Francesco C. Cesareo Named National Review Board Chair, Lawyers, Psychologists Added To Board Membership

WASHINGTON—Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., president of Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts, has been named the next chair of the National Review Board (NRB) by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He succeeds Al Notzon III, who concludes his term as chair after the June 2013 meeting of the USCCB.

The NRB advises the bishops' Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection and was established by the Charter for Protection of Children and Young People, which the bishops adopted in 2002.

Cardinal Dolan thanked Cesareo, who joined the NRB in 2012, for accepting this leadership position.

"The board and its chair provide valuable feedback to the U.S bishops and we rely on their expertise and recommendations," Cardinal Dolan said. "Mr. Notzon has continued the proud tradition of stellar leadership. I have no doubt that Dr. Cesareo will do the same."

Cesareo holds a doctorate in Late Medieval/Early Modern European History from Fordham University. He also was a Fulbright Scholar and studied at the University of Rome and Gregorian University in Rome.

New NRB members include two psychologists, Michael de Arellano, Ph.D., associate professor and a licensed clinical psychologist at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center (NCVC) of the Department of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina; and Fernando Ortiz, Ph.D., director of the Counseling Center at Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington. Other new members include Laura Rogers, a former prosecutor who served as the Deputy Director of the Criminal Division of the Navy's Judge Advocate General, and earlier as Director of the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) at the U.S. Department of Justice implementing the Adam Walsh Child Protection Safety Act; and Scott Wasserman, a Kansas City, Kansas attorney who focuses on legal issues involving children, especially abused children and children with special needs.

de Arellano's clinical work and research focus on treatment services for child victims of traumatic events from traditionally underserved population groups, including those from rural, economically disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds. He also serves as a trainer and consultant to mental health clinics across the country to assist with the implementation of therapeutic interventions for child sexual abuse and other traumatic events.

Ortiz did postdoctoral study at the Counseling Center of the University of California Santa Barbara, specializing in multicultural issues, especially with ethnic minorities and international students.

Rogers is a board member of the Philadelphia Archdiocese Review Board on Sexual Abuse and Pastoral Conduct.

Wasserman has been board chair of Kansas City's Christian Foundation for Children and Aging since 2000 and is chair of the Independent Review Board for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Details regarding the National Review Board, its functions and other members can be found at. https://www.usccb.org/about/child-and-youth-protection/the-national-review-board.cfm

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Keywords: U.S. Bishops, National Review Board, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Scott Wasserman, Laura Rogers, Michael de Arellano, Fernando Ortiz, sexual abuse

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