Chief Program Officer, Education and Research of the Zero Abuse Project, a 501©(3) public charity based in St Paul, MN, committed to education, training, and survivor support in order to eradicate child sex abuse and remedy its resulting harms. He is the 2018 President of the Academy on Violence & Abuse, and founder of the National Child Protection Training Center. With NCPTC and its partners, Victor has been instrumental in implementing 22 state and international forensic interview training programs and dozens of undergraduate and graduate programs on child maltreatment.
Mr. Vieth graduated magna cum laude from WSU and earned his Juris Doctor from Hamline University School of Law (HUSL). In 2017, Victor earned an MA in theology from Wartburg Seminary. Mr. Vieth has published countless articles related to the investigation, prosecution and prevention of child abuse and neglect. He is author of Unto the Third Generation, a bold initiative that outlines the necessary steps we must all take to eliminate child abuse in America in three generations, and On This Rock: A Call to Center the Christian Response to Child Abuse on the Life and Works of Jesus (Wiff & Stock 2018).
Alison Feigh
Alison Feigh, MS, is the Director of Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, a program of Zero Abuse Project. In this role, she works with students, parents, youth workers, faith leaders, law enforcement and the media to help prevent abuse and abductions. Alison’s work also includes writing curriculum for youth-serving organizations, training professionals about the online challenges kids face and advocating for families of the missing. Alison has been working in the sexual abuse prevention field for more than 19 years. As a classmate of Jacob Wetterling, she learned early on how important it is to protect children and youth from exploitation. As a subject matter expert on child and teen safety, Alison trains professionals, parents, and youth in Minnesota and nationally. Her safety messages are highlighted in her children’s books, “On Those Runaway Days” and “I Can Play It Safe.” Both titles were released nationally in 2008 by Free Spirit Publishing and have recently been translated into Chinese.
Alison received her self-designed major in “Responding to Missing Children in the U.S.” along with a major in Communication from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn and earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice degree from St. Cloud State University.
Alison is thankful for the opportunities she has been given as a youth worker and she continues to work with young people in youth ministry, camping ministry, and theatre companies.
Tomiko Mackey
Tomiko Mackey is a licensed clinical social worker who has provided services to children, adolescents, and adults for more than 20. Tomiko worked at Family Crisis Services, a children’s advocacy and rape crisis center, in Oxford, Mississippi for 22 years as a therapist, forensic interviewer and clinical director, supervising the forensic interview, family advocate and the mental health programs. Tomiko has trained countless professionals in the art of forensic interviewing using the ChildFirst Forensic Interview Protocol. Through the National Children’s Alliance and Baylor University, Tomiko trains mental health providers throughout the nation in the use of evidence-based assessments.
Tomiko Mackey earned her Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in children, youth and families, from California State University, Long Beach. She is an EMDR trained and certified TF-CBT clinician. Tomiko has a private therapy practice in California and Mississippi.
Kathleen Nolan
Kathleen Nolan is a Senior Attorney with Zero Abuse Project. She joined the team in May of 2021. She brings over 15 years of experience as a Prosecutor in the area of Child Protection.
Kathleen previously served as the Chief of the Children’s Justice Division in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office in Madison County, Illinois. She was appointed to that role in 2015 after joining the office in 2013. The Children’s Justice Division handled the charging and prosecution of all child victim cases in the county including physical abuse, sexual assault and child deaths. Her role as Chief of the Division also involved mentoring and training the attorneys she supervised. She also created and presented specialized trainings for members of the Madison County Multi-Disciplinary Team including police, forensic interviewers and Department of Children and Family Services workers.
As a board member of the Southern Illinois Child Death Investigation Task Force, Kathleen worked with a team of professionals across Southern Illinois to create more effective procedures for the examination of suspicious child deaths. Her work as a board member including the creation and presentation of trainings for the various members of the task force.
Kathleen began her prosecution career in the Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office in 2006. Her role as a prosecutor in that office began with the handling of Juvenile Abuse and Neglect cases as well as the Juvenile Delinquency docket. From there, she moved into the full time prosecution of all the child abuse cases in the county and managed a docket of felony and misdemeanor cases.
In 2009, Kathleen accepted a position with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. She traveled throughout the state of Illinois handling the commitment of violent predators under Illinois’ Sexually Violent Person’s Commitment statute. She also prosecuted cases through the Trial Assistance and Statewide Grand Jury divisions.
Kathleen attended St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in 2001. Kathleen received her Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University School of Law in 2004.private therapy practice in California and Mississippi.