Amber began her role in this field as an intern before falling in love with the work. Since then, she worked her way up to her current role as a Forensic Interviewer and Trainer as well as a Case Review Facilitator. Amber has two bachelor's degrees from the University of Minnesota Duluth in Criminology and Sociology with a minor in Psychology. Since being in this field, Amber has grown a passion for continued education surrounding interviewing children with disabilities.

Amy Kaufman is a survivor of intimate partner violence and an advocate for others navigating abuse and its aftermath. She has worked in the nonprofit sector supporting survivors and now speaks publicly about coercive control, systemic gaps, and the complexities of survivor experience. Through her advocacy and media work, Amy challenges common misconceptions about abuse—particularly the tendency to misinterpret survivor behavior—and encourages more informed, compassionate responses across systems and communities.

Amy Scarr has been a social worker for 30+ years and has worked in a variety of settings that serve older adults. She has worked for Dane County Adult Protective Services for the last 24 years, managing the Dane County APS Victim Advocacy Program since 2016. She serves as the Senior Victim Advocate and works with Dane County residents 60 years and older who are victims of crime, abuse and exploitation. The program serves an average of 380 individuals per year.

Anastasiya Bolton is a seven-time Emmy Award–winning journalist and communications strategist whose career has been shaped by victim-centered storytelling and tangible community impact. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism and public communications, she has reported on some of the most complex and traumatic events of recent decades—often alongside victims, survivors, first responders, and law-enforcement leaders during moments when clarity, compassion, and trust mattered most. Much of Anastasiya’s career was spent in Colorado as crime and an investigative reporter she covered crime, courts, mass violence, school shootings, wildfires, officer-involved incidents, and family violence. After leaving news, she founded ViKSTORY Media LLC. She now trains first responders, educators, victim advocates and organizations nationwide in crisis communications, media engagement, and public-facing leadership.

Ashley Payne is a Victim Services Specialist within the Office of Victim Services and Programs at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. She has been in her current role since December 2017. She began her career as a Psychiatric Care Technician at the Wisconsin Resource Center before she lateralled to a Correctional Officer at that same facility. After her time in the institution, she transitioned to a Probation and Parole Agent where she was assigned a general caseload. After a few years she shifted to the jail liaison and carried the interstate compact and minimum caseloads. She ultimately found her passion when she became a Victim Services Specialist and is very excited to share her knowledge and experiences with other correctional professionals.

Dr. Celesta Taylor is a licensed clinical-forensic psychologist with over a decade of experience serving first responder professionals. She currently works with the Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS, and previously served as psychological services manager for the Texas Department of Public Safety, supporting the Texas Rangers and other state law enforcement divisions. Much of Dr. Taylor’s career has focused on supporting professionals who serve victims of crime, including those working child exploitation, human trafficking, and mass casualty cases. She provides forensic evaluations, trauma-informed therapy, crisis intervention, and resilience training for individuals routinely exposed to violence and victimization. A former active-duty member of the U.S. Coast Guard, Dr. Taylor integrates operational experience with clinical expertise to strengthen the wellbeing and readiness of first responders and victim-centered professionals.

Phil Galli is the Director of Justice Support Services for St. Croix County. In this role, he oversees the Adult Treatment Court, Pretrial Division, and Community Justice Collaborating Council (CJCC). Prior to this work, Phil taught criminology at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and was a probation/parole officer in Missouri, Ohio, and Illinois. Phil holds a PhD in Criminology & Criminal Justice from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Emilyn Wahl is the Director of Parenting Time Centers at Someplace Safe, overseeing supervised parenting time services across multiple rural and regional communities in Minnesota. She brings over 20 years of experience in supervised visitation, with a focus on victim safety, trauma-informed practice, and the intersection of family systems, accountability, and child wellbeing in cases involving domestic violence, stalking, and high-conflict dynamics. Emilyn regularly trains multidisciplinary professionals including victim advocates, child protection staff, supervised visitation providers, and community partners on topics such as trauma-informed supervision, navigating allegations, and productive versus toxic venting. She has presented for the Supervised Visitation Network (SVN), the Association of Families and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), and other statewide and national audiences.

Jamie graduated from Bryant and Stratton College with her ADN in 2009, Western Governors University with her BSN in 2018, and Oklahoma University Law School with her MLS -Healthcare Law in 2024. She started her career in Women's health and transitioned to the Emergency Department. She has practiced in Forensics since 2012 and now teaches future FNE's for WI DOJ. She is dual licensed in WI & IL and has 5 sites in 8 hospitals. She is a local and national presenter on trauma informed care and recent TEDx Speaker. Outside of work she enjoys family time, crafting and self-care activities. Jamie loves to laugh and bring humor to everyone around her. She is a married mother of two adult boys and loves her two dogs.

Joe is a social worker with Dane County Department of Human Services-Adult Protective Services. Joe works as the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) victim advocate and investigator. Joe has been working with adults with IDD since 2016. He assists individuals in navigating complex services systems as well as ensuring their health and safety needs are met, supporting their rights as victims and uplifting their voices.

Maureen Schuck is currently a Victim Services Specialist within the Office of Victim Services and Programs (OVSP) at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, she has been in the position since April 2022. She started her career as a Youth Counselor at Ethan Allen School for Boys. In 1997, she became a Probation & Parole Agent with a caseload of youthful offenders aged 16-20 on adult supervision in Beloit, WI. In 2005, she transferred to Madison, WI where she supervised a high risk sex offender caseload. In 2012, she transitioned to an interstate compact (IC) caseload handling all offenders who left Dane County to live in other states. In 2017, she became the first agent liaison within the Dane County District Attorney’s Office while still maintaining the IC cases. She has a Bachelors degree in Social Work with a Criminal Justice minor and a Masters degree in Counseling (K-12) both from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

Mike Blaser is a seasoned law enforcement professional with over 25 years of distinguished service. He began his career in Waunakee, Wisconsin in 1998 and spent the majority of his tenure with the Janesville Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant. Throughout his career, Mike served in a variety of roles including patrol, narcotics, SWAT, and crisis intervention—bringing innovation and compassion to each assignment. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in education from UW–Whitewater and a master’s degree (MS-OCL/PM) from UW–Platteville. He has completed over 4,000 hours of specialized training in tactics, leadership, trauma response, and crisis management. Mike is an active member of Phi Kappa Phi. His current focus is on employee wellness and retention, particularly within careers experiencing work related stress or trauma.

Michelle is a Forensic Interviewer/Trainer. Michelle conducts forensic Interviews and facilitates training for professionals. Prior to this, Michelle worked for Children’s Advocacy Centers in FL and WI. For 8 years she worked as a Child Protection worker. Michelle has conducted over 3,000 forensic interviews and hundreds of child abuse and neglect investigations. Michelle has extensive experience in fact and expert witness testimony, being qualified as an expert in MN, WI and FL. Michelle has over a decade of experience in community outreach, working with at-risk youth, mentorship, crisis intervention, child abuse assessment, and prevention activities. Michelle has a Master’s Degree in Human Services: Child Protection with emphasis in Psychological Foundations of Child Advocacy and a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice: Corrections with minors in Child Advocacy and Sociology. She is certified as a Diplomat Child Forensic Interviewer.

Nathan LaChine is a third-generation therapeutic foster parent with over 20 years of experience supporting some of Washington State’s most vulnerable youth, bringing deep insight into the challenges young people face — especially in the digital world. He is the founder of Evergreen Caregiver Support, a resource hub empowering caregivers with education, community, and trauma-informed training on topics such as internet safety, CSEC/CSAM, SOGIE, and harm reduction. Nathan has served for more than 25 years as a leader with MaleSurvivor, advancing support for male survivors of sexual abuse. A sought-after speaker and published author of the Internet Safety Workbook series, he regularly presents to caregivers, policymakers, and professionals. He also mentors foster parents with the University of Washington and serves on the DCYF Foster Parent 1624 Consultation Team. His work is driven by the principles of educate, empower, and harm reduction.

Rachel Madsen, RN, BSN, MS-CAM, SANE-A, SANE-P, is a board-certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and the SANE Team Supervisor at Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee. She leads a team of nurses providing trauma-informed forensic care to pediatric and adolescent survivors of sexual abuse and has helped shape the hospital’s SANE program through clinical care, staff training, and policy development. With nearly seven years in forensic nursing, Rachel is committed to supporting survivors and mentoring nurses entering the field. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Forensic Nursing at Duquesne University. Rachel is honored to be part of a community working to improve care for survivors and strengthen response systems.

Sarah Othmer is currently a Victim Services Specialist within the Office of Victim Services and Programs (OVSP) at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, she has been in the position since April 2024. She started her career with the Department of Corrections in September 2006 as a Probation & Parole Agent in the Milwaukee area with a female offender specific caseload. In 2016, she transferred to the Madison area where she supervised a general caseload specific to the City of Sun Prairie and Village of Marshall. In 2022, she became an agent liaison within the Dane County District Attorney’s Office while still maintaining a caseload. She has been on numerous committees and a member of multiple organizations over the years and loves to share her knowledge/experiences with new professionals entering the field of Corrections.

Tyra Jaramillo-Kraemer is the Associate Director at First Witness CAC in Duluth, MN, where she provides organizational leadership across multidisciplinary, forensic, advocacy, and training programs. She is also a Senior Forensic Interviewer & Trainer, and delivers forensic interview and multidisciplinary team trainings for professionals across the country. Tyra has conducted hundreds of forensic interviews and regularly provides training and technical assistance to victim service professionals, first responders, and multidisciplinary teams. Tyra holds a Bachelors degree in Criminology and a Masters of Business Administration in Leadership and Change, and brings both frontline and system-level perspectives to her presentations.

Dr. Weiqi Chen is a nurse scientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing whose research advances the prevention of sexual violence and reproductive coercion, especially in alcohol-involved contexts. Dr. Chen’s work focuses specifically on coerced condomless sex, including condom use resistance and nonconsensual condom removal (“stealthing”), as understudied forms of sexual violence with direct implications for reproductive autonomy and sexually transmitted infection risk. Her work has been published in leading journals in sexual health and violence research and has been presented nationally at conferences focused on sexual health and violence prevention. Dr. Chen is committed to translating behavioral science into scalable interventions that reduce victimization and promote sexual autonomy.