We believe healthy families make healthy children
CAA believes that by providing the right services at the right time, vulnerable families can be supported, child abuse and neglect can be prevented, and the effects of trauma and harm can be reduced.
CAA advocates for a paradigm shift in public perception: from “save the child” to “save the family.” This approach emphasizes the critical need to provide help and services at the beginning of the cycle through preventive steps and measures, rather than at the end of the cycle, most often associated with children entering the foster care system.
Our work drives community, data,
education, and advocacy
Concentric Convener
CAA will engage organizations, agencies, families, and stakeholders to address issues, barriers, challenges, and opportunities regarding support for children's well-being.
Education & Outreach
CAA will lead public education and outreach campaigns on behalf of service providers advancing families' and children's wellbeing.
Data Driver
CAA will be a data-driven policy advocacy group that will highlight issues and advance evidence based policies and practices in Nevada.
Policy Advocate
CAA will serve as an independent voice to advocate on behalf of Nevada’s children and families, as well as those providing services on their behalf, regarding policy changes, resources, and crucial community support necessary to ensure safe, stable, and healthy families.
Meet the Team
Denise has been working in the field of child advocacy in Nevada since 1998. She has extensive experience conducting applied research and policy analysis on children’s issues, with an emphasis on translating research and data to improve policy and practice. In addition to numerous academic papers, reports and publications in the fields of child welfare, early childhood education and children’s health, Denise has also presented on legislative advocacy focused on empowering individuals toward collective action. She previously served as a Senior Scholar at the Lincy Institute at UNLV and also served as the Executive Director of the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP) in the School of Community Health Sciences at UNLV.
Denise received her Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies from UNLV, with a minor in Sociology and received her Juris Doctorate from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. She serves on numerous boards and coalitions aimed at improving the lives of children and families in Nevada and is the recipient of the US Congressional Flag by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for her commitment to the children of Nevada as an academic, advocate and volunteer.
Jared is passionate about combating systemic poverty throughout Nevada. Before working at the Children's Advocacy Alliance, he served as an AmeriCorps VISTA where he developed his passion for combating poverty. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is currently working to complete his Master's in Urban Leadership at the same institution. Jared has served as the Treasurer of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Southern Nevada and as a Board Director for the Nevada Council on Economic Education. In his free time, Jared enjoys hiking and camping with his dog.
Shelby’s passion for child advocacy was ignited by her work as a 2012 Teach for America Corps member in the Las Vegas Valley. During her two year commitment, Shelby was a lead pre-school teacher at Acelero Head Start Stewart Center. While working at Acelero, Shelby witnessed the value of high quality early childhood education and realized the lack of access to high quality programs in Nevada. In addition to her teaching experience, Shelby has expertise with family and community outreach. She was most recently an Urban Leader Fellow who worked with the Colorado legislature developing Pay for Success legislation and worked with the Colorado Department of Education researching Kindergarten Entry Assessments.
Shelby received her Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and History from the University of North Texas and received her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
As a sixth generation Nevadan and mother to a toddler, Emma is committed to creating a better future for her son and all of Nevada’s children. Emma joined CAA after working for nearly a decade in the United States Senate in Washington, DC, where she helped advance the Affordable Care Act and most recently worked to halt the ACA repeal and replace efforts. Emma’s primary goal is to ensure that all of Nevada’s children have access to quality health care. Emma received her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish from Whitman College, with a minor in Politics and received her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
As a foster care alumnus, DaShun has a true passion for changing the foster care system. DaShun started a club called Kids In Need, which focused on giving back to local community shelters and empowering youth who faced challenges and has also worked with FAAYT (Foster And Adopted Youth Together) and Nevada Life’s Youth Advisory Council where he served in many capacities all focused on changing the foster care system and empowering and encouraging youth and young adults to stand up and use their voice. He, alongside two other foster care alumni, helped develop and create Nevada’s Foster Care Bill of Rights which passed in 2011. DaShun has participated in internships at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), where he worked in Washington, D.C and was able to develop policy recommendations and work in former Senator Harry Reid’s Senate Diversity Initiative Office. DaShun also interned in Seaside O.R. with FosterClub Inc. where DaShun was able to travel and work with policy and community leaders and young people in the foster care system. He has sat on and, currently sits on, several boards locally and nationally. DaShun is currently finishing up his degree at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Aaliyah is passionate about decreasing and working to eliminate disparities among youth and low-income populations. Her passion generated from growing up in underprivileged communities and developed during her time researching as an undergraduate student. She has done research in the area of children’s and women’s health, policy, and is currently researching disparities in administrative pediatric asthma prevalence in Clark County School District. Aaliyah graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from San Diego State University and is currently earning her MPH with concentration in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
After many years in the accounting profession, Berdie has stepped away from preparing financial statements, budgets and taxes, and has taken the position of Administrative Assistant with CAA. Prior to joining the CAA team, Berdie had the opportunity to work as a Legislative Assistant (2013 Legislative Session) and a Proofreader for the Senate Committee on Finance (2017 Legislative Session). She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Medical Technology and ten years later earned a second degree in Accounting from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.
In 2002, Lela began working with young children in a preschool setting. She sought other employment options after getting married yet returned to her true passion in 2009 when she accepted a teaching position in a 3-year-old classroom at His Kids Preschool. Encouraged to pursue a college degree, she started her educational journey in fall of 2011. In March of 2012 she became the Director of His Kids Preschool, serving children 6 weeks to sixth grade. She graduated from Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) in 2016 with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and transferred the following semester to University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). In conjunction with her studies at TMCC and UNR, she has worked to implement current research-based approaches to learning in her preschool classrooms, partnering with TACSEI and QRIS. In addition to her early education experience, she has been a member of the NevAEYC-Reno Chapter Board as the Educational Chair and the Early Childhood Advisor on the Washoe County Council on Family Engagement Board. She is completing an internship with the Northern Nevada office of Children’s Advocacy Alliance and will graduate this upcoming Summer with a Bachelor Degree in Human Development and Family Studies.
David’s first career was as a United States Marine. After retirement, he enrolled at the University of Reno Nevada to obtain his degree in social work and has established himself as an active member of the Reno community by participating in different social advocacy projects. As a student, he is part of the Nevada Policy Practice Academy pursuing his future in social work through policy, legislation, and advocacy. David plans to continue his education at the university while pursuing his master’s degree in social work. Upon graduation, he plans on continuing to work to fulfill his lifelong passion of helping others who need a hand up, and those who have found themselves without a voice by advocating for his community, and the issues that impact them most. David’s main passions for advocacy are children, education, healthcare, disability, mental health, veterans’ health care, homelessness, and addiction to name a few. For leisure, David enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking,
skiing, swimming, camping, community building activities, and raising his son, Anthony and daughter, Gianna. - “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
The Board of Directors
The CAA is overseen by a diverse Board of Directors representing multiple
facets of the community who are dedicated to improving the lives of
children and families in Nevada.
Amanda N. Connor is a founding partner of Connor & Connor PLLC – a boutique law firm that practices in the areas of business law and personal injury. Amanda has always had a passion for education, learning and children as evidenced by her four degrees and career in education. After graduating valedictorian from high school, Amanda attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelor’s of Liberal Arts. Amanda then received a Masters in Education from the University of California San Diego, also graduating Magna Cum Laude. While working as a dual language kindergarten teacher in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Amanda received her Masters of Administration from New Mexico State University graduating with Honors. Amanda then attended the University of New Mexico School of Law where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. As Connor & Connor PLLC has grown and become successful, Amanda Connor is working to give back to the community she calls home. Specifically she is looking to help the children and educational systems of Clark County. Amanda Connor serves as a pro bono attorney for the Children’s Attorney Project, part of the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and works with other charitable organizations that focus on children. 
Dawn Gibbons is the former First Lady of Nevada and the only one to have been a state legislator. Dawn has advocated for many important causes such as autism, children’s issues, domestic violence, human trafficking, drug addiction, health concerns, and our military. She helped propel the well-known Crystal Darkness campaign statewide, nationwide and worldwide. She co-chairs the Organ Donor and Tissue Task Force at the University of Nevada Medical School, a program she initiated as an Assemblywoman. Recognized for her many legislative efforts, Dawn was recognized as Assemblywoman of the Year by the Nevada Police Protective Association. Ms. Gibbons changed the Nevada Constitution twice through an initiative petition with overwhelming voter approval — Gibbons Tax Restraint Initiative and the Education First Initiative.
Dawn is a graduate of the University of Nevada. She was a successful entrepreneur owning five businesses. She has received many accolades including Business and Professional Women Woman of the Year, Who’s Who in Business, Who’s Who in Politics, Who’s Who of Women, Attorney General’s Role Model of the Year, and Las Vegas Women to Watch. Dawn has served on many prominent boards such as Desert Research Institute, Reno Tahoe Airport Authority, Washoe County Visitor’s and Convention Authority, Sierra Bank of Nevada, American Red Cross, Children’s Cabinet, Westcare, National Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, Positively Kids, American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women 2011/2012 Chairwoman and Children’s Advocacy Alliance.
Most recently, Dawn had a radio talk show with Fox News 1270 and a news show segment at KSNV NEWS 3 with Jim Rogers called Dawn & Jim and a political commentary with Rory Reid called Dawn & Rory. Of all of her accomplishments, Dawn is most proud of her son, Jimmy Gibbons, a Navy aviator and instructor pilot. 
Gard received his undergraduate degree at Stanford University, his MBA from the University of San Francicso, his PhD from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He spent 25 years as a CPA, working for Deloitte & Touche, Laventhol & Horwath and, most recently, as a partner of Piercy, Bowler, Taylor & Kern, as their director of Financial Planning. He is the author of two volumes, Phaethon, Our Mythic Moment, and Monkey, Our Mythic Moment. He teaches Chinese and Indian Philosophy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is a Founding Board Member and Trustee Emeritus of the Nevada Community Foundation, a Founding Board Member and past Chair of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, Treasurer of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada, Chair of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada, Board Member of the Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development and The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Life. He is married to Dr. Florence Jameson and has two children, Michael and Julia. 
A quick drive down the famed Las Vegas Strip is enough to acquaint you with the work of Lynn Purdue. As a public relations force in Las Vegas for more than 20 years, she is expert in the region’s players and politics, helping to acquaint the world with many of the city’s modern landmarks and experiences.
After a successful public relations career that included work for notable clients such as the Monte Carlo Hotel, the Rio and Megabucks, Lynn partnered with Bill Marion to found Purdue Marion & Associates. The goal was to create a firm that integrated itself seamlessly into the actual business plan of its client companies, thus operating in a true partnership. This objective has been met – and exceeded – every day since the firm opened its doors.
Over her extensive career – and more than 30 years as a Nevada resident – Lynn has developed deep relationships with all types of local, national and regional media working with clients in a vast array of industries. This provides her with an unrivaled insight into the political and communications landscapes of the region. She’s not only adept at responding to trends and changing tides, she also helps motivate them.
A journalist by formal training with a degree from UNR, Lynn is an award-winning member (and past president) of the Public Relations Society of America, who recognized her as Agency Principal of the Year in 2006. She has donated time, talent and resources to countless good causes, and sits on the board of the Rotary Club of Las Vegas West and the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, is past chair of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and sits on the Dean’s Council for the Reynold’s School of Journalism.
Aside from helping to shape innovative initiatives for a full roster of clients, Lynn also manages to find time to shape the hearts and minds of her three beautiful daughters. 
Senior Justice Miriam Shearing has served in the Nevada judiciary for over thirty-five years. She retired from the Nevada Supreme Court as Chief Justice in 2005 after serving twelve years. She had previously served as Juvenile Court Master, Justice of the Peace of the Las Vegas Township and Eighth Judicial District Court Judge, including a term as Clark County Juvenile Court Judge. She now serves as a substitute Judge throughout the State, as needed.
In addition to serving on the Board of the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, Justice Shearing now serves as President of the Southern Nevada Senior Law Project and as Chair of the American Bar Foundation Research Advisory Committee. She has previously served as Chair of the American Judicature Society and on the boards of the Northern Nevada International Center and the Nevada International Women’s Forum. In 2012 the Nevada Supreme Court awarded her the Legacy of Justice Award. She received her Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Cornell University and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Boston College Law School. 
Ms. Valentine’s first experience with child welfare came when she adopted her daughter in 2000. She continued working with child and family issues after being appointed as an assistant county manager by Clark County overseeing several departments including Family Services, Social Services and University Medical Center. She was very involved in completing the integration of state and county child welfare started under her predecessor, Thom Reilly. She worked extensively with the Youth Law Center, the state and the department to improve services and improve the outcomes for children in the system.
In 2006, she became the Clark County Manager responsible for the executive oversight of the country’s 15th largest county providing both regional and municipal-type services to more than 2 million residents. In that position she was responsible for oversight of the county’s $5.9 billion budget and administrative oversight for the county’s 38 diverse departments and the more than 10,000 employees.
Previously, Ms. Valentine served as the city manager for the City of Las Vegas, Nevada and for consulting engineering firms and is a registered professional engineer in Nevada. She was the first chief engineer and general manager of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District.
Ms. Valentine has a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Idaho. She also serves on the board for the Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation.
Ms. Valentine is currently the president of the Nevada Resort Association (NRA). The NRA represents Nevada’s resort/casino industry on state and local issues that affect the gaming industry. 
André C. Wade, a native Las Vegan, has worked in human services for more than 15 years in a variety of public and non-profit contexts. Additionally, he spent several years working in D.C. as a policy analyst for a national think-tank, The National Alliance to End Homelessness. His policy portfolio included runaway and homeless youth, youth aging out of foster care, LGBTQ youth and young survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. He has traveled the nation presenting at conferences to promote policy and practice related to youth homelessness. André spent several years in Child Welfare, in Las Vegas, working for the Department of Family Services developing the child-specific adoptions program and recruiting foster and adoptive parents, which included within the LGBTQ community; and developing the Department’s community engagement efforts. Currently, André is the Director of Operations for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada where he oversees all programming, day to day operations, data and grant writing. André earned a master’s in Public Administration from UNLV and volunteers his time serving on the Board for the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration and NevadaGIves, as well as on several national advisory boards and councils including The Human Rights Campaign’s All Children All Families and Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund. André enjoys spending his time traveling and practicing yoga. 
Elaine moved to Las Vegas 34 years ago after marrying her husband Dale. Prior to moving to Las Vegas Elaine was on staff at UCLA Medical Center as a Registered Nurse. She worked in adult ICU and patient teaching in the Enterostomal Department. Upon moving to Las Vegas, she worked at Valley Hospital in ICU and founded and directed the Nevada Diabetes Center. After the birth of their first child Elaine retired from nursing to raise their son and daughter. Over the past 25 years Elaine has been involved in several charitable organizations. She served as a Director and a Chairperson of the Nevada Community Foundation and remains an Emeritus Director. She also served on the board of Communities in Schools.
Currently, she serves on the board of Children’s Advocacy Alliance and Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation. She is a member of Nevada Women’s Philanthropy. In addition to her charitable work Elaine is the President of the Queensridge Owner’s Association. Her educational background includes a Diploma in Nursing from Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing, BA’s in Philosophy and Political Science and a MPA from Loyola Marymount University. Elaine‘s philanthropic work is grounded in her believe that every person has the ability to create a better community one step at a time, one day at a time. Any donation of time, goods, services and or money all help effect change and build a better community. The main focus of the Roesener Family Fund is children’s issues. 
More than 20 years ago, Hilary Westrom, came to Las Vegas as a District Manager for the retail chain the Limited. In 2000, Ms. Westrom completed a master’s degree from UNLV to pursue a career in counseling. Together with her significant other, John Ritter, their goal has become investing in the community that they call home.
As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in a private practice, Hilary provides treatment for children, adolescents, adults and families for various issues including sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Hilary and John hold the belief that it is the responsibility of those who have experienced success in their community to reach out and help those that are less fortunate. This has led them to the establishment of the Ritter Charitable Trust which is a supporting organization to the Nevada Community Foundation.
The Ritter Charitable Trust supports children and families in need in southern Nevada. In addition to serving their own organization, Hilary also makes it a priority to give her time, talent and resources to many other community organizations. Currently, she serves on the board for Boys Town Nevada, the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, the Clark County Mental Health Consortium, and Three Square. Hilary is the founder of the Southern Nevada Child Welfare Network. Our Partners
Our Financials
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we publicly provide our financial reports as a way to hold ourselves to the highest professional standards and to ensure that every dollar you donate is put to good use.
Contact us
5258 S. Eastern Ave #151
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702.228.1869
3500 Lakeside Ct. #209
Reno, NV 89509
775.440.1767