Char Rivette, MSW
Chief Executive Officer
Char Rivette has served as CEO of Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center since 2009. In addition to leading the organization’s not-for-profit operations, she oversees the Multidisciplinary Collaboration housed at ChicagoCAC, which includes members of the Chicago Police Department, Department of Children & Family Services, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. During her tenure, the organization has tripled in size and has expanded its physical space by 75 percent. The Center’s growth directly correlates to her unwavering commitment to providing innovative services to victims of trauma and their families. With over 1,000 CAC’s nationwide, ChicagoCAC is well respected for its innovative services, education, prevention, and policy efforts on the city, state, and national levels.
A respected visionary and motivator, Rivette has long aspired to expand services to all survivors of gender-based violence. Her optimism and collaborative nature have moved this critical work forward. Chicago Advocacy Network for Hope (CAN Hope) is officially in its planning phase in partnership with Chicago’s leaders in serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Char is a member of the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Board of Directors and currently serves as the Vice President of the Board. Within the victim’s advocacy movement, she frequently serves as an authority, contributor, and collaborator with other community leaders to increase the positive impact of their work and advance the cause of survivors locally and nationwide.
With more than 30 years of experience in the field of child abuse, mental health, and victim advocacy, Char began her work in direct clinical services to abused and traumatized children and their families. Before joining ChicagoCAC, she served as Chief of Program Operations at Little City Foundation and held clinical and management positions at Our Children’s Homestead and DuPage County Health Department. Char earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Dia A. Pfleger
Chief People & Culture Officer
Dr. Dia Pfleger has been acting as President and CEO of DPA Global Consulting, LLC for the past twelve years. Her firm is a 100 percent woman-owned firm and a certified diversity supplier. She has supported Pennsylvania Voice (nonprofit) as a Senior Advisor of Human Resources, Infrastructure, and Racial Equity Officer. She served at Anixter Center (nonprofit behavioral/mental health agency) as Executive Vice President of Human Resources and EDI Compliance Officer for almost two years. Previously, she has worked for Advocate Health Care and Rush University and Medical Center. Dia oversees human resources, diversity equity and inclusion, operations/finance, and racial equity programming to ensure that the organization’s critical functions instill a conscious culture, contribute to the organization’s overall performance, and advance the purpose of Power Equity and an Inclusive Future for All. She brings multicultural perspective and identifies as an Afro-Latina.
A 28-year seasoned human resource leader, Dia has extensive experience leading organizational transformations, driving large-scale growth, cultivating successful leaders and teams, and constructing an employee-first culture. Before her current role, she served as Chief Diversity Officer, Vice President of Talent and Leadership Development for a non-profit organization, Senior Recruitment Operations Director for a global aerospace technology company, Director of Client and Provider Services for hospital systems, Senior Manager of Recruitment for a manufacturing company and an Executive Leader for a Government Contract Agency.
Dia serves on the Board of Directors Vice President of Black Mental Health Matters, Inc, EEqual, and the Board of Education. She is also co-founder of Above the Curve Foundation and a member of Hispanic Alliance and NAACP.
Passionate about social justice and advocating for mental health, Dia is an activist and advocate for several causes close to her heart, particularly mental health awareness, homeless youth, autism, mothers against gun violence, human trafficking, veterans, and their families, and voting rights advocacy in the BIPOC community. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dia lives with her husband and six children. Dia is an Educational Consultant at Western Governors University. She is currently pursuing her executive juris doctorate in the Fall of 2024. She has traveled to 29 countries and plays the cello, guitar, and piano.

Michelle Y. Swenson, CPA
Chief Financial and Operation Officer
Michelle Swenson supervises the accounting staff and manages cash flow, financial reporting for grants/contracts, and monthly financial reporting. In addition, she oversees the organization’s annual audit and prepares quarterly financial projections for board meetings. She works closely with fund development and programmatic staff to ensure that the organization’s current and future financial needs are met. Before joining ChicagoCAC, Michelle was a senior member of the audit department at Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd., where she provided accounting, auditing, and tax services to individuals, privately-held businesses and non-profits. Michelle holds degrees in accounting and political science from Augustana College and is a licensed certified public accountant and a member of the Illinois CPA Society.

Jan Waters, MS, LCPC
Chief Program Officer, Clinical Services
Jan Waters manages the center’s mental health services and the PATHH collaboration. She has more than 18 years of clinical and managerial experience working with children and adults who have experienced abuse and other types of trauma, with a subspecialty in working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has extensive training and experience providing clinical interventions to children and adults who have experienced child sexual abuse and sexual assault. Prior to working at ChicagoCAC, Jan managed the community mental health programs for the Canadian Mental Health Association Kawartha Lakes Branch and served as the director of clinical services for Little City Foundation. Jan has presented and offered trainings internationally on topics such as developmental psychotherapy, trauma, autism, and mindfulness. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor in Illinois, holds a master’s in counseling psychology from Benedictine University.

Jason Wynkoop, LCSW
Chief Program Officer, Advocacy and Investigative Services
Jason Wynkoop leads Advocacy and Investigative Services at the center and is responsible for supporting the intake, forensic interview, advocacy, and child life teams. He has been a licensed clinical social worker and supervisor for over 15 years. His professional focus has been on children, youth, and families and includes work in community mental health, residential treatment, and policy and funding. For more than ten years, Jason has been a coordinator and director of programs including outreach services and a residential mental health support program for college students. Immediately prior to joining ChicagoCAC, he served as a Strategic Policy Advisor at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. His portfolio at ICJIA included trauma recovery centers and VOCA-funded initiatives like Illinois HEALS, a statewide demonstration project to improve service accessibility and engagement for children and youth impacted by violence. Jason is a graduate of Valparaiso University, earned a master’s in social service administration from the University of Chicago, and is an alumnus of the Allstate Foundation’s Executive Leadership Program