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In The Fall of 2017 the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection of the New York Foundling and the US Alliance to End the Hitting of Children sponsored the National Summit to End Corporal Punishment in the United States. The Summit brought together thirty seven of the leading national experts in the field of violence to children and child maltreatment. The goals of the Summit were to develop a multi-year, multi-dimensional strategy to end corporal punishment in the United States and to conceptualize the creation of a coordinating body to train professionals, educate parents, and disseminate information about evidence-based parenting programs. The culmination of the Summit was the formation of the National Initiative to End Corporal Punishment.

The National Initiative to End Corporal Punishment works in collaboration with the US Alliance Against the Hitting of Children, New York Foundling and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Our purpose is to provide up-to-date information about corporal punishment to parents and professionals with the aim of ending this practice in the United States.

Darrell Armstrong, DDiv, MDiv, EdS-MFT

Pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church, Trenton, New Jersey

David Corwin, MD

Founding Member

Professor and Director of Forensic Services,

University of Utah Pediatrics Department

Angela Diaz, MD

Director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center

George W. Holden, PhD

Founding Member

Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at

Southern Methodist University

Stacie LeBlanc, MEd, JD

Founding Member

President-Elect, American Professional Society on the Abuse of

Children, CEO, the UP Institute

Melissa Merrick, PhD

President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America

Mel Schneiderman, PhD

Founding Member

Senior Vice President, the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child

Protection of the New York Foundling, New York

Viola Vaughan-Eden, PhD, MJ

Founding Member

Professor & PhD Director at The Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work,

Norfolk State University

Victor Vieth, JD, MA

Director of Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project

Faith Committee

Craig Nelson; Cindy Miller-Perrin, Ph.D; Lisa Fontes, Ph.D.; Victor Vieth, JD; Darrell Armstrong, Masters in Divinity, Ed.S; Craig Nelson; Cindy Miller-Perrin, Ph.D; Lisa Fontes, Ph.D.

Evaluation Committee

David Finklehor, Ph.D.; Catherine Taylor, Ph.D., MSW, MPH; Julia Fleckman, Ph.D. MPH; George Holden, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Gershoff, Ph.D.

No Hit Zone Committee

Stacie Schrieffer LeBlanc, MEd, JD Chair; Deb Sendek, MS; Ellen Chiocca, Ph.D. CPNP, RNC-NIC; Kelly Dauk, MD; Lucien Lombardo, Ph.D.; Melynda Ciccotti; Randell Alexander, MD, Ph.D.; Hannah Gilbert, MSHCM; Madison Mastrangelo; Dianna Nguyen

Training and Resource Committee

Mel Schneiderman, Ph.D. Chair; Elizabeth Gershoff, Ph.D.; Stacie Schrieffer LeBlanc, MED, JD; Joan Durrant, Ph.D.; Michele Knox, Ph.D.; Van Michele Ruda. MD; Vincent Palusci, MD; Robbyn Peters Bennett, LPC, CMHS

Fundraising Committee

George Holden, Ph.D. Chair; Mel Schneiderman, Ph.D.; Deb Sendek, MS; Janet Rosenzweig, Ph.D., MPA

Policy Committee

David Corwin, MD Chair; Stacie Schrieffer LeBlanc, MEd, JD; Robert Sege, MD, Ph.D.; Gail Horner, DNP, CPNP; Mel Schneiderman, Ph.D.; Robert Block, MD, FAAP; Deborah Esernio-Jenssen, MD; Deb Sendek, MS; Lucien Lombardo, Ph.D.; David Schneider, MD, FAAP; David Finklehor, Ph.D.; Mary Ann McCaffree; Andrea Asnes, MD, MSW; Donald Derauf, MD

Communications Committee

Viola Vaughan-Eden, Ph.D., MJ, LCSW Co-Chair; Debangshu Roygartner, Ph.D. Co-Chair; Mary Pulido, Ph.D.; Bart Klika, MSW, Ph.D.; Jeff Linkenbach, Ed.D, MS; Teresa Rafael, MSW; Deborah Esernio-Jenssen, MD; Stacey Patton, Ph.D.; Stacie Schieffer LeBlanc, MEd, JD; Lauren Fasig Caldwell, JD, Ph.D.; Robert Sege, MD

Academy on Violence and Abuse

The mission of the AVA is to advance health education and research on the recognition, treatment, and prevention of the health effects of violence and abuse throughout the life course. The vision of the AVA is that the recognition, treatment, and prevention of the health effects of violence and abuse are fully integrated into healthcare and society so that people of all ages are safe and healthy. Click here for the AVA website.

American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children

APSAC is a nonprofit, national multi-disciplinary professional society with a mission to improve society's response to the abuse and neglect of its children. APSAC envisions a world where all maltreated or at-risk children and their families have access to the highest level of professional commitment and service. Especially important to APSAC is the dissemination of state-of-the-art practice in all professional disciplines related to child abuse and neglect. Click here for the APSAC website.

US Alliance to End the Hitting of Children

The Alliance, through education and legal means, seeks to end all social justifications and legal authorizations of corporal punishment. Achieving these goals will give children the same protection from this sort of physical violence as is already enjoyed by adults under the state and federal law. The U.S. Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that brings together individuals, groups, and organizations to create a unified voice calling for, and working toward the goal of ending all hitting of children. Click here for the US Alliance website.

The New York Foundling's Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection

The mission of the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection of the New York Foundling is to prevent child maltreatment and promote the well-being of at-risk children through advocacy, professional development, public education, research and partnering with other like organizations and national leaders. The New York Foundling, in the tradition of openness and compassion of its sponsors, the Sisters of Charity, helps children, youth, adults, and families in need through services, supports, and advocacy that strengthen family and community and help each individual reach their full potential. Click here for the Fontana Center website.