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Texas Regional Office

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Overview Find Missing Reduce Exploitation Prevent Victimization Featured Projects Advisory Council Contact

Overview

Since opening in 2008, the Texas Regional Office brings the NCMEC mission of finding missing children, reducing child sexual exploitation, and preventing victimization to the state of Texas. Every day, NCMEC's dedicated and committed staff work with families, children, law enforcement, industry, and other child-serving professionals to prevent, protect, and respond to child safety issues. NCMEC's many programs such as safety education, professional training, survivor resources, technical services, and assistance to law enforcement localize on a community level to impact, benefit, and safeguard the children of Texas. 

Located in Austin and serving the entire state, the Texas Regional Office supports 17 full-time who focus on operational and outreach efforts to protect children in the state of Texas. 

 

"I am deeply committed to giving to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children because, to me, there is no greater cause than one that strives to protect innocent children, supports families who are living their worst nightmare and never stops searching for a child no matter how much time has elapsed."  
-- Amy Diaz Brubaker, NCMEC TX Donor 

Finding Missing Children in Texas

Dedicated case managers and their teams add value to cases of missing children reported to both law enforcement and NCMEC, while serving as an information hub for the law enforcement, families, and others who may become involved in a case of a missing or exploited child. Below are key numbers regarding NCMEC’s missing children efforts in 2022:

Missing children from Texas cases which were resolved: 3,332*

*This includes children reported as missing from any previous year

14 missing children from Texas has age-progressed images created in 2022

Children reported to NCMEC as missing in Texas: 3,317

103,329 missing child posters distributed in Texas through ADAM program

NCMEC provided support for 31 AMBER Alert cases initiated by Texas law enforcement involving 47 children

Reducing Child Exploitation in Texas

Through funding by the Department of Justice, the U.S. has sixty-one (61) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces, which are dedicated law enforcement agencies that serve  as that state's expert and hub on these types of crimes. Due to its size and population, the state of Texas has three ICACs – Texas Attorney General's Office, Dallas Police Department and Houston Police Department – all of which consistently year after year are among the top 10 highest volume ICACs in receiving CyberTipline reports and investigating leads of suspected child sexual exploitation.

In 2022, Texas law enforcement received more than 59,000 actionable CyberTipline reports. Of those, 340 were Priority 1 or 2 reports, indicating immediate or imminent sexual abuse of a child. More than 57,000 of those total reports were related to the possession, distribution, or production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).  Additionally, more than 1,800 of those total reports concerned sextortion, a continued risk to children as more and younger kids spend time online. Learn more here!

Like every state, sadly child sex trafficking is a serious concern for the state of Texas. Through reports from the CyberTipline and missing child intakes, NCMEC has a dedicated team of analysts specialized in these vulnerable victims and engage with law enforcement on their behalf. In addition, a team located at NCMEC headquarters provides real time analytical support to law enforcement recovery operations, focused on identifying and safeguarding children who are sex trafficked.

Preventing Victimization in Texas

Internet and real-world safety education is the backbone to prevention. The training staff in the Regional Office engage with schools and community groups throughout the state and endeavor to educate all children in age-appropriate ways about staying safer both on and offline. In addition, the outreach staff inform and educate child-serving professionals, law enforcement, like-minded organizations about the programs, resources and services of NCMEC so we can all work better together to protect children. The training and outreach staff also represent NCMEC on various working groups and collaboration projects on a state and local level to leverage resources on a larger scale.

Educated through NetSmartz and KidSmartz sessions in 2022:
Adults: 1,642
Children: 10,554
766 registered NCMEC Connect users from Texas

Current Community Education Partner Groups

  • Children's Advocacy Center for Rockwall County
  • Children's Alliance for Palo Pinto County
  • Children's Center of Central Texas
  • Cops Who Care
  • Dallas CAC
  • Guadalupe County Children's Advocacy Center
  • Hill Country Crisis Council
  • Houston Crime Stoppers
  • Laredo Crime Stoppers
  • Mercy Gate Ministries 
  • Paso del Norte Center of Hope
  • Southern Grit Advocacy
  • TEND Program
  • Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center
  • Texas Center for the Missing
  • Texas Education Service Center Region 6
  • Williamson County Children's Advocacy Center

Texas Advisory Council

NCMEC is grateful for the commitment of our Texas Advisory Council members.  In this role, these individuals serve as representatives of NCMEC's mission and programs of work in their community, furthering NCMEC's impact in cities and communities around this great state.  Thank you for your service!

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As a veteran patrol officer, investigator and State of Texas ICAC investigator Paul has dedicated much of his career to protecting Texas children. During his career in law enforcement, Paul investigated child exploitation cases and educated Texas law enforcement and parents on the dangers of cyber threats to children. Paul has taken his passion to protect children onto his second career as a Business Development Representative for a company that provides forensic tools to law enforcement to help combat child exploitation cases. 

Paul is a graduate of the University of Houston-Victoria with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. Paul and his wife, Yolie, enjoy traveling, finding new eateries, and spending time with family. When he’s not enjoying time with his wife and family, you can find Paul on the golf course or playing racquetball (yes, racquetball). 

Amy Diaz Brubaker is deeply committed to the mission of NCMEC, to expand awareness and protect our children. She served on the Board of the Texas Women for Children, an initiative of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as chair of the Recruitment and Engagement Committee.  Currently in her career, she is the Evidence Custodian for the Trophy Club Police Department. Previous to the Trophy Club Police Department, she was involved in the non-profit sector serving as the Vice President for the Keller Youth Association.  Prior to her involvement with NCMEC, her career was in community supervision as a Probation Officer with the Tarrant County Community Supervision and Corrections Department and Probation/Parole Officer with the State of Alaska. Early in Amy's career, she served as a professional educator and a para-professional crisis counselor with Austin Travis County MHMR.

Amy earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from McPherson College.  Her interests include traveling, sporting events, hanging out with her family and shooting at the gun range.  She has three grown children and lives with her husband in Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Born and raised in Lubbock, Texas, Aurora Farthing has a BBA in Accounting from Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business.  She is a business owner, volunteer, mother, and grandmother; currently working with her husband, Vernon, managing Quarter Pence Holding, LLC since 2011. Aurora has served on numerous boards and committees over the years. She was a member of the Board of Trustees for All Saints Episcopal School from 2016-2019, currently serves on the grants committee for the Texas Women for the Arts and, two Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Advisory Boards. Aurora was also appointed to the Lubbock County General Assistance Board where she served for four years. 

Aurora is a member of the NCMEC Texas Women for Children and has volunteered for NCMEC in the Lubbock community since 2015.  She also volunteers and fundraises locally for organizations such as the Lubbock Arts Alliance, The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, and St. Benedict’s Mission where her family fed Lubbock’s homeless and food insecure for over ten years. She is very active in local and state politics, providing fundraising and entertainment for the 60th Anniversary Texas Federation of Republican Women’s 2015 Convention, serving as President and Treasurer of the Lubbock Area Republican Women from 2009-2011, and as a delegate to the Texas State Republican Convention numerous times. Aurora served three terms as Precinct 121 Chairman on the Lubbock County GOP executive committee. In April of 2019, Aurora spoke at the Advocacy and Social Justice Mini-Conference at the Texas Tech College of Education on “The Cycle of Disenfranchisement and How to Have an Impact.” 

Aurora has completed leadership training via the Leadership Texas and Leadership America Programs in 2016 and 2017.  She also served as advisor and executive support for her husband for 13 years in his work providing institutional medical services. Aurora has a passion for advocating for those who have no voice in the government decision making process and supporting them in her community.  She has three children and three grandchildren.

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IPA’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Marti Luparello, is focused on strategy, communications, and will continue her “boots on the ground” advocacy efforts on behalf of clients.  Marti established her role in the public policy world working in various roles including with former Senator/Agriculture commissioner Todd Staples at the Texas Department of Agriculture and as a key component of his political team on his statewide office’s campaign.  She then went inside the Capitol where she worked in the Senate office of former Chairman and now Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Honorable Glenn Hegar.

After gaining valuable experience in her state government roles, Marti has flourished in the private sector, most recently as the Director of Government Relations and Compliance for Texas Farm Bureau Insurance companies for the last four legislative sessions. In this role she represented a large P&C insurance company in front of executive, legislative and regulatory policymakers to ensure they were influential in the public policy process.

Marti serves as COO for Imperium Public Affairs, a Texas-based consulting firm specializing in the delivery of political and public policy advice and initiatives to effectively promote and protect client interests.

In her role, Marti is at the front of policymaking in Texas.  She is interested in advocating for NCMEC's priorities and assisting in advancing important policy and initiatives for NCMEC.  Marti enjoys serving her community and is proud to be a Texas Advisory Council member of NCMEC, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  

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Katharine McAden (Mc-AID-en) is proud to represent Google’s external and policy efforts in the southern US, based in the heart of the Lone Star State.  With over 20 years’ in Texas’ political arena, Katharine has proudly advocated for freedom, energy, and now, information. She has experience fighting for Texas' interests in both state and federal legislatures and on numerous successful statewide political campaigns. Prior to joining Google, she launched the communication and public affairs function at a publicly traded energy company.  Katharine serves on the Texas Business Leadership Council, Dell Seton Medical Center’s 'The FifTy', The University of Texas’ Corporate Council, and Texas Advisory Board of the Nature Conservancy.  Katharine, her husband, and two kids live in Austin. She bleeds orange and appreciates the immeasurable value of a Bob Armstrong dip from Matt's El Rancho, for those Houstonites, El Tiempo comes in a close second.

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With nearly three decades of service at International Bank of Commerce (IBC Bank), Yvonne Motz is an essential part of IBC Bank’s family. As 1st Vice President, Ms. Motz has served in our retail sales and services division, working directly with the Senior Vice President of the department.  Her duties include several confidential and high-level tasks that are entrusted to select employees.  From the beginning of her employment Ms. Motz showed a drive to succeed and the ability to adapt to complex situations which we often face in the financial sector.

In her leisure time, Ms. Motz enjoys participating in community involvement organization events and until recently serving on the board of ARTS San Antonio. In addition, she loves globetrotting with friends as she has a contagious passion for traveling!  She is an avid reader, enjoys barre ballet, yoga, and considers spending time with family the center of her motivation and joy!  

Nancy Rodill joined the CHRISTUS Health executive team in early 2020 as System Director of Philanthropy and Administrative Services. Previously, she served as the executive director for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), Texas Regional Office. Nancy’s career legacy of launching and growing small divisions of large organizations in New York City directly impacted NCMEC TX, helping develop a strategy for financial sustainability and creation of innovative trainings for child welfare and law enforcement. In 2019, she founded Texas Women for Children, an initiative for like-minded Texas women to engage in the fight against child sex trafficking.

Nancy received her Bachelor of Science in Communications, Master of Arts in Human Dimensions of Organizations, and McCombs School of Business Foundations Certification from the University of Texas in Austin. She also holds a leadership coach certification through the Co-Active Training Institute. Nancy currently serves on the Harry C Withers Elementary School PTA and on the NCMEC Texas Advisory Council. She was awarded the 2019 Alonti Champions of Service award and 2017 Blazing Star Award by the Texas Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

 Nancy enjoys spending quality time with her husband, Christian, and their 9-year-old daughter, Corinne. On the weekends, the trio can often be found eating and laughing with neighborhood friends, relaxing with their enormous yellow cat, Austin, or walking their very dramatic Shiba Inu, Ronin.

Sydney recently celebrated her 20-year anniversary with Rackspace Technology in July and has spent more than 17 years devoted to helping the online anti-abuse community. During her long career at Rackspace, Sydney has been passionate about implementing strong hosting provider policies against various abuses online, especially the prevention of child sexual exploitation. Sydney currently leads the Rackspace Technology Legal Administration Team where she provides oversight, training, and support on a wide range of matters including trademark and copyright enforcement, redefining best practices for online anti-abuse policies, and contract dispute negotiation and resolution.

In her personal life, Sydney is an Administrator for several Facebook community groups, each with over 10,000 members. She also serves on the board of the Lyra Lionheart Project, a local San Antonio organization assisting families in medical crisis. Although she recently stepped down as a Girl Scout Troop Leader for her oldest daughter’s troop, where Sydney had helped teach the girls online safety (among many other important topics), she remains an active participant in her younger daughter’s troop.  Sydney has been married to her husband, Chris Schneider, for 16 years and together they have two incredible daughters.  

Sydney resides in the San Antonio area and as an active community member, Girl Scout enthusiast, and dedicated mother, Sydney is excited to support and further NCMEC’s mission and outreach.

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Susie Vybiral is the Founder and CEO of Room Redux, an international nonprofit organization. Room Redux transforms the rooms and lives of children who have faced physical and/or sexual abuse.Room Transformations give children a fresh start, while changing the trajectory of their lives and breaking the cycles of abuse.

Susie is currently a doctoral candidate working toward her PsyD. She was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Psychology) by UNRS. Susie holds the prestigious honor of being the L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth 2022 National Honoree.

Susie is a contributing writer for The Circle Magazine and San Antonio Woman Magazine and has served as a guest speaker for NCMEC, child protective service organizations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), Homeland Security (HSI), and law enforcement and taskforce conferences. She serves as an Ambassador for the 70/30 Wave Trust based in the UK and is proud to be an Advisory Board member for Texas Women for Children.

These positions and experiences are all powerful forces when it comes to Susie’s expertise regarding child abuse victims and the importance of changing their environment in order to help them heal and to break the cycle of abuse.

Contact

NCMEC Texas Regional Office

10920 Lakeline Mall Drive, Suite #200

Austin, TX 78717

Phone: 512.465.2156

 

This contact information is for professional training and public education programs or for our administrative staff only.

For questions, assistance or resources related to missing or sexually exploited children cases, please call our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST.