Who will speak for the survivors?
Meet the Survivors Advisory Board
SURVIVOR | ADVOCATE
David Lorenz
David Lorenz is the Maryland State Director of SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). SNAP is a self-help group that supports people who have been victimized by clergy, and helps them try to pick up the pieces of their lives, heal, and move forward. It is also an independent, peer network of survivors of institutional sexual abuse and their supporters who work to support survivors, protect children, protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and expose the truth.
PRIEST | SURVIVOR | ADVOCATE
Mother Debra Rhodes
It is still painful for Rev. Debbi Rhodes to recount her repeated abuse by men (including an extended family member and her pediatrician), but the courageous Episcopal cleric-survivor-advocate wants Maryland survivors to know she stands with them. Rev. Rhodes said, like so many other survivors, for decades after the abuse she became withdrawn, self-doubting, and self-destructive. “I grew up thinking of myself as damaged goods, like I was innately bad. All I felt was pain.” She now counsels those in need of support through her church and beyond, finding healing in helping others heal.
ADVOCATE | PSYCHOLOGIST
Dr. Bryant Welch
Dr. Bryant Welch has been providing psychotherapy services for almost 40 years, providing over 40,000 hours of direct clinical care to diverse populations. He practices with the foundational belief that each human mind and human story is unique and that a good therapist has to recognize that and listen carefully to every patient. He is especially experienced in trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and other complex psychological situations. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology from the American Board of Practicing Psychologists and has received numerous awards from state and national psychological organizations, including a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association for “seminal contributions to the field of psychology.”
ADVOCATE | AUTHOR
Gemma Hoskins
Gemma is a grass roots investigator and author who advocates for the rights of clergy sexual abuse victims. She started the investigation that inspired the nationally acclaimed 2017 Netflix true crime docuseries “The Keepers” about the murder of Catholic nun Sister Catherine Cesnik in Baltimore in 1969. Although her killer was never found, both police and the press thought the murder might have been connected to sexual abuse charges against a priest at the school, at Archbishop Keough High School, Joseph Maskell, because Sister Cathy was about to blow the whistle on him. Sister Cathy was Gemma Hoskins’s favorite teacher. Gemma supports child sexual abuse victims through the Sister Cathy Cesnik Fund for Survivors in many ways, including by going to meetings with survivors who don’t want to go alone and helping them apply for funds for therapy as lot of times, the church doesn’t provide sufficient funds for ongoing therapy.
FAMILY MEMBER OF SURVIVOR | ADVOCATE | PARALEGAL
Mary Beth Diaz
Mary Beth Diaz is a 27-year Senior Litigation Paralegal who serves as lead paralegal on clergy abuse claims, helping clients overcome the trauma they have experienced in their lives by gaining their trust through trauma-informed collaboration. Mary Beth has a deep personal connection with survivors who have experienced the atrocities of clergy abuse, as her own mother was sexually abused by trusted clergy. Her calm and empathic approach sets her apart and makes her a valuable advocate and partner to many who have suffered institutional abuse at the hands of those they trusted.
ATTORNEY
Elizabeth “Beth” Graham
Beth Graham is a principal at Grant & Eisenhofer who has spent most of her career advocating for the rights of individuals and families harmed by those in superior positions of knowledge and power, including claims of sexual assault. In one such case, she represented a former female executive of dating app Tinder in sexual assault and retaliation claims. In 2021, Beth was named to Law360’s annual “Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar.” In addition, she was previously selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement award by America’s Top 100 Attorneys®.
ATTORNEY
Rob Jenner
Rob Jenner founded Jenner Law, P.C. in 2018, focusing his practice on helping people and families affected by the harmful conduct of others. His practice focuses on cases involving personal injury, therapy abuse, and clergy sexual abuse. With more than 35 years of experience as a trial lawyer for individual claimants, Rob is a true career advocate who is empathic and non-judgmental. He understands representing clients with physical, emotional, and psychological trauma and seeks to ensure they are not victimized again by the legal process after suffering the harm that brought them to his law firm for help.
ATTORNEY
Adam Rosenberg
For over twenty-five years, Adam Rosenberg has brought together his passion for community development and background in law to protect the vulnerable from abuse and trauma. As a leader in the child advocacy movement, Mr. Rosenberg created a model of excellence, reshaping how abuse is identified, treated and prevented, and quickly became one of this nation's leading authorities on mandatory reporting laws and original practices for children’s advocacy centers.
Recognizing that interpersonal and intercommunity violence is a public health issue requiring strategic partnerships between the community, it’s leadership and families to break the devastating cycle, Mr. Rosenberg advocated for the creation of the Center for Hope at LifeBridge Health, which resulted from the merger of the former Baltimore Child Abuse Center into LifeBridge Health, resulting in a new $10 million program that provides support and assistance to thousands across the lifespan annually through the Baltimore region.
ATTORNEY
Steven J. Kelly
Steve Kelly is a principal at Grant & Eisenhofer who, over the past two decades, has developed a national reputation for effectively litigating and advocating on behalf of crime victims/survivors – children and adults – including those targeted by serial sexual predators. He is widely considered by his peers as a pioneer for survivors in their civil claims for justice and also serving (pro bono) as their personal counsel/advocate throughout their perpetrator’s criminal prosecution. Mr. Kelly’s early work in this unique area of practice was instrumental in the formation of the National Crime Victim Law Institute. Prior to joining G&E, Mr. Kelly was a Partner for several years in the Baltimore office of a leading national law firm; there he founded and successfully led the firm’s innovative Criminal/Sexual Violence Group.
ATTORNEY
Philip "Phil" Federico
Phil Federico is a partner at Baird, Mandalas, Brockstedt & Federico where he has led and been involved in historic and groundbreaking litigation with verdicts and settlements exceeding one billion dollars. He has extensive experience representing clients in sexual abuse and misconduct claims. In 2010, he served as co-lead counsel in the litigation against pedophile pediatrician Earl Bradley, which resulted in a $123 million settlement. In 2016, he served as counsel in a $190 million class action settlement with The Johns Hopkins Hospital arising out of the conduct of Nikita Levy, M.D., an obstetrician gynecologist who surreptitiously videotaped his patients during gynecologic examinations. He is also representing plaintiffs in the StarPower lawsuit that involves the alleged surreptitious photographing and recording of a group of 400 competitive dancers, mostly minors, in various stages of undress in their changing area.
