Staff

Katelyn Medeiros is the Acting Child Advocate since July 2022. She joined the Office of The Child Advocate in 2014 as a Staff Attorney III. In February 2017, she was promoted to Assistant Child Advocate. Ms. Medeiros earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Justice Studies and Sociology from Rhode Island College and graduated summa cum laude. She graduated magna cum laude from Roger Williams School of Law. She was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar and Massachusetts Bar in November 2013 and the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island in 2014. Ms. Medeiros first worked for the OCA from 2012-2013 as a Rule 9 Intern. Before joining the OCA, she worked in private practice. Katelyn currently serves as a member of numerous panels and committees including but not limited to, the OCA Child Fatality Review Panel, Governor’s Council on Behavioral Health, RI Trauma Informed Schools Commission, and the RI Children’s Cabinet.

Diana Robbins is a Staff Attorney IV. Ms. Robbins joined the OCA staff in 2017. She earned a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences Degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. Ms. Robbins graduated cum laude from Roger Williams School of Law. She was a member of Roger Williams School of Law’s Mediation Clinic. She also worked for Rhode Island Legal Services on their Family Preservation Project as a Rule 9 Intern and later as a volunteer Staff Attorney. Ms. Robbins was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar and the Massachusetts Bar in 2014. Before joining the OCA, she worked as a Staff Attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in their Children and Family Law Division.

Anna Sheil is a Staff Attorney III. She joined the OCA in 2023. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies. Ms. Sheil then pursued her Juris Doctorate at New England Law | Boston and graduated in 2019. During her time at law school, she was a member of the New England Law | Boston Law Review. Additionally, she worked as an intern for the OCA both during her undergraduate studies and law school. In 2019, she was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar and Massachusetts Bar. Before joining the OCA, Ms. Sheil worked in private practice.

Kathryn R. Cortes is the Special Projects Coordinator. Kathryn is a Certified Child Forensic Interviewer and has been with the Office of the Child Advocate since 2007. Prior to her current role, Kathryn worked for the OCA as a Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist from 2013 to 2017 and as the Chief Field Investigator from 2007 to 2013. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice from Salve Regina University.

Kathryn holds many certifications, Conducting Child Abuse Investigations, Child Death Investigations, Current Drug Trends, Youth Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences, Sexual Offenses Mind & Motivation, Grooming Behaviors, and Often Counter-Intuitive Behaviors of Child-Victims. Prior to joining the OCA staff in 2007, Kathryn worked as a Senior Residential Counselor at Child & Family Services of Newport County. Her role involved creating a safe and therapeutic living environment for children. After six years there, Kathryn moved on to Civigenics, Inc. in Marlborough, MA where she spent four years as the Program Director of a therapeutic milieu program at the Rhode Island Training School for Youth (RITS).

Kathryn serves as a Member of the Rhode Island Child Death Review Team, the Multi-Disciplinary Team at Hasbro Children's Hospital/Aubin Child Protection Center, and the RI Anti-Trafficking Task Force/CSEC Multi-Disciplinary Team. Kathryn also served as a former Executive Board Member of the RI Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and a Legislative Field Advocate for AFSP.

Jacqueline Lafontant is a Senior Planning & Program Development Specialist. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Rhode Island College. Before joining the OCA staff in 2017, Jacqueline worked as a Juvenile Program Worker (JPW) at the Rhode Island Training School for Youth (RITS) from 2007-2017. Her role there involved providing custody, supervision, and security for detained youths. She also helped with their rehabilitation, education, treatment, care, and control. Jacqueline is now a Member of the Rhode Island Child Death Review Team, the Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Multi-Disciplinary Team at Hasbro Children's Hospital/Aubin Child Protection Center. In July 2017, she received certification in Forensic Interviewing of Children.

Jimmy Vilayvanh is a Senior Planning and Program Development Specialist. Before joining the OCA staff in 2018, he worked for the Department of Children Youth & Families (DCYF) in Juvenile Probation. At DCYF, Jimmy worked closely with young people involved in the legal system. He supervised young men and women on home confinement with electronic

monitoring. Before working for DCYF, Jimmy was a Program Director for Outreach and Tracking at Tides Family Services for 7 years. His main responsibility was overseeing the relationship between Tides Family Services and the Rhode Island Training School (RITS). There, he helped young people transition back into the community. The program helped young people meet the conditions of Juvenile Probation while addressing their educational needs, mental health services, and life skills. Jimmy is actively involved in various groups and teams, including the Rhode Island Child Death Review Team, Multi-Disciplinary Team at Hasbro Children's Hospital/Aubin Child Protection Center, The Continuity of Care group, and Rhode Island Human Trafficking Task Force. He is certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid, Conducting Child Abuse Investigations and has completed training on Implementing an Effective Multidisciplinary Team Response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Kara Foley is the Public Education and Information Coordinator. She earned a Master of Social Work Degree from Rhode Island College and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Simmons University. Ms. Foley completed a policy fellowship through The Women's Fund of Rhode Island's Women's Policy Institute in 2012. Prior to joining the OCA in 2019, she worked as a Policy Analyst at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. In that role, she conducted research, and wrote about child welfare, child abuse and neglect, children in State care, adoption and permanency, youth involved in the juvenile justice system, youth referred to Rhode Island Family Court, youth at the Rhode Island Training School, and alternatives to incarceration. Before working at Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, Ms. Foley was the Community Program Consultant for Adoption Rhode Island. In that role, she worked on foster care and adoption programming, conducted research, developed outreach initiatives, and worked for the Providence VA Medical Center as a Research Health Science Specialist. Ms. Foley played a key role in passing legislation that allows adult adoptees born in Rhode Island to access non-certified copies of their original birth certificates at the age of 18. She serves on the OCA Advisory Committee, the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) Steering Committee, and the American Adoption Congress. In 2022, Kara was recognized as an Angel in Adoption by former Congressman David Cicilline and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for her contributions to the fields of adoption and foster care.

Peter Capalbo is the Education Coordinator. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in History from Bridgewater State University and Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in English from Rhode Island College. In 2023, Peter earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Massachusetts's School of Law. He received a Public Interest Law Fellowship while studying there. Peter is certified as a secondary English teacher by the Rhode Island Department of Education. Before joining the OCA in 2023, Peter worked for Tides Family Services for almost 20 years. During his time there, he worked as a teacher, senior administrator, and educational advocate.

Taylor Camirand is the Confidential Secretary to the Child Advocate. She joined the OCA staff in 2020. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire. Before joining the OCA staff, Taylor worked as a Case Manager for the Foster Care Program at North American Family Institute (NAFI) from 2017 to 2020. There, she worked with children and families to plan and provide therapeutic foster care treatment. Before NAFI, Taylor worked at the Groden Center, a school for children with autism, as a Behavioral Specialist and the school's Secretary. Taylor has experience working with various populations in Rhode Island's child welfare system. In her current role as Confidential Secretary at the OCA, Taylor works with the Child Advocate and Assistant Child Advocate to complete daily office tasks.