ABOUT CACVA
Our Staff
The Children’s Advocacy Centers of Virginia employs a team of experienced professionals dedicated to serving the needs of its member centers through advocacy, collaboration, funding, networking, evaluation and assessment, training, technical assistance, and more.
Rebecca Simmons
Executive Director
Rebecca Simmons joined CACVA in July 2025 as its Executive Director. She spent the previous 10 years leading Valley Children’s Advocacy Center, where she exponentially grew the center’s services, staff, and community outreach. Under her leadership, the CAC expanded into some of Virginia’s most rural counties, including Highland and Alleghany, bringing invaluable services to previously underserved communities. She also cultivated strong multidisciplinary team (MDT) relationships, helping professionals across disciplines understand and embrace the benefits of the CAC model.
Rebecca led the center in launching several innovative initiatives, including the addition of an on-site forensic medical room and the introduction of the agency’s first facility dog—both made possible through the collaborative efforts of community partners and stakeholders.
She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Virginia Commonwealth University and has worked with at-risk children and families for over 20 years. In addition to her leadership roles, Rebecca has served in various capacities across the child welfare and behavioral health sectors, including as a founding board member of People Places Therapeutic Foster Care Agency and as Chair of the Valley Community Services Board. Rebecca is frequently invited to speak at colleges and universities about her work in the field of child maltreatment, and has served as a subject matter expert on child sexual abuse, child maltreatment, and trauma across multiple jurisdictions.
In recognition of her advocacy on behalf of child victims, she received the Attorney General’s Unsung Hero Award in 2024. Rebecca is passionate about legislative advocacy and remains committed to empowering communities to engage in awareness and prevention efforts related to child sexual abuse. In her role at CACVA, she continues to support children, families, and the CAC mission across the Commonwealth.
Email Rebecca: Rebecca.simmons@cacva.org
Maggie Cullinan
Program Director
Maggie Cullinan is the Program Director for Children’s Advocacy Centers of Virginia, where she provides training and technical assistance to the 19 Child Advocacy Centers and Multi-Disciplinary Teams. She has more than 25 years of experience in the criminal justice field as an IPV outreach counselor and legal advocate, probation officer and victim witness director. For her work on behalf of victims, she was awarded the first Unsung Hero Award from Virginia’s Attorney General. She was also appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Combatting Campus Sexual Assault. She has a passion for improving process and response for crime survivors.
Email Maggie: Maggie.Cullinan@cacva.org
Emily Simpson
Program Specialist MDT/FI
Emily has spent the last 11 years serving Southwest Virginia’s most vulnerable
populations. She joined the CAC movement in 2017 as a Forensic Interviewer and New River Valley Coordinator with the Children’s Trust Children’s Advocacy Center in Christiansburg, Virginia. In her time with Children’s Trust, she conducted over 1,000 forensic interviews of children, testified as an expert witness in multiple courthouses, and facilitated multidisciplinary teams in five jurisdictions. Emily was the recipient of the Clarine Spetzler Guardian Angel Award in 2023 for her contributions as a forensic interviewer and expert witness in a ground-breaking court case involving child sexual abuse. Emily is passionate about empowering forensic interviewers and encouraging multidisciplinary teams according to best practice standards in order to best serve the children and families in our communities.
Email Emily: Emily.Simpson@cacva.org
Becky Maas
Operations Coordinator
Becky joined CACVA in 2016. In her role as Program Assistant, she works with the Executive Director and Program Director to support Virginia’s CACs through assisting with statewide trainings and the annual conference.