Forum on Pennsylvania's Children

Robert Cooper Jr. is a Certified Family Engagement Specialist
and Millennial Trauma Expert with over a decade of
experience in supporting young men and families through their
healing journeys. As the founder of Young Men Becoming
Men, Inc., Robert has dedicated his career to empowering
young men to overcome trauma and build resilient futures.
Robert's personal journey through unforgiveness to healing
has deeply informed his professional approach. He
emphasizes that forgiveness is not merely about words but
involves consistent, daily efforts to heal and grow. His
commitment to this philosophy has helped countless
individuals and families transform their lives.
In addition to his hands-on work, Robert is an accomplished
author, sharing his insights and strategies for trauma recovery
and family engagement. His expertise and passion make him a
sought-after speaker and facilitator, known for his empathetic,
practical, and transformative guidance.

Colleen Cox, M.S.W., L.S.W., T.P.C., is a Practice Improvement Specialist in the Southeast region at the University of Pittsburgh’s PA Child Welfare Resource Center. With three decades of experience in child welfare, Colleen hails from the southeast region. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work from Cedar Crest College, a master's degree in social work from Rutgers University, is a Licensed Social Worker in Pennsylvania, and a Trained Professional Coach (TPC) through the Academy of Professional Coaching, University of Denver.

Before joining the staff, Colleen was an instructor at CWRC, focusing on coaching for the supervisor certification series. She spent 17 years in Delaware County working with various child welfare programs as a supervisor and family engagement specialist. Colleen has extensive experience and training in domestic violence, child welfare, continuous quality improvement, family engagement, and trauma-informed practice. She is happily married and lives with her husband and their cat, George Henry, in the southeast.

Alexandra Dolan, MSS, LSW, is the Center for Excellence in Advocacy Training Coordinator at the Support Center for Child Advocates in Philadelphia. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Social Service degree from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Ms. Dolan has prior experience as a Child Advocate Social Worker and as a foster care social worker. Ms. Dolan has extensive project management experience coordinating large-scale training initiatives and trains frequently within the Philadelphia region and at national and state-wide conferences on the topics of behavioral health advocacy, the impact of trauma on children, secondary trauma and compassion fatigue, and professional resilience strategies.

Dr. Kristen Hennessy received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Duquesne University.  For the past fifteen years, Dr. Hennessy has focused her clinical practice on treating children with histories of complex trauma in Central Pa, most of whom are or were involved with the foster care system.  Dr. Hennessy presents and publishes on topics pertaining to the care of children with histories of complex trauma and greatly values a collaborative approach to the treatment of complex trauma, coming from the belief that children can and do heal within trauma-informed communities.

Gordon R. Hodas MD is a Board-Certified Adult and Child Psychiatrist, who has been a policy consultant for the PA Children’s Bureau and the PA Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) since 1992.  He received his medical degree from the Pearlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  His residency in Adult and Child Psychiatry was at Boston University Medical Center, and his Child and Adolescent Fellowship at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic.  Dr. Hodas is a Distinguished Life Fellow of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

In his role with the Children’s Bureau, Dr. Hodas has advocated for trauma-informed care since approximately 1999.  In 2006, Dr. Hodas’ paper, “Responding to Childhood Trauma: The Promise and Practice of Trauma Informed Care,” was published by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).  Currently, Dr. Hodas is helping OMHSAS and the Department of Human Services in its efforts to implement trauma-informed care and related trauma-informed practices. 

Dr. Dana Milakovic serves as the Mental Wellness & Trauma Specialist with the Office for Safe Schools for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). As a passionate mental health and trauma specialist with over 20 years of experience in school mental health, community mental health, pediatric neuropsychology, school administration, and school psychology, she supports schools as the trauma lead for PDE. Dr. Milakovic also supports PA in moving forward as a trauma-informed state by participating on the leadership team for HEAL PA, as well as serving as the co-chair of the educational committee and participating on Criminal Justice Reform and Child Abuse Prevention committees. Dr. Milakovic also provides consultation around threat assessments and serves as a statewide trainer for safety as a PREPaRE crisis prevention and response trainer. Her current focus is on strengthening schools through the development of equitable, trauma-informed learning environments that support the academic, physical, and psychological safety and well-being of students and staff. 

Teri Pentz has over 25 years of experience working with children and their families, both in Early Intervention and in Infant and Early Childhood mental health.  She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology, is a board certified Licensed Professional counselor, and has earned Infant Mental Health endorsement (IMH-E®) at the Clinical Mentor level through Pennsylvania Association for Infant Mental Health. She has been a direct service provider, Service Coordinator, and supervisor for Early Intervention and Behavioral Health services within several agencies and counties and has participated in intervention services for children of all ages across her various positions. Currently, Teri works at the Theiss Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma as a supervisor, therapist, and trainer, specializing in Child-Parent Psychotherapy and working with young children who have experienced trauma including issues with attachment, as well as children of adoption. 

Beth Perez, LSW, ESQUIRE, is the Director of Intake and Pro Bono Services at the Support Center for Child Advocates. Ms. Perez is responsible for recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers, and for supervising intake and paralegal staff. Ms. Perez serves as the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Young Lawyer’s Division Liaison to the Women in the Profession Committee, the Quality of Life/Balance Committee, and the Lawyer Assistance Committee. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Bar Leadership class of 2022-2023 and serves as the Co-Chair of the Delivery of Legal Services Committee Pro Bono Subcommittee of the Philadelphia Bar Association and a Liaison to the Young Lawyer’s Division of the Philadelphia Bar Association. 

Caren L. Rosser-Morris, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and consultant for the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) since 2016.  She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University under the mentorship of Dr. Hans Strupp in 1993, and she has since become a subject matter expert on trauma-informed care with over 30 years of experience providing psychological services to adults, children, youth and families struggling with the impact of trauma on mental health and behavior in a wide variety of outpatient, inpatient, and residential settings. Her work with OMHSAS has included the development of technical assistance tools and program evaluation strategies for the implementation of trauma-informed care in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities. Her current interests include promoting the benefits of a trauma-informed culture and highlighting the enduring impact of relationships on resiliency.  

Kelly Sagastume, MSW, (she/her/ella) Regional Supervisor at Nationalities Service Center, is responsible for supervising and leading a team of direct service workers providing home study and post release services to unaccompanied immigrant children. Ms. Sagastume provides regular training and guidance to staff, identifies partnership opportunities, and conducts strategic outreach to local service providers to ensure clients and families receive quality care and treatment. Prior to her work at NSC, Ms. Sagastume worked as the Program Manager of Project PROTECT at Support Center for Child Advocates where she carried a caseload of clients who are child victims of human trafficking (CVHT) with open cases in family and/or criminal court. Ms. Sagastume also dedicated her time to local resource development and macro-level policy advocacy for CVHT, specifically through her founding and convening of the Philadelphia Youth Anti-Trafficking Coalition and Youth Survivor Advisory Board. Ms. Sagastume worked as a Victim Advocate with the Salvation Army's New Day to Stop Trafficking Program, where she conducted initial screenings and intakes of newly identified victims at the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit. Ms. Sagastume is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice where she received her Masters' of Social Work with a specialization in Child Welfare and Child Well-Being. Ms. Sagastume received her Bachelor’s in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s University with minors in Gender Studies and Criminal Justice.

Ms. Spata is a Legal Training Specialist for the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network (SWAN), where she designs and delivers trainings to a full spectrum of professionals working with families. Prior to her current role, Ms. Spata was in private practice representing families impacted by the child welfare system, those building their families through adoption, and other family law matters. She was selected to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star List from 2021 to 2023, and the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys Top 10 under 40 list in 2022. She was appointed as a guardian ad litem for youth placed in the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Unaccompanied Refugee Minor program and previously served in the roles of guardian ad litem and legal counsel for families in Philadelphia. Ms. Spata is admitted to the bar of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. She is a member of the American, Pennsylvania and Monroe County Bar Associations. She chairs the adoption committee for the Family Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) and is a member of the PBA's Children's Rights Committee. Ms. Spata is a graduate of Widener University Delaware Law School and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Monmouth University.

Chief Charles Streightiff attended Penn State University and trained at the University of Maryland - Maryland Police Corps. He has been in law enforcement for 23 years, serving the Hagerstown City Police Department from 2001 - 2007 before returning to his home community of Huntingdon, PA.  Chief Streightiff served various roles in the Huntingdon Borough Police Department before being named the Chief of Police in 2021. Chief Streigthiff's remarkable commitment to the children in his community has been widely recognized.  He is a 2023 Blue Ribbon Champion for Safe Kids award winner and a 2024 John A. Zottola Mental Health in Justice Award winner.