Leadership

Published on: 8/30/2021 4:41 PM

FY 2021 - 2022 Officers

Marlene Sturm, M.D., Chairperson

Email: Marlene.Sturm@hhs.sccgov.org

Marlene A. Sturm, MD has served as the Medical Director at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Santa Clara County since the Center’s opening. Dr. Sturm has been a pediatrician for more than thirty years. She attended Brown University and Stanford Medical School, and completed a residency in Pediatrics at Stanford Hospital. Dr. Sturm has directed the child abuse and protection program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center since 2017. Dr. Sturm has served as a member of the Child Abuse Prevention Council since 2017. The daughter of refugees, Dr Sturm has dedicated her professional life to the care of children and families who have endured and survived great challenges.

Linda Hiol, Vice-Chairperson for Administration

Email: lindamm71245@yahoo.com

Linda Hiol is originally from Cameroon, Africa. She is the mother of three amazing children and is a social worker at heart. She obtained a Master of Social Work Degree from San Jose State University. Currently, she works as a Psychiatric Social Worker at the County jail. Before, she was an Emergency Response Social Worker at the Department of Family and Children's Services. She reports that it was a very rewarding job because it helped to develop a deep appreciation of the many problems the families in Santa Clara County face. She realized that one of the main problems in the child welfare system is the disproportionality of the families caught up in it. At the core of being a social worker to Linda is being able to be an advocate for the vulnerable. From her persepctive, the most vulnerable people in this county are the children, especially children of color. It is this deep love for the children of this County that motivated her to join the Child Abuse Prevention Council.

Rocio Abundis, Vice-Chairperson for Programs

Email: rocio.abundis@ssa.sccgov.org

Rocio Abundis, MPH, is the Prevention Bureau Manager in the Department and Family and Children’s Services (DFCS). She has 30 years of experience leading children and youth services in mostly school settings with services, including, after school, counseling, medical, social services, and other related supports. In her six years at DFCS, she realized the importance of primary prevention efforts to help serve the community in their communities and the importance of cross-agency approaches to achieve this goal, predominantly in the neighborhoods most disproportionately represented in the Child Welfare System. Using her experience and background in public health, her leadership was instrumental in launching the first Primary Prevention Bureau in the state.

Andrew Cain, Treasurer

Email: andrewc@lawfoundation.org

Andrew Cain is Directing Attorney with Legal Advocates for Children and Youth (LACY), a program of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley. Mr. Cain served as Chair of the Child Abuse Council from 2015-2017. Other prior roles with the Council include the Vice-Chair of Programs position and chair of various committees and working groups. He served as Chair of the State Bar of California, Family Law Section Executive Committee in 2013-14. Additional volunteer work includes chairing a Domestic Violence Council sponsored group working toward implementing school-based prevention and intervention services and previously chairing the Northern California chapter of the National Association of Counsel for Children’s legislation and policy work. Mr. Cain was recognized by the American Bar Association with its Child Advocacy Award in 2013.

Past Chairpersons

Steven Dick, Chairperson 2019-2021

Stacy Castle, Chairperson 2017 - 2019

Andrew Cain, Chairperson 2015 - 2017

Greg Zieman, Chairperson 2013 - 2015

Committee Chairs

Allocations Committee Chair - Nina Iyengar

Email: nina.iyengar@gmail.com

Disproportionality Committee Chair - Peggy Cathcart

Email: pegcathcart@aol.com

Executive Committee Chair - Marlene Sturm, M.D.

Email: Marlene.Sturm@hhs.sccgov.org