Benita Williams, MSW, LSW
Executive Director
bwilliams@philachildrensalliance.org
Benita Williams, MSW, LSW, is a Pennsylvania licensed social worker who has over 28 years of experience in the field of Child Welfare. Benita earned her Bachelor of Social Work and Masters of Social Work degrees from Temple University. For 20 years Benita worked for the Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services (DHS) in a variety of positions starting out as a Social Worker and worked her way up to the third highest ranked position at DHS as Operations Director. Most recently she served as the Vice President of CUA and Child Welfare Services for Bethanna, a private Child Welfare agency.
Teresa Smith, LSW, PhD
Project Director
teresa@nrcac.org
Teresa Smith, LSW, PhD, is the Project Director at Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center (NRCAC). Teresa joined the NRCAC staff in June 2011 after more than twenty-five years of employment with Pinnacle Health Systems in Harrisburg, PA. Teresa was a co-founder and director of the Children’s Resource Center at Pinnacle Health Systems, an accredited CAC, and has served as President and Executive Board Member of the Children's Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania, an accredited Chapter of the National Children’s Alliance. Teresa’s Doctoral Dissertation involved research on multidisciplinary child abuse team leaders and case reviews.
Sue Ascione, MS
Training Specialist
sue@nrcac.org
Sue Ascione, MS, is a Training Specialist with Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center (NRCAC). She has served for over 30 years in the field of family violence as a direct service provider and in leadership positions in child-serving nonprofit organizations in Northwestern, PA. Sue served 16 years as the executive director of the CAC in Lawrence County, PA. Sue has been a mentor, trainer, and consultant to many emerging and developing Child Advocacy Centers and multidisciplinary teams to identify challenges, barriers, and organizational development needs to plan the changes needed for quality improvement for children and families. As an inaugural participant in the Leadership, Exchange, and Coaching (LEC) project, Sue has great interest in supporting CAC executive directors and associate directors by providing management, training, and peer consultation in the LEC project. She also provides training on secondary traumatic stress, victim advocacy, team development and technical assistance for board development and strategic planning.
Tony DeVincenzo
Training Specialist
tony@nrcac.org
Tony DeVincenzo is a Training Specialist with Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center (NRCAC). In this role, he provides training and technical assistance to Child Advocacy Centers and child abuse multidisciplinary teams throughout the Northeast Region of the US. In addition to his work with individual Advocacy Centers and multidisciplinary teams, Tony has presented workshops on a variety of topics related to Child Advocacy at regional and national conferences.
Prior to his current position, Tony served as the Director of Programs and Multidisciplinary Team Coordinator from Deirdre’s House, the Child Advocacy Center for Morris County, New Jersey. In that role, Tony oversaw a variety of programs and services offered at the Advocacy Center and coordinated the multidisciplinary response to child abuse in the community. He also conducted numerous professional trainings and community presentations related to child advocacy.
Before working in the child advocacy field, had a 25-year career in law enforcement in New Jersey. He began his career as a patrol officer with the Roseland Police Department and then served as a Detective with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. As a detective, Tony worked in a variety of units including juvenile/missing persons, and the major crimes unit, but spent a majority of his career investigating crimes against children. During that time, he also served as forensic interviewer and was an active member of the Morris County MDT. Tony retired from law enforcement in 2013 as a Lieutenant supervising the Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit, Internet Crimes Against Children, and Megan’s Law Unit.
In addition to his law enforcement career and his roles in Child Advocacy, Tony is an adjunct faculty member at local colleges teaching courses related to Criminal Justice and Child Advocacy.
Michele Mullen, LCSW
Training Specialist
michele@nrcac.org
Michele Mullen, LCSW, has over 25 years working in the child abuse field and is a champion of the CAC movement. As a Training Specialist with Northeast Regional Children’s Advocacy Center (NRCAC), she provides training and technical assistance to CACs and MDTs in the nine northeast states. Michele creates and delivers state, regional and national trainings on a variety of topics with the goal to strengthen multidisciplinary teams and support CAC development. Michele has been part of NRCAC since September 2014 after 17 years with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office/Children’s Advocacy Center in Massachusetts. Michele began as a Victim Advocate before moving to the CAC director role and was dedicated to the development of a fully accredited CAC. Prior to her work at the CAC, she worked with survivors of domestic violence.
Ilana Lezama-Beausejour
Project Initiatives Specialist
ilana@nrcac.org
Ilana Lezama-Beausejour is the Project Initiatives Specialist at Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center (NRCAC). In this position, Ilana will be working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives and annual data needs assessment projects. Ilana has served in the field of Social Work for several years in different capacities, from working with children within the child welfare system on behavioral therapy modalities to training foster parents on social-emotional skills and diversity. She has worked within the Juvenile Justice System and devised a program to serve vulnerable youth. She has a passion for making an impact on individuals and enhancing systems that serve people. Ilana firmly believes her purpose is to make a difference in the lives and organizations that she encounters by extending herself as a beacon of light. Ilana has obtained her Master's degree in Social Work from Fordham University with a dual concentration in Clinical Work and Organizational Leadership.
Katelyn Waltimyer
Project Manager
katelyn@nrcac.org
Katelyn Waltimyer is the Project Manager at Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center (NRCAC). In this position, Katelyn fills a wide range of administrative roles, with a focus on training management, event production, and grant logistics. Prior to joining the NRCAC team in 2018, Katelyn obtained a bachelor's degree in Music Education and a minor in Theatre from Penn State University and served as a daycare and K-5 music teacher.
Brittany Ramos
Project Coordinator
brittany@nrcac.org
Brittany Ramos is the Project Coordinator at Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center (NRCAC). In this role, Brittany is responsible for various administrative duties, fiscal oversight, and technology support of the NRCAC training and technical assistance project. She has a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in Social Welfare and Psychology from the City College of New York. Before joining the non-profit sector, Brittany’s background diversely entailed operations and logistics for a tech start-up, project management in sales and services, as well as client relations and experience for over ten years.
Myia Hill
Communications Manager
myia@nrcac.org
Myia Hill is the Communications Manager at Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center (NRCAC). In this position, Myia is responsible for overseeing NRCAC's branding initiatives, marketing materials, website development, and social media engagement. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over nine years in the primary areas of development, communications, and marketing. Myia holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego).