The mission of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan is to support children through a coordinated response to child abuse and neglect that includes prevention, assessment and intervention.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan is governed by a Board of Directors whose role is to provide policy guidance to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan, ensuring that the organization adheres to its mission.

The Board of Directors is structured based off of the requirements of the National Children’s Alliance accreditation process. Twelve to eighteen members are required and all members are non-compensated. The board includes representatives from every discipline on the Children’s Advocacy Center’s multidisciplinary team including professionals with various backgrounds, professions and experience.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan thanks our board members for their unselfish service and strong guidance in serving victims and families in our community and helping to stop child abuse in Southwestern Michigan.

Board of Directors

Past Chairperson

Jennie Stocks, Consultative Partner – Nursing Administration
Corewell Health South 

Chairperson

Maria Kibler, Owner
Next Chapter Consulting, LLC

Vice Chairperson

Ken Jatczak, Chief Information Officer/VP of IT (Retired)
BBB Industries, LLC

Treasurer

Gabriel Ramirez, Jr, Co-Founder
Buildsworth Design LLC

Secretary

Jillian Rupnow, Corporate Counsel
Borg Warner, Inc.

Directors

Sonya Blanzy, Director of Operations
Jobs for Michigan Graduate Youth Solutions

Ken Perry, Procurement Executive
Whirlpool Corporation

Cortney O’Malley-Septoski, Chief Trial Attorney
Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office

Steve Pierangeli, Prosecuting Attorney
Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office

Kevin Proshwitz, Program Manager
Michigan Department of Health & Human Services

Tyler Tiefenbach, Detective
Benton Township Police Department

Evan Winkler, Principal
Brandywine Middle School/High School