SPEAKERS
Jennifer Amo
Special Agent
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Buffalo Division
SA Amo began her career with the FBI in January of 1999. Prior to being assigned to the Buffalo Division, SA Amo worked in the Los Angeles Division where she investigated Eurasian Organized Crime from 1999-2005. SA Amo began working Civil Rights and Human Trafficking matters after transferring to the Buffalo Division in 2005. She has conducted several human trafficking investigations to include International, and Domestic trafficking as well as both sex and labor trafficking. SA Amo has been a member of the Western District of New York Human Trafficking Task Force and Alliance since it began in 2006.
Elizabeth Bouchard, Program Manager
Support to End Exploitation Now
Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County Boston, MA
Beth Bouchard is the SEEN (Support to End Exploitation Now) Program Manager at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County in Boston, MA. Her professional background includes advocacy, coordination, and program management. She has worked with adult and child survivors of sexual assault, domestic abuse, and human trafficking, as well as undocumented and refugee populations. As Coordinator and now SEEN Program Manager, Beth has coordinated a collaborative, interagency response for over 700 at-risk and commercially sexually exploited youth. Working daily with the Boston Police Department Human Trafficking Unit, the Office of the Suffolk County District Attorney, the MA Department of Children and Families, juvenile justice providers, and community partners, Beth navigates state and local systems, provides training and outreach, and ensures that each child referred to SEEN receives a comprehensive, coordinated response.
John Fabian, Assistant United States Attorney
United States Department of Justice
Buffalo Field Division
Kevin McNeil, Special Victims Detective, Tucker, GA
Kevin McNeil has an 18-year career as a law enforcement officer and detective. In addition to being a qualified court expert witness, he has been responsible for the investigation of child abuse cases and sex offenses including high profile media cases involving serial rape and child murder cases. He is also responsible for investigating the crimes of elderly abuse, domestic violence, terroristic threats, and missing/endangered persons. His experience as a police officer and detective allow him to consult with local law enforcement agencies as well as Child Advocacy Centers, hospitals, school systems and state family protective service agencies. Being a survivor of childhood sexual assault himself, Mr. McNeil is has published 3 children’s self-help books on abuse; Kevin: The Invisible Little Boy, Kevin the Seeker and Talk about Abuse. He is the author of several professional publications including Investigating Child Abuse workbook and Understanding Child Abuse Investigations for Mommies and Daddies and is the writer and creator of the Gogetunstuck Blog: Helping Abuse Survivors Thrive.
Kevin has a bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies and a Master's of Divinity Degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. His current certifications include: Child Molestation Investigation Certification, Child Abduction Response Team Certification, Strategic Investigations Child Abuse Investigations Certification, Advanced Sexual Assault Investigations Certification.
Ben Murrie, MS
Director of Program Management
Catharsis Productions
Ben Murrie is a leading voice when it comes to educating on sexual violence prevention and gender and masculinity stereotypes. A nationally touring speaker and educator, Ben also demonstrates the logistic skills necessary take broad ideals and ideas and convert them to concrete implementation and results. Currently, he serves Catharsis Productions as their Director of Program Management. In this role, he coordinates, schedules, and maintains the integrity of close to 3,000 annual presentations at colleges, universities, and military installations. He also develops and contributes to new artistic and educational programming, represents the company at various meetings and conferences, and oversees the structure and implementation of all training presenters receive for all programs. He has represented the company on NPR’s “To The Point” and TIME.com.
Ben holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University and a M.S. in Educational Psychology from Oklahoma State University, where his work concentrated on the intersection of moral development and social psychology. He has been a keynote and featured speaker at various National and International US Military conferences, the National Sexual Assault Conference, the National Conference on Sexual Assault in our Schools, the Advocacy in Action Conference, the EVAWI Annual Conference, various state coalition conferences, and for the Cook County States Attorney’s Office.
Doyle K. Pruitt, LCSW-R
Clinical Social Worker, MSW Program Director
Keuka College
Dr. Doyle Pruitt, LCSW-R, is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice and Director of the Master of Social Work program at Keuka College. Dr. Pruitt has over 15 years experience providing psychotherapy with children and families who have experienced trauma due to sexual harm. She is an expert witness and conducts risk assessments on adults and juveniles accused of sexual harm. Her work has culminated in the publication of peer-reviewed journal articles and a book. Her expertise and research in the area of trauma and sexual offending is sought at national and international conferences. She is currently developing a measure to assess grooming behaviors in sex offenders.
Ed Suk, LCSW
Executive Director, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, NY Regional Office
Mr. Suk, a New York State Certified Social Worker, has 30 years of experience in the field of social work, is currently responsible for the overall direction, leadership and administration of the New York Branch of NCMEC with offices in Rochester, Utica, Buffalo, Saratoga Springs, and Metro New York, NY. Trained in clinical social work, Mr. Suk began his career as a child and family therapist specializing in individual, group, and family treatment for childhood victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse. Mr. Suk was trained as a forensic interviewer and specialized in the assessment of child sexual abuse and in forensic interviewing of children. Mr. Suk was coordinator of a major sexual trauma treatment program and director of the Lee Gross Anthone Child Advocacy Center in Buffalo, NY. And is former chairman and board member of the New York State Children’s Alliance (NYSCA); past president of the Board of Directors for the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) based in Washington, D.C.; has served on the NYS Governor’s Advisory Board on Interactive Media and Youth Violence; and is a member of several Human Trafficking Task Forces across NY State.
Jimmy Widdifield, Jr., M.A., LPC
Section of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics Center on Child Abuse and Neglect
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Jimmy Widdifield, Jr., is a Licensed Professional Counselor and, since 2002, has worked for the Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics – Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, OK. Mr. Widdifield is the Training Director for the OU Problematic Sexual Behavior – Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Training and Technical Assistance Program and a lead trainer for the National Center on Sexual Behavior of Youth. He provides local, national, and international training to professionals in child protection services, foster care, juvenile justice, schools, mental health agencies, and to the general community on the research and treatment of children and adolescents with problematic, including illegal, sexual behavior. Mr. Widdifield is a lead clinician in PSB Programs for children ages 3-12 and, also, adolescents with illegal sexual behavior.
