Her Story
About Angela
I have worked in the field of victim services my entire career, starting in 1992, which means I've been doing this work for 34 years now. I've done everything from frontline crisis intervention services to leadership and administrative director roles. In my current role, I'm responsible for developing and implementing trainings and providing technical assistance to multidisciplinary teams across the state of Missouri to assist in child abuse cases. This includes forensic interviews of child abuse victims, investigations provided by law enforcement, and prosecution cases that local prosecutors work on. I train trainers to be able to implement those trainings to the different professionals within their teams, and I work on legislation priorities to help prevent child abuse or improve response to child abuse in the state of Missouri. This is an opportunity for me to use the knowledge and experience that I've established over the last three decades and share that with others who are either up and coming in the field or who are experienced in the field, to make sure we're doing the best for our kids and families.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Angela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success the the amazing women who came before me. The women who taught me, mentored me, encouraged me, and have supported me. These women include my incredible mother, amazing teachers, community leaders, and dear friends. I stand on their shoulders and hope to be as inspirational to the next generation as they have been to me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
There are a couple of pieces of advice that I've always lived my life by. One is a quote by Gandhi: 'You must be the change you want to see in the world.' I believe that very, very strongly. The other is that a mentor told me once that you're not going to make everybody happy, but as long as you're doing what you believe in your heart is right, it will never be wrong.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If I were speaking with somebody who was just coming into this work, whether it be nonprofit or anything, it would be that you don't know the magnitude of the impact that you have, and that is so, so true, particularly in nonprofit work. There are times when you will never see the results of your work, but at some point in your career, it's going to come back to you. I'll give you an example: when I was a young advocate around 1995 or 1996, I was a direct service provider and I had a call to meet a battered woman at an emergency room. I spent several months with her. She ended up going back to her abusive partner, and I never knew what happened to her. 25 years later, I was at an event, and a young woman came up to me and said, 'You don't remember me, do you?' She told me that 25 years ago, I saved her life, and she never forgot what I said to her. She wanted me to know where she was today. That really brought to life for me that you don't always know what happens with the people that you serve or the work that you do, but it has an impact even greater than you can ever imagine. It was probably one of the greatest moments in my life.
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