Christopher Wright

SVP of Finance & Chief People Officer

What I do: I lead the Finance & People operations of Childhelp. The goal in finance is to provide accurate, timely and relevant financial data for decision-makers. Our objective is to build out the financial data pipeline into an effective, transparent and digital platform that provides real-time data. The goal of people operations is to staff, retain, and develop a highly productive, engaged, and mission focused workforce. Our objective is to streamline the employee experience by advancing 21st century technology to put all personal, career, and benefit services at the fingertips of every employee.

Who I am: My strength is in strategic change. At heart, I am a change agent, a forward thinker, a relationship builder, a deeply spiritual moral compass, and an anxiety filled introvert with an insatiable passion and need for meeting the wants and expectations of everyone I serve and come in contact with. To my own detriment, I only feel a sense of accomplishment when I have met the needs of others. I will sacrifice relentlessly for the moral, spiritual, mental and physical needs of others.

Why I’m here: I am at Childhelp because of a deep commitment to serve the vulnerable, a driving internal force to see justice and righteousness provided to the needy, oppressed, and warn. I am here to give back for a lifetime of blessings from God. I am at Childhelp to sacrifice my time and life for the blessing of others. I am also at Childhelp out of a sense of gratefulness for the opportunity to work with leaders who have a compassionate heart, a genuine love for others, a disposition for kindness, and a deep sense of loyalty.

Daphne Young

Chief Communications Officer

What I do: The Chief Communications Officer has the honor of giving children who have been silenced by abuse and neglect a voice. Through multi-platform media management, donor relations, campaign strategy, PR, community outreach, creative direction, and prevention education initiatives, I seek to tell the stories of the children in our care. In honoring their journey to recovery, my daily charge is to use our research, experience, and resources to get in front of the abuse issue by educating children to speak up, be safe, and find their voices of empowerment.

Who I am: Each career choice in my life has shaped a vision for my current mission with Childhelp. My work as an associate newspaper editor and award-winning investigative journalist helps me understand what media needs to shape a narrative, as a leader of a thriving marketing team I honed brand management and awareness, developing results-driven curricula and leading a team as a Department Head of a K-12 school for at-risk youth taught me how to make an impact at all levels of learning, and instructing at the university level prepared me to shape emerging discussions on the thought-leading side of communications. It is a privilege to combine those skills for the love of a child.

I have a BA in Humanities from the University of Kansas and an MFA from the University of Arizona’s top-ranked writing program. My passion is improving the intervention, promoting the treatment, and expanding the prevention of child abuse.

Why I’m here: Survivors. When the epidemic of abuse seems insurmountable, I think about survivors I’ve connected with through Childhelp, those in my own life, and new friends I have yet to meet. Their stories, pain, trauma, struggle, and eventual healing inspire me every day. There is nothing I can do to give survivors back the childhood they deserved, but I will do everything in my power to work with them to break cycles of abuse and protect the childhoods of a new generation. Our children prove that love and trust can help broken bodies to heal, broken hearts to mend, and broken spirits to soar.

David LaVergne

Chief Financial Officer

What I do: As the Chief Financial Officer, it is my responsibility to manage the financial activities of the company and adhere to the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). I am also responsible for the company adhering to additional Federal, State, and local regulations that include provisions around fraud prevention and the disclosing of financial information.
While ensuring the financial health and success of our organization, and supporting the execution of our mission, it is my job to work alongside and with the Leadership team to guide current and future strategic financial decisions to ensure Childhelp’s financial systems and controls comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and best practices.

Who I am: I am an Executive leader with over 30 years of extensive experience that encompasses all aspects of accounting, financial management, and financial information systems. I have worked in both non-profit and for-profit entities but my heart sits within the non-profit arena in which I have over 13 years of experience. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Western International University, and hold a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.

Why I’m here: My happiest days are spending time with my children and grandchildren. Children are the sweetest, innocent, non-judgmental, and forgiving form of human beings; and those attributes deserve to, and need to be protected. I wholeheartedly believe my “calling” is working with children and doing what I can to ensure the safety and happiness of a child. As a survivor of adolescent bullying and sexual non-family child abuse I am excited to join Childhelp’s fight to prevent children from experiencing the pain, trauma and loss of innocence that all types of abuse can cause.

Denise Biben

Chief Administrative Officer

What I do: I’ve dedicated my life and career to improving the lives of children who need us most. As the Chief Administrative Officer I work with our leadership team to enhance our systems to improve efficiencies and effectiveness that prepare us to continue expanding our ability to impact more children and families.

Who I am: During my almost 30-year career, I have had the opportunity to lead within various non-profit organizations both small and large that focus on serving children and families. This experience has included program operations, program design and start-up, transition management, performance management, training, consulting, board recruitment, engagement and development, fund development, corporate compliance, and strategic planning. Most of my experience has been with large, national organizations replicating evidence-based, trauma-informed models that meet the needs of our community’s most vulnerable children. I hold a Master’s degree in Counseling and am a Licensed Professional Counselor in multiple states.

Why I’m here: Every day I wake up and have the opportunity to make the world a better place, especially for those who don’t always have a voice and I cannot imagine a better way to live your life. As the Chief Administrative Officer for Childhelp, I have the privilege of working with talented and committed colleagues and volunteers as we work to meet the physical, emotional, educational, and spiritual needs of abused, neglected, and at-risk children. Secondly, as a leader, I get to invest in our team and build a culture that attracts the very best for those we serve. Our employees change the lives of our children and they deserve the best from us as leaders.

John Hopkins

Chief Information Officer and HIPAA Privacy and Security Officer

What I do: As the Chief Information Officer and HIPAA Privacy and Security Officer, it is my role to ensure that the information we hold in trust is kept secure, while at the same time, structuring and supporting systems to record and share information to make better decisions for clients and the organization. It’s my job to make sure Childhelp’s information systems further our mission to meet the needs of abused, neglected, and at-risk children, while complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and best practices. This means seeking constant improvement and ongoing accountability in service to our mission.

Who I am: I began my technology journey in college and earned my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Southern California and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. In addition, I am a Certified HIPAA Privacy & Security Expert (CHPSE), Certified HIPAA Professional (CHP), and Certified Document Imaging Architect (CDIA).

With more than 25 years in leadership and management roles in information technology, my most recent role before Childhelp was as President of Interaction Information Technology, where I led software product development projects in private, government and non-profit sectors, as well as corporate development projects focused on integrating, streamlining and securing information systems (databases, electronic health records, learning management systems, customer resource management systems, content & document management systems).

I am excited to bring my technological experience working with businesses, government entities and behavioral & human health service providers to Childhelp.

Why I’m here: I have a deep sense of respect for Childhelp’s work, and I’m honored to lend my talent in service to such a rich legacy. It’s inspiring to be a part of the impact Childhelp has in young lives and in families, and I’m always amazed at how much our programs and services provide for the individuals and communities we serve. In the world of information technology and data systems improvement, it is easy to dwell on processes, procedures, protocols and frameworks, but Childhelp always finds a return to the heart.

Michael Medoro

Chief of Staff

What I do: Before joining Childhelp, I served as the Executive Director for Project C.U.R.E. Arizona, with responsibilities expanding into more than 126 countries worldwide. I was responsible for developing corporate and philanthropic relationships to improve operational efficiency, strengthen financial support through fundraising and corporate partners, assess international opportunities and impact, and drive market awareness and growth with an annual budget of more than $40 million. Prior to that, I spent 9 years as the Chief Operating Officer for Easter Seals Arizona, with responsibilities expanding into Utah and New Mexico, where my focus was on donor cultivation and stewardship, program innovation, improved operational efficiency, and execution that led to significant organizational growth totaling more than $70 million in organizational revenue.

Who I am: I have a dual Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Communications from Seattle Pacific University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.  I am a 40 Under Forty Award recipient through the Phoenix Business Journal, and a graduate of Class 32 of Valley Leadership. Married since 2006, the best part of my every day is the time I get with my wife Jessica, and our three children.

Why I’m here: I am a Father. The greatest treasure in my life is the blessing of my family, and the greatest desire of my life is to keep my children safe, happy, and prepared to face every challenge life has to offer them, and accomplish every desire their hearts and minds can dream to achieve. Childhelp has that same desire for every child, everywhere. The grand vision of Childhelp is to protect and educate children everywhere against the dangers of abuse and neglect, and I’m here to leverage my education, experience and skills to help develop the resources Childhelp needs to fulfill that vision.