Natalia Sofia Miranda Alves

Natalia Sofia Miranda Alves is a recent graduate of William James College with a masters in clinical mental health counseling with an emphasis on forensic and correctional counseling and Latino mental health. Sofia is currently a clinician with Old Colony Y-Brockton Community Corrections Center after having worked as a clinician, therapist and intern in a variety of settings focusing on substance abuse, mental health, sex offender treatment, and forensic health services. Over the years, Sofia has also served as a mentor on Cyber Safety issues, active as an America Reads mentor and served as a prison advocate for individuals wrongfully incarcerated. Sofia is fluent in Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole and Spanish.

Jeff Butts

Jeff Butts has had a deep and impactful history of policy advocacy and program development. Jeff’s approach is trauma informed and empirically based providing clinical consultant to defense attorneys seeking to understand their clients’ needs and to formulate appropriate defense and treatment strategies. Jeff was the founding Executive Director of the SMART Team a non-profit created to address the needs of young people deeply impacted by juvenile justice and trauma.  Since 1998, Jeff has served on the faculty of several colleges and universities including Simmons College, Boston University, Suffolk University and Springfield College. He has taught undergraduate, graduate and continuing education relevant to juvenile justice policy and clinical practice.  In 2001, Jeff was honored by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers to receive the “Greatest Contribution Social Work for a Social Worker with Less than Five Years Post Masters Experience” and in 2015, he was honored by the Social Innovation Forum for his work founding SMART Team.

Kevin Creeden

Chair of the Board

Kevin Creeden, is the Director of Assessment and Research at the Whitney Academy in East Freetown, MA. . He has over 35 years of clinical experience treating children, adolescents, and their families working extensively with sexually and physically aggressive youth. Over the past 25 years, his primary focus has been on issues of trauma and attachment difficulties, especially with regard to the neurological impact of trauma on behavior. He has authored articles and book chapters has taught at Boston College, Harvard Medical School and at the Simmons School of Social Work. Mr. Creeden trains and consults nationally and internationally to youth service, community, mental health, and forensic service programs.

Nancy Dias

Vice Chair of the Board

Nancy Simmons Dias is a therapist at Child Guidance Clinic (CGC) in Springfield, MA. She has worked at CGC for 30 years treating children and adolescents with a variety of mental health needs. Originally, her main focus was working with children who had been sexually abused, but for the past 25 years she has also worked with youth with sexual behavior problems. Clients in this population range in age from 4 to 18 and include those who need basic education to those who have been involved in the juvenile legal system. Settings for therapy include homes, residential programs, schools, detention centers and in the office. Nancy has been on the board of MASOC since 1992 and has been an integral part of the team creating the MASOC/MATSA Joint conference each year since 1998.

Ellen Brower Gately

Co-Chair, Policy and Education Committee

Ellen Brower Gately, MA, LMHC is a Senior Clinician for the BHN Juvenile Court Clinics serving Hampden, Franklin, Hampshire and Berkshire Counties. She is a Certified Juvenile Court Clinician (CJCC-I) and has had over 19 years of experience working with youth and families involved with the Massachusetts Juvenile Courts. Ms. Brower Gately has been interested in addressing problematic sexual behaviors and the traumatic effects of abuse on adults, children and family systems since she began her career in mental health over thirty years ago. Before coming to the Juvenile Court Clinic, Ms. Brower Gately worked in community mental health. Her work included treating both victims of abuse and those engaging in abusive behaviors. She developed a program within her agency for youth with sexual behavior problems, ran parenting groups at the local battered women’s shelter and led CBT groups for adult sexual offenders living in the community.

Jean Lindquist Grady

Clerk

Jean Lindquist Grady, Psy.D. is the Clinical Director of the Central Massachusetts Collaborative in Worcester, MA. She is also an Associate Professor at Assumption College in the Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies Department. She worked within the Worcester Public Schools as a school psychologist for 10 years and has over 20 years experience conducting evaluations for youth and adolescents who engage in sexually and physically aggressive behaviors. She has experience in residential treatment with boys and girls, has supervised numerous clinicians in the field, and was a part of a grant funded research study through UMass which compared and contrasted two group therapy treatments for adolescent boys who engaged in sexually aggressive behaviors.

Sally Gulmi

Sally Gulmi is the Assistant Vice President of the Stetson School, an affiliate of the Seven Hills Foundation located in Barre, MA. Sally came to Stetson as the Clinical Director in 2012 after many years of working in the field, first as a clinician, moving on to the Director of Clinical Services and on to her current position. Sally has had many years of experience specializing in the work of youth with sexually problematic behavior and most recently focusing on the effect of trauma in these young men’s lives. Her experience in residential and foster care with boys as well as girls has offered her the opportunity to better understand and lead the clinical work at Stetson School. Her understanding of the complexity of the field while having the empirical knowledge to transform her work into facilitating the growth and programming to reach the goals, need and dreams of the youth in care. The range of positions held and the agencies she has worked with has led to her understanding of where and how the intersection of the emotional, psychological constructs of the youth in care lead as well as the need to be understood in the treatment of the youth in care.

Neil Kennedy

Treasurer

Neil Kennedy is the Director of Operations at Pathways for Change, Inc. in Worcester, MA., one of the leading rape crisis centers in Massachusetts. Neil is a certified Sexual Assault Counselor and has extensive experience working with both survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence. He has a master’s degree in social work and is a senior professional with over 25 years experience in the Massachusetts child welfare and mental health systems. In 1997 Neil was instrumental in the development of the first community based treatment residence specifically for sexually abusive adolescents in Massachusetts and oversaw its operations until 2005. In addition to his administrative role, he is currently also overseeing the Agency’s "Males Advocating Change" Program’s mission to engage males in efforts to prevent sexual violence against women and children.

Kasey Mastracola

Kasey Mastrocola, M.A. is currently a pre-doctoral psychology intern from William James College, where she is working toward obtaining her Psy.D. with a concentration in Forensic Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Saint Anselm College, and her Master of Arts degree in clinical mental health counseling from William James College. Kasey’s clinical experience has been characterized by a broad diversity of settings and populations. Having had opportunities to provide individual and group psychotherapy as well as psychological evaluations to children, adolescents, and adults impacted by sexual abuse. Currently, Kasey is working on her doctoral project related to public preferences for rehabilitation versus incarceration of juvenile and adult sex offenders.

Ryan Shields

Ryan T. Shields, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Prior to joining UMass Lowell, he was the Associate Director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research is primarily centered on the intersection of criminology, criminal justice, and public health. He studies child sexual abuse, sexual abuse prevention, and sex crime policy.

Tanya L. Snyder

Chair, Capacity Committee

Tanya L. Snyder, M.Ed., LMHC is currently a Clinical Supervisor at William James College’s INTERFACE Referral Service. Previously she was a practicing therapist, trainer, supervisor and program developer at The Counseling & Psychotherapy Center, Inc. Since 1997 Tanya has worked with youth, who have acted out sexually, in a variety of settings, including residential treatment, foster care, group homes and outpatient clinics. She began to work with adults who have acted out sexually in 1999 at the Massachusetts Treatment Center for the Sexually Dangerous, as well at local houses of correction and in the community. She has presented at conferences and trainings nationally in regard to the topic of treating those who act out sexually.

Stephanie Tabashneck, Psy.D, J.D.

Stephanie Tabashneck, Psy.D., J.D. is a forensic psychologist in Wellesley, MA. Her practice areas include risk assessments, child custody, and substance use issues. She presents regionally and nationally on psychology and law topics, including at events organized by the Federal Judicial Center, the Massachusetts Trial Courts, the American Bar Association, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Recent publications include a book chapter on youth with mental health issues who sexually offend published by the American Bar Association, an article on "Raise the Age" juvenile justice legislation, and an article on Family Drug Courts and the opioid epidemic. For more information please visit www.StephanieTabashneck.com.

Joan Tabachnick

Executive Director

Joan Tabachnick is nationally recognized for her expertise in sexual violence prevention and social marketing. Over the past 25 years, she has developed award winning educational materials and innovative programs for a wide variety of national, state and local organizations and asked to participate on national expert panels for a variety of organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Unitarian Universalist Association. Her recent work includes a National Sexual Violence Resource publication and online course titled "Engaging Bystanders in Sexual Violence Prevention," a publication through the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers called "A Reasoned Approach: The Reshaping of Sex Offender Policy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse," and new program materials for the Enough Abuse Campaign, titled "GateKeepers for Kids" providing simple guidelines for what all youth serving organizations can do to prevent child sexual abuse. Joan is currently on a fellowship focusing on sexual violence prevention with the Department of Justice SMART Office. Visit www.joantabachnick.com for more information.

Friends of the Board

Casey Chapman

Casey Chapman, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Adolescent Sexual Offender Coalition. She is the co-director of the Clearview Center, a group private practice providing community-based mental health services to the Lowell, Lawrence and Nashua, NH areas. She has more than 30 years experience working with children, adolescents and young adults who have sexual behavior problems. Casey is a skilled marital and family therapist who also specializes in working with youth who have Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder. She is a supervisor and consultant to individuals and area agencies.

Robert Kinscherff

Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD is a clinical/forensic psychologist and attorney who currently serves as an Associate Vice President and Professor (doctoral clinical psychology program) at William James College. He has previously served as Assistant Commissioner for Forensic Mental Health (MA Department of Mental Health) and Director of Juvenile Court Clinic Services (MA Administrative Office of the Juvenile Court) for the statewide system of Juvenile Court Clinics. Dr. Kinscherff has over 30 years of experience in assessment, treatment planning, and complex case consultation with children, adolescents, and young adults with problematic sexual behaviors. He has served on Commissions and Working Groups addressing problematic sexual behaviors, sex offender registration, sexual offense recidivism, and juvenile and criminal justice policy, including the MASOC Working Group revising the ASAP evaluation process. Dr. Kinscherff teaches and consults nationally and internationally and has taught and published widely on youth problematic sexual behaviors and adjudicated sexual offenses.

Heidi Sue LeBoeuf

Heidi Sue LeBoeuf, LCSW, is a native of Worcester, Massachusetts and has been working in sexual violence movement since 1997.   A graduate of Wheelock College’s, MSW program, Heidi Sue has been a Director of Counseling at Pathways for Change (formerly the Rape Crisis Center of Central Massachusetts) for 19 years and has held her current position as Director of Counseling Services for the last 12 years. She is also a student advisor and adjunct at Boston University’s Worcester program.  From 2012 until 2017 she was on the City of Worcester’s Advisory Committee on the Status on Women where she was voted chair in 2015 and served until 2017.  In 2014 she received the MOVA Access to Justice Award for her work with supporting survivors of sexual violence in their recovery and well-being, as well as being a key stakeholder in developing a regional 24-hour rape crisis hotline in collaboration with three area Rape Crisis Centers (RCCs) in Massachusetts.  With strong feminist roots, Heidi Sue brings tremendous compassion, dedication and enthusiasm to her role as a social worker and activist as well as to the local communities she supports and continues to be a strong advocate for survivors across Central Mass.

Craig Latham

After completing undergraduate studies at MIT and graduate degrees at Harvard, Dr. Latham worked as a forensic psychologist with high-risk children and adolescents for 36 years. In 2016, He became the Executive Director of the New England Adolescent Research Institute (NEARI) a non-profit organization that includes a school for children with multiple special needs, a publishing company, and training center for professionals working with children and adolescent who engage in problematic sexual behavior.

Jaret Johnson

Jaret Johnson is the Clinical Director at Stevens Treatment Programs in Swansea, MA. Stevens is a residential treatment program for adolescent boys who present with a variety of emotional and behavioral challenges including problem sexual behaviors. Jaret has over 28 years of experience working with this population. Jaret has a master's degree in social work from Boston College and is a licensed independent clinical social worker.

Phil Rich

Phil Rich presents, trains, and consults nationally and internationally, specializing in work with sexually abusive youth. Phil holds a doctorate in applied behavioral and organizational studies and a master’s degree in social work, and has been a licensed independent clinical social worker for over 36 years. He was the Clinical Director of the Stetson School for 13 years, a large residential treatment program in Massachusetts for children, adolescents, and young adults who have engaged in sexually abusive or sexually troubled behavior, and has been the program or Clinical Director of six residential or day treatment programs. Phil is the author of four books that address work with sexually abusive youth, as well as multiple contributed chapters and articles, and a series of inter-related workbooks for youth in treatment for sexually problematic behavior. He is a fellow of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, the juvenile practice representative on the ATSA Executive Board, and the chair of ATSA’s juvenile practice committee, as well as being a member of several other Boards that serve the needs of sexually abusive youth and public safety.