BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JAMES R. MARSH, ESQ.
Chair

A University of TTUN Law School graduate, James represents victims of sex abuse in schools, colleges, churches, and government and military institutions; campus sexual assault and rape, online sexual exploitation; child pornography; sextortion, and revenge porn.

His case on compensation for victims of child pornography in federal criminal restitution proceedings was recently decided by the United States Supreme Court. That case, United States v. Paroline, led to the Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act which was recently passed by the Senate 98-0 and is pending in the House.

James founded the nationally recognized Children’s Law Center in Washington, DC, and is an experienced trial attorney, and frequent commentator, lecturer, and author on legal issues affecting children and victims of sex abuse and exploitation. He now leads Marsh Law Firm in New York which is recognized worldwide for its work helping sexually abused victims obtain justice and rebuild their lives with dignity and respect.

RICHARD TOLLNER
Treasurer of the Board

Richard Tollner is a former banker, real estate investor with three decades of experience, a clergy abuse survivor and Pro-Bono Lobbyist for Child Sex Abuse legislation. He has accumulated over fifty years of Board of Directorships serving churches, municipalities, chamber of commerce, libraries, charitable organizations, as well as corporate and business interests.

Richard worked in New York State as  pro-bono lobbyist for the passage of the Child Victims Act for twelve years. He is a speaker on clergy sex abuse survivorship. He has been an outspoken advocate of sex abuse victims since coming out in 2002 during the Boston Sex Abuse scandal, naming names in New York State, long before the MeToo movement exploded.

A long term fundraiser, Richard has helped raise a few million dollars for, American Cancer Society, Veteran organizations, To Love A Child, Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley, churches and libraries, among others. He has founded 501c3 organizations, created major fundraisers, and helped numerous charitable and nonprofit organizations deliver their message to the public, as well as, the legislative sector.

He is married to his wife of thirty years, Leslie Tollner. They reside in upstate New York.

Richard is the Treasurer of CHILD USA, where he diligently reviews and oversees that our donations and grants, are directed to the best use, to support children with our mission statement.

BRITTANY HENDERSON, ESQ. 

Secretary of the Board

 

 Brittany Henderson is a partner at Edwards Pottinger and the co-author of Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein. She represents crime victims and survivors of sexual abuse in civil litigation nationwide. 

In 2016, Brittany was recognized for obtaining one of the top 50 jury verdicts in the United States resulting from a high profile sexual abuse case that she litigated with Brad Edwards in Federal Court in Chicago, Illinois and again in 2018, when they obtained a $71 million verdict in state court pursuant to Federal Maritime Law on behalf of a young woman who was sexually assaulted while working as a crew member on a large yacht. She has worked with and against lawyers considered the best in the country and has obtained nearly $100 million in jury verdicts and settlements in her career. 

Brittany has appeared on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight and was featured in the Lifetime production Surviving Jeffrey Epstein as a result of the tremendous work that she has done on behalf of the survivors of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

In addition to being a fearless advocate for crime victims, Brittany co-founded a progressive charity for sexual abuse survivors and is committed to making a difference both in the courtroom and in the community. Brittany has been recognized as a Rising Star by SuperLawyers and by the National Trial Lawyers Association’s “Top 40 Under 40.” She is a member of the National Crime Victims Bar Association, the American Justice Association, the Broward County Trial Lawyers Association, and the Broward County Women Lawyers’ Association. 

Brittany graduated Magna Cum Laude from Nova Southeastern University College of Law in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she was served on the executive committees of both the Nova Law Review and the Moot Court 

Society. She received the prestigious Stephanie Aleong Impact Award from the College of Law, and upon graduation, she was named to the National Order of Barristers. Prior to attending law school, Brittany graduated with honors from Auburn University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. 

Brittany is a member of the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, and is admitted to practice in all Florida State Courts and District of Columbia Courts. 

BENJAMIN D. ANDREOZZI, ESQ.

Benjamin D. Andreozzi is a Pennsylvania based lawyer who has spent most of his 20+ year legal career advocating for children. After graduating from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, Ben worked for a regional commercial litigation law firm. In search of a purpose driven career, Ben founded the law firm now known as Andreozzi +Foote, which represents survivors of sexual abuse in civil cases across the country. The firm’s core focus is life changing result for victims and their families. Ben has represented survivors in cases that have captured headlines across the country like Penn State/Jerry Sandusky, the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, and many others. He has lectured across the country to lawyers and advocates on issues related to child sexual abuse, and has made appearance on all of the major national networks.

Every day Ben seeks to improve the safety of children by ensuring organizations entrusted with their care and supervision implement the most advanced safety protocols. He takes pride in advocating for survivors not just in the courtroom, but also through policy reform. Ben enjoys warm weather, laughing, and spending as much time as possible with his wife, three young kids, and two golden retrievers (in no particular order).

 

JUSTIN CONWAY

Justin Conway is co-founder of Violet Rhino Productions, a media company focused on producing meaningful literary, film, and photographic content. He is an avid raconteur through both words and photographs. His photographs have appeared on Good Morning America, numerous television outlets, as well as in books, magazines and online publications. His philanthropic work has focused on serving vulnerable children through board service with organizations such as CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the Camden Community Family Center, which is dedicated to providing a safe and healthy environment for children during court ordered supervised visitation. He currently serves as an ambassador for CHILD USA, a national think tank committed to ending child abuse and neglect. He was was instrumental in passing the Hidden Predator Act of Georgia that serves to protect vulnerable children and expose predators. The Hidden Predator Act was instrumental in exposing the cover up by USA Gymnastics in multiple abuse cases, including the case against Larry Nassar.  He currently splits his time between Coastal Georgia and Paris with his brilliant wife, Jennifer Niven, and their semi-feral children.

KEVIN P. DOUGHER

Kevin joined Johnson Kendall Johnson, an insurance brokerage and risk management firm, in June, 2004.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance as well as his MBA in Finance from Saint Joseph’s University. 

For the past 17 years, his responsibilities within JKJ include designing, implementing, and controlling property & casualty insurance and risk management programs for his portfolio of clients.  Kevin leads several practice groups within JKJ: the Non-Profit Human Services practice group, The Canadian American practice group, and the Professional Sports practice group.   

Within the insurance industry, Kevin is pursuing his Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation to further his education at JKJ.  He has designed and hosted risk prevention and background screening workshops for organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.  Kevin also previously served on the regional advisory council of Hartford Insurance Group. 

Kevin is an active alumnus of St. Joseph’s Prep and St. Joseph’s University.  He previously served on the Alumni Board of Directors at the business school of St. Joseph’s University.  Kevin also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of KenCrest Centers, a $130M nonprofit provider of community-based services in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.  Kevin is also a Board member of Starfinder Foundation, a nonprofit provider of youth programs to support healthy and successful lifestyles using soccer and teamwork.   He also supports the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia by serving on the organizations’ s Corporate Council Board of Directors and by volunteering his time on the golf outing fundraising committee.  Prior to this, Kevin served on the Board of Directors of Wheels for Wellness, a storied nonprofit in Philadelphia that provided transportation to those in need of transit to medical appointments.  Lastly, Kevin served a 4-year term on the golf committee of Eastern University’s Templeton Honors College.  Kevin and his wife, Katie, live in Erdenheim, PA with their three children.  He enjoys all Philadelphia sports, spending a lot of time with his family and playing golf.

CHRISTINE S. EWAN, JD

JEFFREY FRITZ, ESQ.

Jeffrey P. Fritz, Esq. is experienced in representing crime victims on behalf of survivors of murder, assault, sexual assault and child sexual abuse. He is with the law firm of Soloff & Zervanos in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York.

He represented multiple victims of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky in claims against Penn State University for child sexual abuse and has represented victims of child sexual abuse within religious organizations, medical facilities, schools, day care facilities, sports organizations and other institutions.

Mr. Fritz is a 1996 Cum Laude graduate of Widener University School of Law. He is a member of the bar in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is also a charter member, advisory board member and past president (2010 & 2011) of the National Crime Victim Bar Association, a national organization of attorneys and professionals devoted to obtaining civil justice for the victims of crime. Mr. Fritz is also a member of the American Association for Justice and both the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Associations. He has also been named a 2005 & 2006 “Rising Star” by Philadelphia Magazine and Super Lawyers and “Best of the Best” (Reader’s Choice) by South Jersey Magazine for crime victim representation.

Jeffrey P. Fritz has authored several articles regarding civil justice for crime victims in national publications such as Trial Magazine, The Victim Advocate and Victim Voice. He has served as a lecturer on civil justice for attorneys, victims, and victim service providers throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as nationally. He has provided commentary on crime victims’ rights to the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, CNN, HLN, Fox-29 & truTV. He has trained crime victim service providers in obtaining civil justice on behalf of the National Center for Victims of Crime/ National Crime Victim Bar Association. He has also lectured on behalf of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency at their state-wide conference entitled “Pathways for Crime Victims” and has served on behalf of the New Jersey Victims of Crime Compensation Board training other attorneys in civil remedies for crime victims across the State of New Jersey. He has been an invited lecturer on behalf of the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC), American Association for Justice (AAJ), New Jersey’s Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE) and the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association regarding crime victim representation.

BRIAN KENT, ESQ.

Brian Kent is a former sex crimes prosecutor, a clergy abuse survivor and recipient of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation’s 2019 Civilian Leadership award. He is the founding partner and head of the crime victim department in the Philadelphia law firm of Laffey, Bucci & Kent, LLP where he leads a team made up entirely of former prosecutors who devote one hundred percent of their practice to representing victims of crime, mostly sexual abuse and assault survivors. Mr. Kent has nearly 16 years of legal experience specializing in representing survivors of abuse, assault and exploitation and has taken on several high profile cases, including representing survivors of Jerry Sandusky, priest abuse as well as Judge William Bradley – a case that resulted in Judge Bradley’s removal from the bench, disbarment and admission to the abuse as part of the settlement. Mr. Kent’s representation of women across the country against massage franchise chain Massage Envy led to a Buzzfeed investigation and article regarding the company’s practices in covering up sexual assaults at its franchise locations which ultimately resulted in the company making changes to its policies and procedures to prevent assaults in the future as well as implementation of a “safety team.” Mr. Kent is currently representing hundreds of customers, men and women, who were sexually assaulted by Massage Envy massage therapists, several of whom had prior reports of assault, including Brandon Davis who assaulted 14 different women despite several reports of sexual assault at a Burlingame, CA location.

Early on in his career, Brian was one of only 35 attorneys in the state of Pennsylvania to be named a “Lawyer on the Fast Track.” Since then, he has received a Top Lawyer rating from Super Lawyers every year. Brian has a Masters of Law in Trial Advocacy from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and serves as an adjunct professor at Drexel University Kline School of Law teaching advanced trial advocacy. He has served as an expert in sexual abuse and assault cases on several local and national news networks and programs and trains institutions and individuals on sexual abuse and assault prevention and investigations. Mr. Kent has served as a volunteer attorney for the Montgomery County Child Advocacy Project for the past ten (10) years and founded his own charity “A Week Without Worry” that provides fun and exciting trips to abused children and their families. As a survivor of clergy sexual abuse himself, Mr. Kent uses his experiences to put an end to sexual violence in all forms and help other fellow survivors.

MARY LIU, ESQ.

Mary Liu is a partner with Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC.  She joined the firm in 2012.  After graduating from the University of Florida in 1994 with a Bachelor’s of Science, Mary spent the first 13 years of her career in management consulting, executive coaching, and human resources.  In 2010, Mary graduated summa cum laude while earning her J.D. from the Nova Southeastern University School of Law, ranking in the top 2% of her graduating class. 

Mary focuses her practice on sexual abuse and assault, medical device, and pharmaceutical litigation.  Mary is leading the AWKO’s nationwide Catholic clergy and Boy Scouts sexual abuse and assault litigations.  She is passionate about representing victims and survivors, and giving them a strong platform to have their stories heard.

Prior to joining AWKO, Mary served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Florida, representing the state in civil prosecutions of cases involving child abuse, abandonment, and neglect.  Mary also ran a successful family law practice, representing clients in cases involving the dissolution of marriage and domestic partnerships, child custody and support, and grandparent visitation disputes.  In addition to her extensive experience as a practicing attorney, Mary also served as an Assistant Professor of Law at Irvine University College of Law, where she taught courses in Civil Procedure and Community Property.

Mary is licensed to practice law in Florida and California, and she is currently serving as the co-chair of the American Association for Justice’s Website and Social Media Content Liability litigation group.

KERRY KENNEDY MELTZER, MD.

Dr. Meltzer is a primary care physician at the Women’s Health Clinic at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and is pursuing her Master’s of Science in Health Policy Research through the National Clinician Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Meltzer obtained her MD at George Washington University School of Medicine and her BA at Bowdoin College. Prior to medical school, she worked at the White House Office of Health Reform as well as the National Institutes of Health. She completed residency in internal medicine/primary care at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. She’s written about her experience as a resident physician in the COVID-19 Pandemic in The Atlantic and vaccine hesitancy in The New York Times. Her work has also appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine and the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

 

HILLARY M. NAPPI, ESQ.

Hillary M. Nappi is a Partner at Hach Rose Schirripa & Cheverie LLP and practices in the area of complex civil litigation. Ms. Nappi has been selected by Super Lawyers as Metro Rising Star in the area of civil litigation from 2018 through 2022.

Ma. Nappi leads the firm’s Victims’ Rights practice group and provides a trauma informed approach to all of our clients. She is litigating hundreds of cases on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse and assault against several institutions – both public and private – in wake of the passage of New York and New Jersey’s revival statutes allowing once time barred claims to be heard.  Ms. Nappi has successfully resolved these sexual abuse cases prior to trial resulting in millions of dollars in recovery for survivors.  Ms. Nappi is also representing plaintiffs across the county in §1983 actions and has secured recoveries as a result of their discrimination.

While at HRS&C, Ms. Nappi was part of the litigation team that represented the lead plaintiff in a Delaware Section 220 action against the Board of Directors of AmerisourceBergen Corporation in connection with the Board’s refusal to produce books and records relating to the company’s role in the multi-billion-dollar opioid crisis. Ms. Nappi has also contributed to the litigation of highly complex securities class and derivative actions, including Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local No. 79 General Fund v. The Boeing Co., C.A. 2019-0603-MTZ (Del. Ch.); Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local No. 79 General Fund, et al., v. Albaugh, et al., C.A. No. 2020-0466-AGB (Del. Ch.); and Teamsters Local 493 Health Services and Insurance Plan v. Sealed Air Corporation, C.A No. 2019-0899 (Del. Ch.); and City of Westland Police and Fire Retirement System et al. v. NVIDIA Corporation, C.A. 2020-0075 (Del. Ch.).

Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Nappi spent nine years working at the law offices of Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP.  While in law school, Ms. Nappi worked as a legal assistant/paralegal to the firm’s Chairman, David Boies. After her admission to the bar, Ms. Nappi was promoted to Staff Attorney. As a Staff Attorney, Ms. Nappi was on the trial team assigned to work on Starr International v. The United States, No. 1:11-cv-00779-TCW. At the time, the case was the largest ever filed against the United States Government alleging that the Government’s acquisition of AIG equity and subsequent actions relating to a reverse stock split were unlawful. Ms. Nappi later joined a boutique litigation firm in Westchester County where she honed her trial skills in the areas of criminal defense, commercial litigation, family law, and estate litigation. In 2018, Ms. Nappi was named “Top 40 Under 40 Criminal Defense Attorneys” by National Trial Lawyers.

Ms. Nappi is admitted to the Bars of the states of New York and New Jersey, and to the United States District Court for the Southern, Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of New York and District of New Jersey but has successfully been admitted pro hac vice to practice in other states including Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Ms. Nappi earned her Bachelors of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Pace University’s Pleasantville Campus. Ms. Nappi later received her Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law (now the Elisabeth Haub School of Law).

JENNIFER NIVEN

Jennifer Niven is the Emmy Award-winning #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of eleven books, including YA novels All the Bright Places, Holding up the Universe, Breathless, and Take Me With You When You Go (with David Levithan), in addition to several books for adults.

Her books have been translated in over 75 languages, and All the Bright Places has won literary awards around the world, including the GoodReads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction of 2015. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Time Magazine, NPR, the Guardian, Publisher’s Weekly, YALSA, Barnes & Noble, BuzzFeed, the New York Public Library, and others, and was the #1 Kids’ Indie Next Book for Winter ’14-’15. The film, starring Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Luke Wilson, and Keegan-Michael Key, is currently streaming on Netflix, with a script by Jennifer and Liz Hannah (The Post).

Jennifer is currently writing the screenplay for the movie version of Holding Up the Universe and working on her fifth novel for young adults. When she isn’t working on multiple book, film, and TV projects, she is involved in global outreach as an advocate for teen mental health awareness. She also oversees Germ, a literary web magazine for high school age and beyond. Her previous works include four novels for adults, as well as three nonfiction books. She divides her time between coastal Georgia and Paris, France, with her husband and literary cats.

JEFFREY R. PICKERING

Jeffrey R. Pickering is a former catcher, veteran philanthropy executive, and lifelong surfer. He is currently the President and CEO of Indian River Community Foundation in Vero Beach, Florida where he serves as a trusted advisor to some of the country’s most generous philanthropists. Mr. Pickering is a TEDx Speaker and published author of “Better at the Broken Places,” a powerful story he wrote to recover from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, to help other survivors, and to affect change in systems that continue to protect child sex abusers from prosecution. He is married to Stephanie Brooks Pickering and is father to Colin, Olivia, and Grant.

MIKE RINDER

Mike Rinder was born and raised in Australia by scientologist parents. He joined scientology’s elite corps, the Sea Org at 18, and rose to sit on the board of the Church of Scientology International and become scientology’s international spokesperson for more than 20 years as well as heading its Office of Special Affairs.

In 2007 he escaped scientology.  His entire family disconnected from him. He became a whistleblower against scientology abuses which has culminated in three seasons of the Emmy award winning Leah Remini: Scientology and The Aftermath. That show has changed public perception of scientology and given a voice to many of its victims. 

SUSANNA L. SOUTHWORTH, ESQ.

Dr. Susanna Southworth is dedicated to ending human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Through her law firm, Restore the Child, PLLC, she represents victims of abuse, online exploitation, child sex abuse material (CSAM), and sex trafficking. Susanna’s mission is for her clients to experience a new beginning, to a life free from the pain of past abuse, while receiving maximum recovery for their harm. Since obtaining her license in 2004 to practice law in Washington State, Susanna has advocated for vulnerable populations. These areas include immigration (removal defense and U visas for victims of abuse), criminal (excluding sex offenses), and guardianships and estate planning. She holds certifications in collaborative law and basic mediation training. Susanna serves survivors of child sex trafficking in her leadership as president of the Rotary Club of the Pacific Northwest Ending Sex Trafficking during the 2022-2023 Rotary year. In addition, she serves on the leadership boards for CHILD USAdvocacy, Compassion Washington, and the Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS) to help survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation. Prior to forming Restore the Child, PLLC, Susanna represented survivors in numerous lawsuits against websites and hotel brands for their facilitation of child sex trafficking, including the first case to not be defeated at the motion to dismiss stage and reach global resolution against a well-known website. She brings experience representing survivors of child sex abuse in high stakes litigation to Restore the Child with an unyielding commitment to protect the most vulnerable and fight for justice.

 

Susanna has a heart for mentoring youth and a passion for education. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science with Emphases in Comparative Politics and Public Administration Subfields from The University of Utah; a Doctor of Jurisprudence from The University of Texas Law School; and, a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, European Studies Emphasis from The University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor in Political Science at Pacific Lutheran University and Lecturer for the University of Washington Tacoma. Susanna passionately believes that trafficking prevention education that is trauma-informed is key to ending child sexual exploitation. To this end, she is working toward completion of a Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress Studies with the Trauma Research Foundation. Susanna has presented trainings to government and nonprofit entities across the country to educate on child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation. Susanna strives to end child sexual exploitation through prevention education, empowering youth in higher education, and powerful but trauma-informed advocacy for her clients.

ELYSSE STOLPE, ESQ.

EMERITUS

DR. LESLIE GRIFFIN

Dr. Leslie C. Griffin is the William S. Boyd Professor of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law. Professor Griffin, who teaches constitutional law, is known for her interdisciplinary work in law and religion. She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. She is author of the Foundation Press casebooks, Law and Religion: Cases and Materials (4th edition, 2017) and Practicing Bioethics Law (2d ed. 2021), which was co-authored with Joan H. Krause, Dan K. Moore Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Learning Constitutional Law, written with Penn Professor Marci Hamilton, will be published in 2022 by Cognella Press. 

KAREN ROONEY

Karen Rooney is the Secretary of our Board of Directors. She attended Old Dominion University and worked in Human Resources for Kennedy Health System. Her extensive work with the March of Dimes and other non-profits brings to our organization a wealth of experience in fundraising and event planning.

 

PAST BOARD MEMBERS

ABBIE R. NEWMAN
R.N., J.D.

Abbie R. Newman began her professional career as a registered nurse practicing in pediatrics before returning to law school and obtaining her J.D. in 1986. She practiced law in Philadelphia for 18 years at Post & Schell, P.C. first as an associate and later as a shareholder. Her practice specialized in medical malpractice defense of doctors, hospitals and nurses, and she was named a Super Lawyer by Philadelphia Magazine in 2005. Abbie became the founding CEO and Executive Director of Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center (CAC) of Montgomery County in 2008 and currently continues in that role. As Executive Director she has built the collaborative Multidisciplinary Team from a group that assembled on a sporadic basis to review cases to a nationally Accredited CAC which has served over 3,300 abused children and families. She is the past-President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of CACs, and the current and founding Chair of the External Affairs Committee of the State Chapter. Ms. Newman serves on the CAC Advisory Committee in Pennsylvania, charged with awarding state funds to both established and developing CACs. She was also appointed by Gov. Corbett to the Pennsylvania Victim Services Advisory Committee, charged with awarding $100M in funds to victim agencies in Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Children’s Trust Fund. Ms. Newman has also worked on both the state and national level with legislators to strengthen child protection laws, increase funding to agencies serving victims of child abuse and neglect, and develop and sustain child advocacy centers as a model for child abuse investigation and prevention.

Abbie received her Bachelor of Science from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, cum laude in 1981 and her JD from Fordham University School of Law in 1986.

JOHN F. SALVESON

John Salveson is a successful entrepreneur, business leader and board director with expert knowledge of human capital management, leadership transition and succession, business strategy and governance. John has more than 30 years of experience in professional services, serving a broad range of clients from diverse industry sectors. He serves as a trusted advisor to business owners, senior executives, investors and board directors, helping them create shareholder and stakeholder value though the effective combination of business and organizational strategy and talent.

John is Co-Founder and Principal of Salveson Stetson Group, Inc. (SSG) a multi-specialty, retained executive search firm. The firm has grown rapidly and profitably into a nationally recognized, mid-sized executive search practice and is a member of IIC Partners (www.iicpartners.com), one of the top ten retained executive search groups in the world with 53 offices in 35 countries. SSG’s clients range from Fortune 50 to private small and mid-sized companies. Since its founding in 1996, the firm has performed successful executive search assignments for more than 150 companies in the United States and Europe. Industry specializations include pharmaceuticals, wholesale distribution, distributed services, healthcare, nonprofits, manufacturing, business/professional services. Search assignments include Board Directors, President/CEO, COO, CFO, CMO, CIO and other senior level executive positions. John serves as Practice Leader for the firm’s Wholesale Distribution Specialty Practice. Before co-founding Salveson Stetson in 1996, John served as Vice President and Director of Client Services of Right Management Consultants. Before that, he helped launch and grow Human Service Systems, Inc., an employee assistance program provider.

Through his leadership roles with several large nonprofit organizations, John has recruited and developed executives and board members and served as a subject matter expert on human resources, talent management, governance, succession planning, executive coaching, and organization development. During his ten years as a Board Member, Vice Chairman and Member of the Executive Committee for The Philadelphia Orchestra he played a critical role in the search for two CEOs, the transition to a new Board Chair, and helped manage a host of issues related to the Orchestra’s transition into and out of bankruptcy. As a Board Member and now Vice Chairman of WHYY, John plays a leadership role in diversifying contributed revenue for the organization, both from individuals and corporations. At the United Way, John has served as a member of the recent CEO Search Committee.

John is also the Founder and President of the Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse, Inc. (FACSA). He has been a frequent public speaker on the issue of child sexual abuse, and has received international print, radio and television coverage in his role as an advocate.

John holds both Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Notre Dame. John recently received the 2015 Eleanor H. Raynolds Award, given annually to an executive search professional who combines excellence in search with a strong commitment to volunteerism. He and his wife Susan live in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.