https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/nca-digital-media-kit/nca-executive-director-teresa-huizar/
Teresa Huizar (pron. WEE-zar) is chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based National Childrenโs Alliance. She has served at every level in the Childrenโs Advocacy Center (CAC) movement, beginning her career in 1993 at a CAC in Colorado developing psychoeducation curricula. She subsequently served in executive roles at the local center, the State Chapter, the Western Regional center, and finally with the national organization, which she has led since 2008. Over the course of her career in the movement, she has successfully advocated for the passage of legislation and policy initiatives that help child victims of abuse at the local, state, and national levels.
Teresa is the host of our One in Ten podcast, engaging in in-depth interviews with some of the brightest minds in science, law, medicine, morality, and messaging working on solving one of the worldโs toughest challengesโchild abuse.
She is available for comment or to provide background on national and local stories about child abuse that relate to its investigation, the consequences of abuse, evidence-based treatments that heal the trauma of abuse, justice for abusers, and the community responses that help restore childhoods and families. Teresa has appeared on national programs and been quoted in dozens of stories, including:
Fortune, February 10, 2022, Hereโs how we can all really save the children from abuse
Houston Chronicle, November 1, 2022, How the abandoned brothers in deadly Houston case โfell through every crackโ caused by COVID
The Hill, September 13, 2020, COVID-19 has kept abused kids from the help they need โ Congress can help
Washington Post, August 19, 2020, The centers helping child abuse victims have seen 40,000 fewer kids amid the pandemic
MarketWatch, May 7, 2020, How the stress and isolation of coronavirus could create โa perfect stormโ for child abuse and neglectโand what you can do to help
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 7, 2020, โNo one is there to point it outโ: Experts say more child abuse is likely happening โ but with kids at home, itโs not being reported
Augusta Free Press, July 4, 2019, Spanberger, Meadows END Network Abuse Act cracks down on child porn
Vice News, May 3, 2019, The Mormon Church has been accused of using a victimsโ hotline to hide claims of sexual abuse,
InvestigativeTV, April 2019 syndicated TV package, โChildren abused, families moveโ
Deseret News, March 28, 2019, โInside the story of how one Utah Orthodox rabbiโs decision to talk about sex abuse is bringing change to the worldโ
Columbus Dispatch, March 9, 2019, โVictims of abusive priests wonโt likely see justice, experts sayโ
Buzzfeed, February 6, 2019, โA Judge Called A 13-Year-Old Victim The โAggressorโ In A Sex Solicitation Case With A 67-Year-Old Manโ
The Baltimore Sun, January 30, 2019, โMaryland man gets 420 years for โhorrificโ child abuseโ
CNN, August 24, 2018, โUnder cover of goodness: How pillars of the community can prey on kidsโ
The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 20, 2018, โWhen Institutions Treat Scandals as PR Risks, Victims Suffer Mostโ
The Washington Post, July 31, 2018, โThe Damage Caused by Protecting Institutions Instead of Individualsโ
The Huffington Post, February 26, 2017, โThe Conversation We Need to Have about Milo, Child Sexual Abuse, and the Myth of Consentโ
Staunton (Va.) News Leader, April 26, 2016, โPreyโ
NPRโs On Point, June 3, 2015: โSecrets And Realities Of US Child Sex Abuseโ
The Huffington Post, August 28, 2015: โWhen Child Sexual Abuse Is in the Public Eye, Donโt Lose Sight of the Childrenโ
NBC News, June 4, 2015: โDid Duggars Do the Right Thing When Son Confessed to Sex Abuse?โ
The Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2012: โDelicate Questions of Abuseโ
USA Today, November 4, 2015: โAdrian Peterson Could Help Other Parents Learnโ
Sports Illustrated, July 2, 2012: โLight from the Darknessโ
Under Teresaโs leadership, National Childrenโs Alliance ensures the highest standards of practice, anchored in evidence, for CACs delivering comprehensive care to child victims of abuse. The national association and accrediting body for more than 900 Childrenโs Advocacy Centers and 50 State Chapters, NCA provides training, technical assistance, financial support, and access to innovative research and education to improve outcomes for children. NCA represents the CAC movement on Capitol Hill and to the federal agencies that support CACs. NCA also leads special projects in mental health treatment and issues such as child sex trafficking and child-on-child abuse.