They are America’s most precious resource – our children. Unfortunately, far too often our children suffer abuse, neglect or, even worse, they are the victims of human trafficking.
In recognition of April being Child Abuse Prevention month, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) brought the community together to discuss the issue of Child Protection. NSU’s Department of Justice and Human Services in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, which offers a robust master’s program in child protection, hosted the Inaugural Conference on Child Abuse, Neglect and Human Trafficking. The event featured several presentations by guest speakers, including:
- Lauren Book, M.S. Ed.D., an internationally respected and renowned child advocate, former classroom teacher and best-selling author;
- Ronald Book, chairman of the Lauren’s Kids Foundation, a specialist in governmental affairs and administrative law, with a Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Florida International University
- Detective Sgt. Joe Matthews, a 30-year veteran of the Miami Beach Police Department, a former Miami-Dade County Police Officer of the Year, credited with solving the infamous Baby Lollipop homicide, among many others.
- Maribel Del Rio-Roberts, Psy.D., an assistant professor within NSU’s Department of Justice and Human Services, and the Program Director for the Masters of Science in Developmental Disabilities.
- Elli Bray, Special Agent with the Miami Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has been working violent crimes against children cases for the Miami Division of the FBI for the past three years and has extensive experience in working child sex trafficking matters.
- Allison Golden, Psy.D, received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in 2013, and specializes in providing assessment and therapeutic services for children and families who have experienced various forms of trauma.
- Tara Zuckerman, Psy.D, is a licensed psychologist and South Florida native, who has spent her life and career helping others in the community, specializes in the treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit Disorders and has specialized training in the assessment and treatment of behavior related issues, as well as interventions specific to OCD.
The event had more than 300 attendees from various child protection fields – from social workers to law enforcement officials to family counselors. For more information about the conference or the programs offered at NSU, please contact Denise Crammer-Turner, Psy.D. via phone (954-262-5745) or e-mail (crammerd@nova.edu).