Learning Zone Child Abuse Prevention Training Experts

Mike McCarty

Mike McCarty is Founder & CEO of one of the fastest growing, industry-leading integrated security firms in the U.S.- Safe Hiring Solutions– with thousands of clients representing a diverse sector of society.  Whether it’s huge corporations, public school districts, national non-profit organizations, small business, or churches and other places of worship, Mike’s passion is crime prevention and his vision is to help organizations and their people stay safe so they can focus on their mission and be successful.

With more than 25 years of violence prevention experience that includes being a violent crime detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department, Mike was instrumental in developing and implementing the largest law enforcement-based family violence program in the U.S.  He routinely appears as a violence prevention expert on CNN, HLN, CBN and FOX. Mike has graduated from numerous law enforcement training programs including the Police Executive Leadership Academy (PELA) and developed training curriculum on violence prevention for the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. 

Mike consults with thousands of schools, businesses, non-profits, and faith-based organizations and churches across the U.S. and helps them develop violence prevention programs, focus on connecting red flags and mitigating risk of violence as well as helping them prepare and react to an event. He is the author of “Choking in Fear: a Memoir of the Hollandsburg Murders,” which was the basis for a documentary on the Discovery Channel titled “Very Bad Men.” Mike also leads the podcast, The Safety Zone, where he and other violence prevention experts discuss topics relevant to keeping families, places of worship, communities, states, and the nation safe and secure.

Besides facilitating violence prevention training, Mike also provides consultation nationally and internationally to organizations such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Sheriff's Association, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. 

An active member in his community, Mike serves on numerous boards including Domestic Violence Network of Indianapolis, the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, and with his family, attends Calvary Chapel Crawfordsville.

joelle casteix

Joelle Casteix is one of the leading global advocates and spokespeople for survivors of child sexual assault and cover-up. No one else has her depth of knowledge on the scope and scale of the problem worldwide and the effects of this crime on victims and communities in the areas of health, governance, and trauma.

A founding member of the board of directors of the Zero Abuse Project, she has helped launch ZeroAbuse.ai, an innovative AI tool that evaluates the risk factors that suggest potential predatory individuals within an organization and those associated with cover-up.

Her expertise includes how institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church, public schools, and other organizations cover up and enable child sexual assault; the role parents play in prevention; and how to eradicate and end the cycle through emerging technology and strong victim-friendly legislation.

Joelle is the award-winning author of the bestsellers The Well-Armored Child: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Child Sexual Abuse (RiverGrove Books) and The Power of Responsibility. Joelle is also a former member of the adjunct faculty of the UCI School of Law.

Joelle works with numerous organizations dedicated to stopping child sexual assault, child sex trafficking, and sexual assault within institutions. She speaks across the globe to groups such as schools, universities, governmental organizations, corporations, parents, NGOs, conventions, and civic groups on all aspects of child sexual abuse prevention, healing, and the exposure of the cover-up. Her TEDx talk is being used by therapists in the clinic setting to help survivors of abuse and assault.

Joelle’s other books include: The Compassionate Response: How to help and empower the adult victim of child sexual abuse, and Scram! A Parent’s Quick-Start Guide to Preventing, Identifying, and Ending Bullying.

jen lindwall

Shaunestte terrel

Shaunestte Terrell is an attorney and member of the Sexual Abuse Litigation Team at Cohen & Malad, LLP. Shaunestte brings years of experience prosecuting crimes of rape, child molest, child abuse, human trafficking, and other crimes against protected persons. As the sole Deputy Prosecuting Attorney handling sex trafficking in Indianapolis, Shaunestte frequently participated in undercover investigations and prostitution ring busts, which she then prosecuted in state court or referred to the United States Attorney’s Office where she served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney. Considered the subject matter expert in sexual assault and domestic violence for Indiana’s 91 elected Prosecuting Attorneys, Shaunestte developed state-wide prosecutor-based preventive law programs and developed curriculums for trial advocacy and substantive courses specific to these subject matters. Shaunestte served as Chairperson of the Indiana Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Council where she led the effort to implement a statewide sexual assault kit tracking system, Chairperson of the Governor’s Council on Domestic Violence Prevention & Treatment, on the Indiana Supreme Court’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council, and the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Task Force, amongst others.

Eli molina

Eli Molina was introduced to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County as a community resource intern in 2008. In 2013, he became a bilingual forensic interviewer, completing over 1,500 interviews of children, and frequently testifying as an expert witness in court. In 2019, Eli became the Advocacy Center’s first Forensic Interviewer Supervisor, overseeing the forensic interview team. Eli continues to assist local, state and federal law enforcement by providing specialized interviews in English and in Spanish, for children who have experienced abuse or have witnessed violent crimes. Eli earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and has a minor in Spanish and Counseling from the University of North Texas.

Eric Pendley