In Movement: 7 Questions with Robin Carr | Children’s Advocacy Center of East Central Illinois | Charleston, IL
July 6, 2026
Welcome to In Movement! In this segment of our blog, we interview thought leaders from within our own organizations –
from CACs and MDTs and partner agencies – to gain insight into how they have furthered the movement, and how the movement has changed them. We look forward to benefiting from the lessons they’ve learned, the challenges they’ve faced, and the future they envision for themselves, our centers and teams, and the children and families we serve.
Sometimes a career begins with a carefully planned path. Other times, it starts with a single visit that leaves a lasting impression.
For Robyn Carr, that moment came years ago while volunteering with a local club. During a visit to the Children’s Advocacy Center of East Central Illinois (CACECI) in Charleston, Illinois, she was introduced to the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers and immediately felt drawn to the mission. She remembers returning to work and telling a coworker that she wished she could simply call the CAC’s director and ask her to create a position. Years later, when an opening became available, Robyn applied, and, as she puts it, “the rest is history.”
Today, as Executive Director of CACECI, Robyn is focused on strengthening the organization as it celebrates its 25th anniversary and prepares for the future. We asked Robyn to participate in our Member Spotlight Interview Series. Read on to learn more about her journey, perspective, and hopes for children and families.
Why did you choose this as a career?
I learned about the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers through volunteer work with a club years ago. We ended up visiting the Children’s Advocacy Center of East Central Illinois, and I remember coming back to work and telling a co-worker that I wished I could just call the director and ask her to create a job for me. I was drawn to the work as soon as I learned it existed. Years later, I learned about an opening from a friend in law enforcement and applied. Ultimately, I was hired and the rest is history!
What’s something interesting you’ve learned recently?
Learning is continuous for me. I spend a lot of time traveling, and so I am always listening to a book. I am not sure how interesting this is, but it is so handy at work: this year, I learned how to combine multiple PDF documents into one new one. Not hard, but SO useful!
What’s a challenge you and your colleagues feel proud of solving?
Problem solving is something we are doing on a daily basis, but I think in our work, it is rare that we feel that we find true “solves” for challenges. A recent win for supporting clients who are attending court is “go bags” that our advocates can take along that include games and activities to help keep kids and others occupied while waiting at the courthouse. In our rural service areas, there often aren’t great locations for any witness, let alone younger children, to wait comfortably and this has been a nice addition to the support our team can offer.
What about your work inspires you and keeps you going?
I care deeply about the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers and improving access to these vital services to children in our region. What inspires me and keeps me going is knowing that we can do more that we are doing. I want to build upon what we are doing well and create a strong organization that will be ready to be led by someone else when I leave.
What’s the biggest need for kids you think we can meet in the next five years?
Kids need adults who care about them. Those adults need to be educated about how to support kids. Things like navigating technology can completely overwhelm parents and other caring adults to the point that we just want to stick our heads in the sand. Resources for how adults can support kids and help create a safer world for those kids could truly make an impact in five years.
What do you think the ideal future looks like for kids?
An ideal future for kids can look all kinds of ways. The beautiful thing is that we don’t have to all be the same or approach things the same way. I think the ideal future for kids looks like a world where they can learn and grow and make mistakes with caring adults to help them navigate the challenges that all kids inevitably face. My hope is that those challenges can be more about figuring out how they will fit in the world than how to stay safe from abuse and other negative impacts.
What’s next for you?
My current focus is on strengthening the infrastructure of our CAC. Our organization celebrates 25 years this summer and lots of things have changed. I am looking at how our structure might need to change internally to create a program that will be ready for the challenges it will face in the next 25 years.
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