About the Council
Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Legal Advocacy Agency for Children
Our Story
Our Board

Our Staff
Our Supporters








Council for Children’s Rights is Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s leading advocate for children, providing both direct assistance to children in need today and working for the well-being of all children in the future. Our mission is to lead the community to stand up for every child’s right to be safe, healthy, and well-educated.
We serve some of the most at-risk children in Mecklenburg County. Our advocacy work intersects with the lives of children in the areas of education, abuse and neglect, mental health, custody, domestic violence, and juvenile defense. We actively work toward system reforms and public policies that address the needs and future of all children — not just the children we serve.
Council for Children’s Rights was formed in 2006 through the merger of the Council for Children (founded in 1979) and the Children’s Law Center (founded in 1987). Both groups worked tirelessly to advocate for children in crisis, and in merging they created the largest child advocacy agency in the state.
Our Practice Areas
PRACTICE
AREA
Family Law
The Council is court-appointed to represent the best interests of children caught in the middle of high conflict custody cases.
PRACTICE
AREA
Juvenile Defense
The Council is the court-appointed public defender to represent all children in juvenile delinquency court who have been accused of a crime.
PRACTICE
AREA
Mental Health
The Council provides legal representation for every child who faces civil commitment to a mental health hospital or residential treatment facility in Mecklenburg County.
PRACTICE
AREA
Education
The Council provides expert legal assistance to students who are in the juvenile defense or child welfare systems facing educational challenges, to parents and guardians of students who have special education, Section 504, or discipline-related issues, and to the community at-large through free training sessions.
PRACTICE
AREA
Research & Policy
The Council conducts important research, analysis, and policy advocacy efforts to reform policies, improve systems, and solve complex problems facing children.
“Our children are my heroes, and I am in awe of their courage and resilience.”
Executive Director Heather Johnson, JD, MSW shares the obstacles and victories of the past year and the vision for a better future for our children in crisis.
2021 Vision Statement
Our Work
We defend and champion the rights of children to be supported and treated with fairness, compassion, and respect, regardless of personal obstacles. We work to achieve our mission by:
…providing legal services and advocacy for individual children,
…encouraging our community to use research that informs policies, improves systems, and solves complex problems facing children,
…educating professionals, parents, and caregivers to become more effective advocates,
…and collaborating with community partners by providing expertise, leadership, and support to create solutions that achieve better outcomes for our children.
CFCR BY THE NUMBERS
FY2022Volunteers
supporters
children served
individual cases
A Letter from Our Board Chair



Greetings All,
Serving as the President of the Board of Directors for the Council for Children’s Rights is a privilege and honor that I hold in the highest regard. As I reflect further, this makes sense because I also hold children—their needs, their causes, and those of their caregivers—in the highest regard. Simply put, meeting the needs of the population that Council for Children’s Rights serves is my mission.
As a long-time social worker and child advocate of over 20 years, I deeply understand Council’s work, and the strengths and opportunities therein. I know all too well the feeling of striving to do all that you can to meet the educational, mental health, and overall well-being needs of children and families and still feeling as though what you’ve done—what the child-serving systems and broader society equip you to do—is not enough. Yet, we persist.
Throughout this year, I invite you to join me in putting Council—and the needs of the agency’s staff and all who they serve—FIRST. I encourage you to put Council FIRST in the allocation of your time, talent, treasure, and testimony—because the children and families of Mecklenburg County need us to do so.
Yours in standing up & speaking out,


Sabrina Clark, LAPSW, CSWM
CFCR Board Chair 2023-2024


OFFICERS
Sabrina Clark, President
Mecklenburg County DSS-YFS
Deb Dilman, President-Elect
Southpark Family Law
Deb Hanna, Past President
Community Leader
Brian Bonaviri, Treasurer Co-Chair
Meru
Emily Costigan, Treasurer Co-Chair
Bank of America
Wendi Fleener, Governance Chair
Duke Energy
Anika Kim, Advancement Chair
Bank of America
Keith Atkinson
Nuveen, LLC (a TIAA company)
Brian Bernhardt
Fox Rothschild LLP
Amanda Christie
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Kim Cochran Novant Health
Shawn Cone
Community Volunteer
Virginia Covill Leading On Opportunity
Landon Eustache PricewaterhouseCoopers
Lara Greenberg
Nixon Peabody LLP
Katherine Hickman Helen Adams Realty
Najla Long
Bradley LLP
Sarah Negus
Moore & Van Allen
Windy Oliver
Wells Fargo
T. Richmond McPherson, III McGuireWoods LLP
Beth Richek
Wells Fargo
Cory Rogers
Ernst & Young
Lindsey Smith
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Jennifer Terry
Atrium Health
ADMINISTRATION
Heather Johnson, MSW, JD
Executive Director
Christopher Brown
Director of Administration
ADVANCEMENT
Amy Vavra, JD
Director of Advancement
Alaina Smith
Associate Director of Institutional Giving
Alexandra Russell
Director Relations Coordinator
RESEARCH AND POLICY
Heather Johnson, MSW, JD
Executive Director
Robert Pinka
Director, Impact and Policy
CHILDREN’S DEFENSE TEAM (CDT)
Michelle Duprey, JD
Director, Children’s Defense Team
Anthony Masters, JD
Staff Attorney
Breanne Mercer, JD
Staff Attorney
Billy Vargas, JD
Staff Attorney
Brian Wick, JD
Staff Attorney
Sarah Shearer
Program Assistant
CUSTODY ADVOCACY PROGRAM (CAP)
Patti Tutone, JD
Director, Custody Advocacy Program
Linda Hurlbert, JD
Staff Attorney
Sheila Passenant, JD
Staff Attorney
Sarah Vimont, JD
Staff Attorney
Heather McDonough
Legal Support and Database Manager
Emma Wilbur
Program Assistant
EDUCATION LAW PROGRAM (ELP)
Caitlin Whalan Jones, JD
Director, Education Law Program
Stephanie Klitsch, JD
Assistant Director, Education Law Program
Daniel Brown, JD
Staff Attorney
Susannah Barr, JD
Staff Attorney
Emily Mikkelsen
Policy Advocate