Jennifer Mitchell,
Co-President

Jennifer Wooden Mitchell is co-president of Child/Teen Lures Prevention, an organization dedicated to preventing crimes against children & youth. Jennifer began her career as a child advocate at the age of thirteen, when she lobbied Congress door-to-door for passage of the Child Exploitation Act of 1977. Jennifer has continued advocating for sexual abuse awareness and prevention education for over three decades. In 1985, Jennifer helped establish Child Lures Prevention with her father Ken Wooden and sister Rosemary Webb. She co-authored the Think First & Stay Safe™ School Program, a turn-key personal safety program for schools, churches and youth organizations. Over 7,000 schools and school systems nationwide now use Think First & Stay Safe™ School Program, which was the sole prevention program featured at the most recent White House Conference on Missing, Exploited and Runaway Children. The program is updated and revised annually to reflect today's rapidly changing world.

Knowing the power of television and peer teaching, Jennifer recently co-developed the Teen Lures TV Newscast with Rosemary Webb. The Teen Lures TV Newscast gives students the opportunity to serve as News Anchors, broadcasting sexual assault prevention and awareness information to their peers via closed-circuit TV or in-class presentations. For additional teen resources and information, visit www.teenluresprevention.com.

Jennifer also serves as Child/Teen Lures Prevention's Program Coordinator, working collaboratively with communities across the country to bring prevention education to children, their parents and professionals. In 2006, she won an Emmy Award for her work as co-producer on the televised town hall meeting, "Smart Choices, Safe Kids: A Child Lures Prevention Town Hall Meeting," which was broadcast statewide throughout Illinois.

Jennifer helped create national guidelines and criteria for child safety curricula at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Washington, DC. She was one of eight Child Safety Experts who were appointed, and served, on the Education Standards Task Force at NCMEC. The task force, along with NCMEC staff liaisons and supporting agencies, developed the Guidelines for Programs to Reduce Child Victimization: A Resource for Communities When Choosing a Program to Teach Personal Safety to Children.

Jennifer recently testified before the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee concerning Vermont's sexual offender protocol, laws and need for prevention education. She serves on Vermont's Department of Children and Families Community Outreach Working Group to help determine the best way to provide sexual abuse prevention awareness and education to Vermont's children.

Jennifer has appeared on national and local television, including MSNBC Live, Lifetime's "Kids These Days," The Montel Williams Show, NBC & CBS local news, and Geraldo to educate the public on how best to keep their children safe from sexual abuse and abduction.

A life-long child advocate, Jennifer lobbied the US Congress in 1977 to watch a CBS "Sixty Minutes" segment on child pornography. The piece was based on the investigative reporting of her father, International Child Advocate Ken Wooden. Many members of Congress did watch the show, and it led to creation of the Sexual Exploitation of Children Act of 1977. This was the first federal legislative effort to regulate child pornography and provide funding for victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Jennifer is a lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity. She is also a member of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. Over the years, she has volunteered for Chittenden County Court Diversion Program, as well as the Emergency Department of her local hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Care. Jennifer currently volunteers at Allen Brook Elementary School, teaching math enrichment. She has been married for 11 years, and has two sons, aged 6 and 9. Family time includes skiing & snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, baseball, soccer, reading and piano playing.

Jennifer welcomes the opportunity to work in partnership with you to help protect children in your community. Jennifer Mitchell can be reached at:
Jennifer@childluresprevention.com
or 1-800-552-2197.

• E-MAIL THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND •