Dr. Baldwin-Johnson is a Board-certified family physician and cofounder and volunteer medical director for The Children’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Wasilla as well as the medical director for Alaska CARES, the Child Advocacy Center in Anchorage. She has provided trainings for medical providers and multidisciplinary team members on child abuse topics in Alaska and nationally. She serves on the Alaska Children’s Justice Act Task Force, Alaska Children’s Alliance board, Alaska Maternal and Child Death Review Committee, and co-chairs the Pediatric Subcommittee of the Medical Advisory Board for the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention. She graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine and Swedish Hospital Family Practice Residency program.

Amber Chung, Krystal Henry, Zach Johnson, Jennifer Prince, Farah Sears, Rodney Thomas, and Teague Widimer make up the Bethel MDT.

Bethel is the regional service and transporation center for the YK Delta, an area about the size of Oregon with a population of more than 23,000 people who live among 58 rural communities not connected by road. Bethel, the regional service and transportation center, has a population of nearly 7,000.

The CAC that serves the YK Delta is based in Bethel and called the Irniamta Ikayurviat “A place to help Children”.

JT Bolin is a graduate of the Master of Social Work program at University of Missouri – Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.  He moved with his wife Leigh to Alaska from St. Louis in 2015.  “We were just looking for a change from the heat and humidity of St. Louis and happened to have a friend working as a clinical social worker in Alaska.”

JT started his career in St. Louis at BJC HealthCare, a large nonprofit health care organization.  Upon moving to Alaska, JT provided community mental health services as clinical director at Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation.  JT is currently a Child and Family Services Clinical Supervisor at Tanana Chiefs Conference.  Tanana Chiefs Conference is an Alaska Native non-profit corporation focused on meeting the health and social service needs of Tribal members and beneficiaries throughout 39 villages, 37 federally recognized tribes and an area of 235,000 square miles in interior Alaska.

Leigh Bolin is a graduate of the Master of Social Work program at University of Missouri – Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.  She and her husband JT both moved to Alaska from St. Louis in 2015.  “We were just looking for a change from the heat and humidity of St. Louis and happened to have a friend working as a clinical social worker in Alaska.”

Leigh initially worked at Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation, serving Dillingham, a remote town on the coast of western Alaska as the manager of a Child Advocacy Center.  At Bristol Bay, Bolin traveled by plane, providing vital child advocacy services and mental health services to remote communities in the sparsely populated region. In 2020, Leigh relocated to Fairbanks to serve as a clinical supervisor at the Resource Center for Parents & Children, and in less than year, she was running the nonprofit as executive director.  The nonprofit also houses a Stevie’s Place, a child advocacy center, which serves the vast interior region of the state.

Jaime Browning, LCSW is the owner of Strengthening Families LLC, a private forensic practice providing expert witness testimony, child custody investigations, Parenting Coordination, Parental Risk Evaluations, Mental Health Assessments, and more. Prior to this, Jaime was employed with the Office of Children’s Services for nearly 12 years, in a variety of positions. Jaime specializes in both high conflict divorce cases and complex child protection matters.

Tara Christiansen-Stiller is a Program Director at the Alaska Children’s Trust (ACT). She is an Alutiiq/Aleut from Old Harbor, Alaska. Tara graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a Master of Public Health degree and is currently enrolled in the University of North Dakota as a Doctorate Student in the Indigenous Health Ph. D program. She is passionate about working for and with communities to identify needs and develop strategies that best support health and wellness. She has worked in community health for ten years now and will continue her work at ACT to support the prevention of child abuse and neglect in Alaska.

Originally from New York, Amber Chung obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2014. After graduation, she packed her bags and headed to Bethel, Alaska. Since her move to Alaska, she has been working the field of domestic violence and sexual assault in a variety of capacities, including as an advocate and shelter manager. Amber spent 2015-2016 working at the Nome CAC, where she first started her work as a forensic interviewer. Amber then moved back to Bethel where she continued her work as a forensic interviewer, conducting over 200 interviews. Amber recently obtained her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Alaska Anchorage and she is now the social worker for the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation’s Child Maltreatment Team where she also continues to conduct forensic interviews.

Dr. Sharon Cooper is the Founder of the MACE Foundation and CEO of Developmental & Forensic Pediatrics, P.A., a consulting firm providing medical care, research, training and expert witness experience in child maltreatment cases as well as children with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Cooper holds faculty positions at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. She served for 15 years as a consultant and board member for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) where she has taught thousands of professionals regarding child sexual exploitation and the victim impact of sexually abusive images of children in cyberspace.

Dr. Cooper has lectured both nationally and internationally in well over 300 conferences and has served as a lecturer and past board member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.

Dr. Cooper is a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States and served 21 years in the US Army, retiring as a Colonel.  She is also a classically-trained pianist.

Brittany Dunlop is a lifelong Alaskan who has been working as a prosecutor in Alaska since 2006, when she first joined the misdemeanor unit in the Anchorage DA’s office.

She worked her way up to supervising the sexual assault unit before transferring to the Palmer DA’s office where she focused on sex crimes and domestic violence cases.

In 2019, Dunlop was promoted to be the Anchorage Deputy District Attorney, and in April 2020 was appointed as the District Attorney.

“I really enjoy holding people accountable. I enjoy protecting the community. I enjoy partnering with law enforcement and I love the Anchorage office. I feel like we’re always marching in the same direction towards the common good,” she said. “And you know, the people that work here work really hard, but they’re doing it for the right reasons and I’m happy to lead that team.”

Dr. Fitterling is a clinical psychologist who recently retired from the University of Alaska Anchorage Ph.D. Program in Clinical-Community Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology with specialization in behavior therapy from Georgia State University, and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. Prior to his UAA faculty position, he was Chief Psychologist, Psychology Internship Training Director, and Evidence-Based Psychotherapy Coordinator at the Alaska VA Healthcare System, and Chief of the Chemical Dependence Treatment Program at the Jackson VA Medical Center and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He also served as the Clinical Director of the Clinical Research Center at the Research Institute on Addictions in New York. In all of these positions, he has provided Motivational Interviewing training to psychologists, psychology interns, medical students, tobacco treatment specialists, primary care physicians, social workers, addictions counselors, diabetes educators, other clinicians and professionals in criminal justice and corrections. He was co-principal investigator in a CDC- funded multi-site study that demonstrated the efficacy of community reintegration interventions using motivational enhancement strategies to lower HIV risk among young men released from prison.

Christine Fontaine is a clinical forensic nurse who provides care for patients of all ages at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer, Alaska. She has been a forensic nurse since 2013 and completed dual Master of Science in Forensic Nursing and Master of Science in Criminal Justice degrees from Xavier University in Cincinnati in 2022. Christine has served on the International Association of Forensic Nurses Foundation Board of Directors since 2019. Prior to becoming an RN, Christine worked in reproductive health and advocacy for victims of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child maltreatment. As a member of the Southern Kenai Peninsula Resilience Coalition Leadership Team, Christine works to cultivate a healthy community free from violence. Christine is proud to volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska and was the BBBS Alaska Big of the Year in 2022.

Dr. Frasier graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine and completed a residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Child Abuse at University of Washington/Children’s Hospital of Seattle. She completed a fellowship in Child Abuse at University of Washington/Harborview Medical Center. She has been on the faculties of the University of Missouri/Columbia, the University of Iowa, and the University of Utah. Dr. Frasier is board certified in General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics. Dr. Frasier has served as the chair of the section on Child Abuse and Neglect of the AAP, was on the first subboard for child abuse pediatrics at the American Board of Pediatrics, where she served as chair of the subboard immediate past chair. She has been on the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and is currently on the board of directors of the National Center for Shaken Baby Syndrome. Dr. Frasier is the immediate past President of the Ray E. Helfer Society. She is currently a Professor of Pediatrics at Penn State Milton Hershey Children’s Hospital and Division Chief of Child Abuse Pediatrics. Dr. Frasier has lectured extensively nationally and internationally and published many chapters and papers on the subject of child abuse.

Roxanne Grobbel, JD, LCSW, RPT-S has focused her career on trauma treatment as a Certified EMDR Therapist and Consultant, as well as, an Infant Mental Health Specialist and Registered Play Therapy Supervisor. As an EMDRIA approved EMDR trainer and RPT-S, she travels nationally conducting workshops and lectures for clinicians on Trauma, EMDR and Play Therapy. She has been an active advocate for quality services for a diverse range of clients with trauma related disorders.

In her clinical practice she helps clients with issues including attachment, depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, relationship difficulties, and other trauma related problems. She currently provides intensive trauma treatment as the Clinical Director at 11th Hour Trauma Retreat in Denver, Colorado and her agency, Insight Counseling Center in Boca Raton, Florida. She brings years of experience as a clinician, Clinical Director, University Instructor, and author.

Krystal Henry attend Central Washington University and University of Alaska Anchorage for her studies in Criminal Justice. She worked at Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation for 8 years before transition from the medical sector to legal field. From 2014-2020, Krystal worked for the District Attorney’s office both in Bethel and in Anchorage. She later worked as a family advocate in 2020, Tribal Court Clerk in 2021 and is now the Program Director of the CAC since December 2021.

Currently the senior trainer for CBI Consulting, Cory Jewell Jensen, M.S., spent the last 35 years providing evaluation and treatment services to adult sex offenders and their families in Portland, Oregon. In addition to her clinical work, Ms. Jensen has provided training and consultation services to The National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse, The Office of Special Investigations-Diplomatic Security Services Agency, The U.S. Marshall’s Office, The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, The American Association of Police Polygraph Examiners, The National Child Advocacy Center, The National Children’s Alliance, The United States Navy, The National Crime Victims Association, The National Boy Scouts Foundation, NYPD Special Victims’ Unit and a number of other law enforcement, child advocacy and faith based organizations. Ms. Jensen has served on a number of state and national boards and provided training for countless Multi-disciplinary Teams throughout the United States and Europe. Jensen has been the recipient of Oregon’s “Commercial Crime Prevention Award,” the “Champions for Children Award,” the OATSA “Significant Achievement Award,” the Nunnenkamp “Award of Excellence,” and the Jan Hindman Memorial Award. She has published a number of articles related to sex offender treatment, risk management and child abuse prevention, testified as an expert witness in local and federal courts and been a featured guest on radio talk shows and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

TBD

Pam Karalunas has been involved in the area of child sexual abuse since 1986, when she began as a volunteer providing support for non-offending caregivers of children who had been molested. From 1988 to 2001 she worked with the Resource Center for Parents & Children in Fairbanks providing coordination, counseling, information, education & support services to non-offending parents in families where child sexual abuse had occurred. She worked with many of those families over a number of years and thus was able to follow their progress and the outcomes of the system intervention. Ms. Karalunas was the founding manager for RCPC Stevie’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Fairbanks, Alaska for six years. She assisted with a therapy group for convicted sex offenders. Although retired from the position, for 12 years Pam served as the Chapter Coordinator of the Alaska Children’s Alliance, an accredited state chapter of the National Children’s Alliance. She has provided many workshops, lectures and trainings on child sexual abuse, the CAC model and multidisciplinary response to child abuse; and has been involved in the start-up, accreditation and re-accreditation of many of the CACs in Alaska. She provides consultation services and testifies as an expert in both civil and criminal court cases involving child sexual abuse, and is a Site Reviewer for National Children’s Alliance for Child Advocacy Centers seeking accreditation or re-accreditation. She is a founding member of the Statewide Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Children’s Justice Act Task Force established to identify problems or barriers limiting Alaska’s child protection system effectiveness and to recommend solutions, including changes in laws, policies, practices and resources. Decades ago, as young mother in Nome, Pam was mentored by an Inupiaq elder who honored Pam with her Iñupiaq name.

Andrew J. Lambert became an associate in 1993 and a partner in 2000. His practice includes criminal defense of adult and juveniles in both State and Federal Court, Alaska workers’ compensation and family law. For the last 31 years he has tried countless cases including DUI, Domestic Violence, Drug Offenses, Sexual Assault, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Assault, and Homicide. In addition, he has tried many cases involving family law and child custody. His years of experiences have made him a knowledgeable and successful trial lawyer. He has given lectures at the Alaska Maltreatment Conference and the Alaska Public Defenders Conference.

Lt. Joe Laramie (ret) is a Program Manager with the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) of Fox Valley Technical College working in the Missing and Exploited Children’s and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Training and Technical Assistance Programs. He retired from the Glendale, Missouri Police Department, with more than 30 years of child protection, investigation, and training experience. He created the Greater St. Louis ICAC Task Force and was the founding Commander of the MO ICAC. He was later an Administrator with the MO Attorney General’s Office, with responsibility for online crimes against children, human trafficking, and the computer forensic lab. He was a subject matter expert on the MO Governor’s Cyberbullying Task Force, the MO Task Force for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse and is currently on the TN DCS Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Committee. From 2016 through 2021 he was on the Board of Directors for the Davis House Child Advocacy Center in his home of Franklin, TN, and currently serving on Board of Directors for the National Children’s Alliance (NCA).

Josh Louwerse is the Director of Integrated Services at the Covenant House Alaska. He has been with Covenant House Alaska for 10 years and has managed multiple programs including Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Education and Employment and Anti-Trafficking. Josh has provided training around the state of Alaska regarding identifying and serving survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC).

Christina Love is an Alutiiq/Sugpiaq woman (she/her) from Egegik village who was raised in Chitina, Alaska. Christina is a consultant, recovery coach and civil and human rights activist. Christina has dedicated her work and energy to systems change for targeted and marginalized populations. She is a formerly incarcerated person in long term recovery who currently works as a Specialist for the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), the state’s coalition of domestic and sexual violence programs. Christina’s role focuses on intersectionality with an emphasis on trauma. Christina is part of a collective movements that works to end violence, oppression, shame, and stigma through the liberation of education, community healing, and storytelling.

TBD

I’m all about presence. Being completely and wholeheartedly present in my work and all aspects of life. As a leader, I encourage all others to do the same. My career spans 4 plus decades and expands out into numerous areas of this Industry in which we are currently working. Yes I am at the Helm of my MDT, but I am also a business owner of Lauralee & Associates which is all about self-care and inspiring people to take their careers and themselves to adventurous and exciting places. Personal and professional development at its best! Program Development is a passion and a skill that has given me the opportunity to develop and implement many valuable and interesting programs.  I’ve opened Child Care programs, created and piloted outdoor educational program for young children, was on a team that put together a 3- story interactive children’s museum. I always land on a College/University campus wherever I am, and I am always teaching Child Development / Child Psychology & Family Dynamics wherever I go, whatever project I am on, whatever classroom I am in. Areas of formal studies include Child Development, Social Psychology, Leadership Area’s of passion and strength.  My areas of study above, remain at the top of this list as well as  Program Dev. Observation, Cognitive Dev. When growing up it was my great grandma Olive that set me on my path. She often would say to me “Laura, if there is something that needs to be done and you are capable of doing it….do it” Today my favorite quote and one I live by “Those that have the ability to take action…have the responsibility to take action.”  Oh and I think I should mention… My side gig when home at my cabin is…. Squirrel Whisperer, and that’s a great story!

Dr. Pierce’s research interest focuses on injuries in children with an emphasis on differentiating abusive from accidental trauma.  Dr. Pierece collaborates with a multi-disciplinary lab with emphasis on injury biomechanics. This lab combines the expertise of medicine and engineering and utilizes both a clinical and an experimental approach.  Dr. Pierce’s research focus is the development of injury plausibility models, including clinical decision rules, for differentiating abusive and accidental trauma in the young child that combines medical, social, biologic, and engineering knowledge.  Her interest is also in epigenetics, psychosocial risk factors, ecologic factors, and how child maltreatment confers health problems later in life.

Eliza Posner is a Program Specialist at the Alaska Children’s Trust. Originally from Connecticut, Eliza graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Political Science and the Middle East and North African Studies. She joined ACT in September 2021 for a nine-month fellowship through the Alaska Fellows Program before moving into her current role, where she assists with ACT’s programming, including History & Hope and Pathway to Hope.

Dr. Jennifer Prince first came to Alaska in 2017 when she started working at Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) in Bethel as a pediatric hospitalist. Jennifer received her bachelors in communication sciences and disorders from the University of Florida and went on to complete her masters in bioethics and medical humanities from the University of South Florida. From 2007-2011, she attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida where she obtained her doctorate of osteopathic medicine. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York in 2014. She first stared working in child abuse medicine in 2016 at the Chadwick Center in San Diego. Since being in Bethel, she has worked to create the STAR Clinic (Surviving and Thriving while At Risk) which provides family-focused and trauma-informed services to children and adolescents who may have experienced or witnessed maltreatment, abuse or violence. STAR Clinic provides medical services in a safe, child-centered environment using evidence-based practices to support the child and family to begin the healing process.

Dr. Ramos is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine and a board-certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist. At UCLA, she oversees clinical care and training in LGBTQ-affirming and sensitive mental health practices for the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Ramos also serves as Medical Director for two specialized clinical training programs, the Stress, Trauma, and Resilience Clinic and the EMPWR (“empower”) Program, which provides interdisciplinary mental health care to LGBTQ patients. In addition to her clinical work at UCLA, Dr. Ramos is actively involved in teaching and scholarly work both locally and nationally. Her research on strength-based group and family interventions is currently funded by the NIDA/AACAP Physician Scientist Program in Substance Use K12 Award. Outside of UCLA, Dr. Ramos serves as Co-Chair for the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry’s committee on gender and sexuality.

Farah Sears obtained her Associates of Science of Nursing in 2012 and Bachelors of Science of Nursing in 2013 from San Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. She has worked in a variety of critical care settings including ICU/PCU and the Emergency Department. She then attended The University of Texas at Arlington and obtained her Masters of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner in 2019. With a strong wanderlust she began looking for meaningful work and fell in love with the idea of working in the Alaskan Bush. She took a position at YKHC in Bethel, Alaska as an Itinerant Provider traveling to remote villages where she spent 20 days each month staffing village clinics. During this time, she encountered many sexual assault and child abuse victims and developed a passion for helping these individuals, which led Farah to becoming involved with the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and Child Maltreatment Team (CMT) in 2019. In early 2020, she transitioned to full-time work with the YKHC SART and CMT, and is now the Assistant Medical Director of the program.

With over 28 years of experience working in the field of child abuse investigations, Jerri Sites has developed and honed her expertise which includes two decades working in the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) movement. Her mission: To empower professionals to improve the system’s response to child abuse. Throughout her career, Jerri has conducted over 2100 child forensic interviews, testified on countless occasions as an expert witness, and has provided training at the national, regional, state, and local level. Jerri has vast experience in providing trauma-informed, research-based training and technical assistance to MDTs, CACs, and child serving professionals throughout the United States. She has led efforts to provide team and organizational strategic planning, create train-the-trainer programs, and facilitate curriculum development for a variety of trainings in the child abuse investigation arena. Jerri holds a Master of Arts Degree in Communications with an emphasis in professional development from Lindenwood University.

Rodney was born and lived in Dallas Texas for thirty-one years, and moved to Bethel Alaska in February of 1993, where he still resides for the past twenty-nine years. Rodney’s background is theology of Biblical studies, he was the Director for an adult halfway house for five years, the Headstart, Staff Development Coordinator/Director for ten years, and currently has been with the Division of Juvenile Justice for eighteen years. Rodney is married with eight children and fourteen grandchildren. He loves outdoor activities and enjoys living the subsistence lifestyle.

Lola Tobuk is the Director of Family Services for the Nome Eskimo Community. Lola has been a strong advocate for tribal families, mentoring others on the spirit of ICWA as a way to preserve the Native community and culture, while holding child protection entities accountable to the law and to preserving cultural and traditional values. Lola is also a member of the Alaska CINA Court Improvement Program since 2020. She has been a speaker in public conversations, such as Community in Unity: Fostering our Future. Lola is the grandmother of five beautiful grandchildren. She is a Tribal Lead Negotiator for the Tribal State Compact Agreement as well.

Dr. Turner received his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Forensic Psychology from Sam Houston State University. He has published and continues to publish numerous research articles and book chapters on risk assessment of sex offenders, risk assessment tools, child sex offender and victim behaviors, risk assessment of child pornography offenders, and juror perceptions and decision making in sex offense cases. He worked for a period of time at the United States Penitentiary at Pollock, Louisiana, in the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a staff psychologist. Currently, Dr. Turner is in private practice. He works throughout the nation as an expert witness for attorneys in various state and Federal Courts and as a consultant with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and media on the topics of victim behavior in child sex offenses (e.g., reasons for delays in disclosure, reasons why victims may appear “attached” to their offenders) as well as offender characteristics such as grooming of child victims, self-grooming, grooming of the environment, assessment if risk, and detection of offenders. 

Staci Whitney, LMSW is the Senior Director for Modell Consulting Group, LLC (MCG). Since 2017, Ms. Whitney has been responsible for teaching and co- authoring trainings on interviewing children and adults with disabilities. This included leading a project with national experts to develop an advanced Forensic Interviewing Protocol for interviewing individuals with disabilities (Project FIND). Prior to her work with MCG, Ms. Whitney was the Senior Forensic Interviewer at Bivona Child Advocacy Center in Rochester, NY and was responsible for developing Bivona’s Forensic Interviewing Program. During that time, Ms. Whitney had extensive training and experience in the field of Forensic Interviewing including interviewing children and individuals with disabilities who are victims or witnesses of crime. She has developed and delivered numerous trainings to Multidisciplinary Team Members and other professionals on recognizing and responding to suspicions and reports of child abuse.

Sergeant Teague Widmier started his law enforcement career in 1993 with the Sitka Policy Department. In 1999, he began working with the Alaska State Troopers in Fairbanks and moved to the Bethel Post in 2004. While stationed in Bethel, Sergeant Widmier has been assigned to supervise Bethel Patrol, Bethel Judicial Services, Trooper Outposts, Violent Offenders Unit (VOU) and currently supervising Western Alaska Major Crimes Unit (MCU) under the Alaska Bureau of Investigations (ABI). He holds an Advanced certificate with the Alaska Police Standards Council (APSC). He is a APSC certified Instructor in Field Training Officer (FTO), Sex Crimes, DV Investigations and Regional Sexual Assault Investigations for the Department of Public Safety. Teague was awarded “C” Detachment Trooper of the Year for 2005, 2007 and 2021, and Division Trooper of the Year for 2021. He is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Sergeant Widmier has been a member of the YK Delta MDT for 16 years.