Learning Circles | Los círculos de aprendizaje: Children’s advocacy with the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois

Dig deeper into each partnership featured at 2025 National Prevention Town Hall by engaging with them in learning circles. Feel free to register for as many 1-hour learning circle sessions as you would like. Come with your curiosity and leave with actionable ideas around forging similar partnerships in your community!

Facilitators:

Born and raised in central Illinois, Ariana (she/her/hers) discovered a love for community involvement that led her to one of her first passions: restorative justice. Ariana practiced her passions both as a youth volunteer and later as an employee of a local, youth-centered restorative justice organization and as an employee at her local Sheriff’s Office supervising the expungement process. After obtaining her degree in criminal justice and sociology at Millikin University, Ariana started working for the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) as the Prevention and Outreach Coordinator where she has the honor of championing violence prevention every day by supporting the prevention and outreach work of over fifty domestic violence programs in Illinois. Ariana also loves spending her time with her two sweet pit-mixes: Nova and Apollo!

Chloé McMurray (she/her/hers) is the Chief Technical Assistance and Training Officer at the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In this position, Chloé leads the Technical Assistance and Training team in developing innovative solutions to help over 60 domestic violence agencies in the state reach their yearly goals. She creates and implements best practices like trauma-informed statewide needs assessments, DEI efforts, and other resource development. She previously worked for the University of Illinois’ Child Protection Training Academy as a curriculum designer and facilitator, working closely with a pilot project to provide simulation training for incoming child welfare investigators. Before moving to Illinois, Chloé worked at the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence assisting programs in Tennessee with their advocacy work, prevention initiatives, and cultural responsiveness. Chloé firmly believes that by advocating for the most isolated, voiceless populations, we are advocating for everyone. Her three favorite things in life are her dog Odie, her wife, and JiF peanut butter—in that order.

Carrie Cohan (she/her/hers) currently serves as the Chief Program Officer of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois following 17 years as the Executive Director of the Madison County Child Advocacy Center. Prior to that she served as director of three community-based child abuse prevention programs serving Northeast Florida. Carrie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Truman State University and a master’s degree in social work from Florida State University. Carrie previously served as an appointed member of the Illinois Children’s Justice Task Force and currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Southern Illinois Child Death Investigation Task Force.

Stephanie Jewett (she/her/hers) is the Training Coordinator at the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois (CACI). With over a decade of experience in the child advocacy field, she has served in multiple roles on the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT), bringing a well-rounded perspective to her work. Stephanie is deeply passionate about child advocacy and has successfully created and directed a comprehensive prevention program, demonstrating her commitment to protecting children and strengthening communities through education and collaboration.