Obama Campaign Announces Child Advocacy Task Force
Educators, policy experts, and lifetime child advocates lead grassroots organizing efforts throughout New Hampshire
**Child Advocacy Task Force members are available to speak to the media. Please contact Reid Cherlin for details at (603) 668-2008.
Obama Child Advocacy Task Force
Jack Lightfoot – Chair, Child Advocacy Task Force; Attorney;
30-year leader on New Hampshire child advocacy issues including child abuse
and neglect, foster care, adoption, child day care, juvenile justice and
divorce
Goffstown, NH
Ellen Shemitz – Attorney; Founder, New Hampshire Child Advocacy
Network; Member, Board of Directors, New Hampshire Healthy Kids; Former
President, New Hampshire Children’s Alliance
Concord, NH
Paula Ferenc – Middle school special education teacher; Program
Director, Circle Program; Co-facilitator, New Hope for Girls
Rumney, NH
Dr. Bruce Mallory – Provost and Executive Vice President, University
of New Hampshire (for identification purposes only); Professor of early
childhood and special education; Board member of the Children’s Alliance
of New Hampshire, Inc. and the Paul J. Aicher Foundation; Former chair
of the UNH Department of Education, public school teacher, and director
of Head Start program
Portsmouth, NH
Ann McLane Kuster, Hopkinton – Member, American Academy of Adoption
Attorneys; Recipient of 2007 Congressional Award “Angels in Adoption”;
Director, Education and Non-Profit Law Practice Group, Rath Young and Pignatelli;
Former Board Member of Child and Family Services of New Hampshire and Chair
of Children’s Lobby Day
Hopkinton, NH
Kay Kenyon, M.Ed., – Special education teacher; Head Start Special
Ed Case Manager; Foster and adoptive parent; 11-year Court Appointed Special
Advocate (CASA) volunteer
Nashua, NH
Sylvia Gale – Lifelong supporter of child advocacy issues; Social
worker; Advocate for access to quality medical care for low-income children
and their families and child safety resources
Nashua, NH
James Miller – Psychology professor emeritus, Plymouth State
University; School counselor, Second Start Alternative High School
Meredith, NH
Angela Delyani-Hart – Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)
volunteer
Hollis, NH
Jeff Ladd – High school teacher; Basketball coach
Wolfeboro, NH
Bernadette Melton Plante – CASA Supervisor; Employee, Youth
Council in Nashua - Court Diversion Program; Child parent mediator, City
of Nashua; Former Vice President of Nashua Girls Soccer Association
Nashua, NH
Chris Mattise, M. Ed. – Creator, internationally renowned program
“Hurt-Free Schools”; Former elementary school guidance counselor
Amherst, NH
Jonathan Baird – Attorney; Member, New Hampshire Child Advocacy
Network Steering Committee
Wilmot, NH
Tracy Hahn-Burkett – Writer; Member, Board of Directors, New
Hampshire Women’s Lobby; Administrator, writer and founder of www.UnchartedParent.com;
Advocate for civil liberties, civil rights and public education
Bow, NH
Gary Wall, M.S. – Social worker; Thirty-five year child advocate;
Former Host Home parent, Child and Family Services
Goffstown, NH
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2007
Contact: Reid Cherlin