NCA CEO Teresa Huizar
Teresa Huizar, National Expert on Child Abuse Intervention and Trauma Treatment
Teresa Huizar (pron. WEE-zar) is chief executive officer of Washington, D.C.-based National Children’s Alliance (NCA). She is available for comment or to provide background on national and local stories about child abuse that relate to its investigation, the consequences of abuse, evidence-based treatments that heal the trauma of abuse, justice for abusers, and the community responses that help restore childhoods and families.
Teresa is also the host of our One in Ten podcast, engaging in in-depth interviews with some of the brightest minds in science, law, medicine, morality, and messaging working on solving one of the world’s toughest challenges—child abuse.
Recent coverage of Teresa
Teresa has appeared on national programs, been quoted in dozens of stories, and has been published as an opinion writer in top outlets. Here are three recent opinion articles by Teresa in major outlets:
- Fox News, January 3, 2024, Congress must stop a new AI tool used to exploit children
- Newsweek, December 6, 2023, To keep kids safe, the internet needs a bouncer at the door
- Philadelphia Inquirer, July 25, 2023, To improve teens’ mental health, we must address child sexual abuse
Teresa on the air
This recent NPR Morning Edition story interviewed Teresa on why states and municipalities are struggling to keep with with child abuse reports and what can be done to ensure systems have the resources they need to keep kids safe.
Teresa’s background and role leading the CAC movement
Teresa has served at every level in the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) movement, beginning her career in 1993 at a CAC in Colorado developing psychoeducation curricula. She subsequently served in executive roles at the local center, the State Chapter, the Western Regional CAC, and finally with the national organization, which she has led since 2008. Over the course of her career in the movement, she has successfully advocated for the passage of legislation and policy initiatives that help child victims of abuse at the local, state, and national levels.
Under Teresa’s leadership, National Children’s Alliance ensures the highest standards of practice, anchored in evidence, for CACs delivering comprehensive care to child victims of abuse. The national association and accrediting body for 961 Children’s Advocacy Centers and 50 State Chapters, NCA provides training, technical assistance, financial support, and access to innovative research and education to improve outcomes for children. NCA represents the CAC movement on Capitol Hill and to the federal agencies that support CACs. NCA also leads special projects in mental health treatment and issues such as child sex trafficking and child-on-child abuse.