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California

Susan Gleason Social Worker V Monterey County Department of Social Services 1000 S. Main Street Salinas, CA 93901

Susan Gleason is a 13-year veteran of the Monterey County Department of Social Services. She served as an emergency response worker for 11 years, ten of them as the primary sexual abuse specialist for Child Protective Services. When the Bates-Eldridge Clinic for sexually abused children began operations, Ms. Gleason pushed to expand services and create an all-inclusive child advocacy center that would serve the entire county. She presented the idea to Social Service and law enforcement, and was instrumental in forming a committee to develop the center. She worked tirelessly with the District Attorney's Office and Natividad Hospital to secure the space, funding, and cooperation among law enforcement for the center.

Ms. Gleason now serves as Coordinator and Chief Forensic Interviewer at the Sally P. Archer Child Advocacy Center/Bates-Eldridge Clinic, where she oversees all child abuse forensic interviews and examinations at the clinic. Her efforts have substantially improved the methods of conducting medical exams and legal interviews for child victims of sexual abuse in Monterey County.

Since the center opened, Ms. Gleason has become a Certified Forensic Interview Trainer. She conducts training seminars for social workers and law enforcement personnel through Northern and Central California. Ms. Gleason is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the California Consortium of Multi-Disciplinary Interview Centers. She has been an active member of the Child Abuse Prevention Council and its Quality Assurance Committee, which monitors the treatment of child abuse victims, and she is an officer in the California Sexual Assault Investigators Association.

Ms. Gleason strives to keep children safe from further trauma by building on the child and family's strengths and has sought to secure the most suitable permanence for the child in a diverse and challenging Monterey County. Through her efforts, Monterey County has become a safer and more caring place for child victims of abuse and neglect. Her dedication, commitment, and creative energy are a source of example and inspiration for many.

Updated on February 24, 2010