Partner

California Protective Parents Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to protect children from incest, abuse, and domestic violence through research, education and advocacy since for almost 25 years. For more information, visit: www.caprotectiveparents.org

Moderator

Jayne O'Donnell is founder and CEO of Youthcast Media Group (YMG) and USA TODAY’s former health policy reporter. YMG, launched in 2017, trains diverse high school students from under-resourced communities to do multimedia health and social issue journalism – and gets their work published in media outlets. While at USA TODAY, Jayne auto and product safety, airlines, retail and white-collar crime. She then covered health policy, mental health, childhood trauma and patient safety until March 2021. An author, TV and radio contributor, Jayne has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, CNN, MSNBC, NPR and C-Span and been published in magazines including Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, Parents and Autoweek. She has won several awards for her work, most notably for her 1996 articles in USA TODAY on the dangers airbags posed to children. That reporting prompted many government actions including the “smart" airbags and warning labels in every new vehicle.. A graduate of University of Maryland’s College of Journalism, Jayne did graduate work at George Washington University’s School of Business.

Panelists

Annie Kenny is a Certified High Conflict Divorce Coach and a Certified Victim/Child Safety Advocate.  Her organization, Bloom Consulting, is dedicated to helping protective parents with their own personal family court battles as well as promoting family court legislative reform.  She is a member of her local Family Violence Coordinating Council and has served as a panelist on the "Allen v Farrow" panel series.  Her personal story has been featured by WJLA, and her family court Op Ed was published by the Washington Post.  She has collaborated with Maryland state officials and policymakers regarding legislation reform and has provided written testimony to the United States Senate.  Annie passionately advocates for child safety, collaborating with organizations like The National Safe Parents Coalition, The Center for Judicial Excellence, and Custody Peace.  She is a board member of Family Court Awareness Month, an active lobbyist for bringing Kayden's Law into individual states and was a speaker at the 2022 Battered Women's Custody Conference in Albany, NY.  Her most recent accomplishment is the signing of Maryland Senate Bill SB17 into law recently, that requires any judge presiding over a family court case involving domestic violence and/or child abuse to undergo 20 hours of specific training, covering topics like trauma, child sexual abuse, and coercive control. 

Ana Estevez, prestigiously honored as a 2019 California Woman of the Year, is a United States Army veteran and a Los Angeles County USD educator or as an administrator for 25 years, but most meaningfully, she is known as Piqui’s mom.  Ana is a passionate keynote speaker spreading awareness regarding child safety, filicide, and the need for systemic changes in family court and child protective services.  A system that rejected her many pleas for intervention, including her final one, when she begged the court for supervised visitation just one week before her son’s murder.  Her case received extensive media coverage, including personal appearances on the Dr. Phil show and Good Day LA.  She has been instrumental in major child safety legislative efforts at the state and federal level. Ana loves to travel with her partner Scott, exploring different cities, nestling into the various cultures, and enjoying diverse dining experiences are among her most favorite activities.  Although spending quiet time at the beach taking in the peaceful early morning ocean air, sharing the space with sacred memories of her son’s most treasured place, provides for a replenishment of her spirit while revisiting her most cherished mom memories. Shared moments of singing Piqui’s favorite song, You are my Sunshine will forever remain etched in her heart, and on her wrist, as she continues to pursue critical systemic change to honor his precious life.

Leigh Block was a protective parent and survivor of domestic violence. Tragically, her 5-year-old-daughter Mikayla, was not. Leigh's ex-husband, John Tester, murdered Mikayla then took his own life during an unsupervised visit over Labor Day weekend, 2004. Her ultimate goal is to make the health and safety of children a priority in family court cases, with the help of legislators in MN. She wants to prevent other families from going through what she & her daughter Mikayla endured.

Judge Tracy Van den Bergh was elected by the voters of Washtenaw County in 2020 and took the bench on January 1, 2021. Before practicing law, Judge Van den Bergh first earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in social work from New York University. As a clinical social worker and Mental Health Director, she diagnosed and treated children, adults, and families struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Motivated to address related issues in the legal system, Judge Van den Bergh subsequently earned her Juris Doctor from Michigan State College of Law, graduating in the top 5% of her class.

As an attorney, Judge Van den Bergh handled cases in a broad number of practice areas, while focusing on high-conflict litigation and serving particularly vulnerable individuals and families. Prior to being seated on the circuit court, she served in the office of the Michigan Attorney General, where she managed complex litigation in the Health, Education, and Family Services Division. For eight years, she also provided comprehensive legal services to over 1,000 disadvantaged Washtenaw County residents as a staff, and later a supervising attorney at Legal Services of South Central Michigan. At LSSCM, she simultaneously served as a Field Instructor for Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. 

Community Organizations and Board Participation

Judge Van den Bergh is active in several community organizations. She belongs to the Michigan Association for Justice, Michigan Judges Association, Women Lawyers Association, and NAACP-Willow Run Branch. She also works with several animal rescues rehabilitating and fostering homeless dogs.

Before taking office, Judge Van den Bergh served as Co-Chair of the Washtenaw County Bar Association Public Service Committee. She is also a former member of the Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative Steering Committee, Michigan Justice Caucus, Jim Toy Community Center, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.