The Diocese of Springfield names members of the Implementation and Oversight Committee Committee to have key role in implementing Task Force recommendations
SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne today announced the creation of a nine-person committee to oversee the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield.
The committee members are Peter Caffrey, Dr. Henry East-Trou, Kristina Drzal Houghton, Jackie Humphreys, Andrew Rome, James Ross, Jose Tosado, and Irene Woods. Caffrey is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse.
Jeffrey Trant, director of the diocesan Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance, will serve as senior staff to the committee.
Upon receiving the Task Force’s report, Bishop Byrne asked its members to remain in place until the Implementation and Oversight Committee was named. Members of the Task Force nominated the slate of candidates, who are representative of the Diocese of Springfield and the broader western Massachusetts community, as well as rooted in lived experience.
In announcing the members of the Oversight Committee, Bishop Byrne said, “I am most grateful to this diverse group of individuals who come to us with a wide range of experience and who have accepted my invitation to help our diocese implement the recommendations of the task force, assuring that the diocese will improve its response to allegations of abuse within our church community and ensure that we make every effort not to repeat our past failures. We owe this to victims and survivors of abuse, along with all in the community we serve.”
The naming of this committee is the latest action undertaken by the diocese to improve its safe environment efforts. In June 2019, Trant was hired as the director of the diocesan Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance. Under his leadership, and with the support of diocesan leadership, the diocese commissioned the Judge Peter Velis investigation; brought on a new team of investigators; and signed a joint memorandum of understanding with the three district attorneys’ offices, whose jurisdictions cover all of western Massachusetts. In addition, the diocese appointed the Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield, and, last spring, issued an updated list of persons credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor, which now includes lay personnel and deceased clergy.
Member Biographies
Peter Caffrey was born in North Adams where he was the second youngest of six boys. Peter went to Worcester Polytechnic Institute to pursue his dream of becoming an engineer. He earned a BS and MS in Mechanical and Fire Protection Engineering. After meeting the woman who would become his future wife, they married and moved to Michigan. He has worked as an engineer for over 30 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. Peter and his wonderful and understanding wife raised two children. He is an avid cyclist and hiker. Together, Peter and his son are attempting to climb the high point in each state; presently, they have climbed 32. In 2021, he published Bless Me, Father, For I have Sinned: A Memoir of Healing, his first novel which is based loosely on childhood experiences. Peter is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and advocate for change within the Catholic Church.
Henry East-Trou of Greenfield is a clinician and human service executive with more than 40 years of experience in the human service field. In 2019, Dr. East-Trou retired as Executive Director of Gándara Mental Health Center after leading the organization for more than 30 years. Founded in 1977 to advocate and provide for equal services in the Hispanic community, Gándara Center delivers quality bilingual behavioral health, substance use and preventative services for a diverse clientele of nearly 15,000 children, adults and families each year in 100 locations across Massachusetts. Dr. East-Trou studied at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru completing his undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Plattsburg where he also earned a Master of Education degree in Counseling. He earned a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified batterer intervention counseling, and licensed alcohol and drug clinician.
Kristina Drzal Houghton of Longmeadow is a principal with Meyers Brother Kalicka, PC in Holyoke. She is the director of the firm’s Taxation Division, President of the corporation and a member of the Executive Committee. Kris received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from American International College and her Master of Science in Taxation from Bentley University. Kris is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts & Connecticut and has over 35 years of experience. She has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, multi-state taxation, entity selection and tax planning for closely-held businesses. Her professional affiliations include the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Massachusetts Society for Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA). She is on the board of the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, is a past chair of the board for both the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, and former treasurer of the Spirit of Springfield and the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley. As a native of Springfield, Kris is driven to help area businesses and their owners thrive and prosper. Kris lives in Longmeadow with her husband Joe and has two grown daughters. She and her husband belong to St. Michael’s Parish in East Longmeadow.
Jackie Humphreys of Montague has over 30 years of experience working in the field of trauma. She is a therapist in private practice, treating children, teens and adults impacted by sexual abuse and other trauma. She is the Mental Health Consultant to the Franklin County and North Quabbin Children’s Advocacy Center and to “Time To Tell”, a child sexual abuse prevention project. She has presented and trained nationally and locally on many subjects including group work with traumatized teens, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and trauma stewardship. She serves on the board of Valuing Our Children, Athol, MA. Prior to becoming a therapist, she worked at the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office for over ten years, first as a Victim Advocate and then as the Coordinator of the Child Abuse Unit. Jackie’s passion and commitment to preventing and healing trauma is rooted in her own recovery from complex trauma, including child sexual abuse. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker and earned an MSW from the Smith College School for Social Work.
Andrew Rome of Belchertown is currently Deputy Commissioner for Field Operations for the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. For more than 29 years, Rome worked in senior legal positions at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families including regional counsel, deputy general counsel and general counsel. He was appointed by Bishop William D. Byrne to the Review Board for the Diocese of Springfield in 2021. Rome has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Massachusetts Children’s Trust, Court Improvement Steering Committee and the Massachusetts Mandated Reporter Commission. Rome is a former member of Sinai Temple’s Board of Directors. He is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, United States Tax Court and the United States District Court. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Western New England College School of Law and an AB from Muhlenberg College.
James Ross, III of Wilbraham is Principal Officer of The Hollenbach Group, LLC. For more than 25 years, Ross has worked for telecommunications, wireless and commercial real estate firms in senior leadership positions including chief development officer, president and managing partner. Ross serves on the Review Board for the Diocese of Springfield, Board of Trustees for Springfield College where he is the Immediate Past Chair, Treasurer, Executive Committee member and Trustee of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow, and he is a Corporator of Monson Savings Bank. In 2017, Ross was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to serve on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Public Private Partnership (“P3”) Infrastructure Oversight Commission. Previously, he served on the Advisory Board of the University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Springfield and as a Trustee of Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jose Tosado of Springfield is a former Massachusetts State Representative who served the 9th Hampden District from 2015 until his retirement in 2020. Tosado is a product of Springfield and its public schools. He attended Carew Street School, Chestnut Junior High School and graduated from the High School of Commerce in 1972. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy where he served on active duty for three years. Returning home to Springfield in 1975, then going to college on the G.I. bill; first to STCC and then to Westfield State College earning a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. He continued in education, earning a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut. For more than 25 years, he was the Director of the Greater Springfield Area of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Tosado served as a member of the Springfield Police Commission, Springfield School Committee, and as a City Councilor where he was elected president 3 times. For the past 42 years, he has been married to Irma Tosado; a retired Springfield Public Schools teacher.
Irene Woods of Greenfield is the founding executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin. Established in 2015, the CAC works with child victims of abuse and their non-offending family members throughout the investigation and intervention process. The CAC serves the most rural and geographically isolated region of Massachusetts. Before leading the CAC, Woods worked at various supervisory and management positions at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families focusing on investigating allegation of child abuse and neglect. She retired from DCF in 2016. Woods served as the co-chair of the Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield. She also serves on the Domestic Violence Task Force for the City of Springfield. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker. She earned an MSW from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Peter Caffrey was born in North Adams where he was the second youngest of six boys. Peter went to Worcester Polytechnic Institute to pursue his dream of becoming an engineer. He earned a BS and MS in Mechanical and Fire Protection Engineering. After meeting the woman who would become his future wife, they married and moved to Michigan. He has worked as an engineer for over 30 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. Peter and his wonderful and understanding wife raised two children. He is an avid cyclist and hiker. Together, Peter and his son are attempting to climb the high point in each state; presently, they have climbed 32. In 2021, he published Bless Me, Father, For I have Sinned: A Memoir of Healing, his first novel which is based loosely on childhood experiences. Peter is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and advocate for change within the Catholic Church.
Henry East-Trou of Greenfield is a clinician and human service executive with more than 40 years of experience in the human service field. In 2019, Dr. East-Trou retired as Executive Director of Gándara Mental Health Center after leading the organization for more than 30 years. Founded in 1977 to advocate and provide for equal services in the Hispanic community, Gándara Center delivers quality bilingual behavioral health, substance use and preventative services for a diverse clientele of nearly 15,000 children, adults and families each year in 100 locations across Massachusetts. Dr. East-Trou studied at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru completing his undergraduate studies at the State University of New York at Plattsburg where he also earned a Master of Education degree in Counseling. He earned a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and is a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified batterer intervention counseling, and licensed alcohol and drug clinician.
Kristina Drzal Houghton of Longmeadow is a principal with Meyers Brother Kalicka, PC in Holyoke. She is the director of the firm’s Taxation Division, President of the corporation and a member of the Executive Committee. Kris received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from American International College and her Master of Science in Taxation from Bentley University. Kris is a licensed CPA in Massachusetts & Connecticut and has over 35 years of experience. She has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, multi-state taxation, entity selection and tax planning for closely-held businesses. Her professional affiliations include the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Massachusetts Society for Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA). She is on the board of the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, is a past chair of the board for both the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, and former treasurer of the Spirit of Springfield and the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley. As a native of Springfield, Kris is driven to help area businesses and their owners thrive and prosper. Kris lives in Longmeadow with her husband Joe and has two grown daughters. She and her husband belong to St. Michael’s Parish in East Longmeadow.
James Ross, III of Wilbraham is Principal Officer of The Hollenbach Group, LLC. For more than 25 years, Ross has worked for telecommunications, wireless and commercial real estate firms in senior leadership positions including chief development officer, president and managing partner. Ross serves on the Review Board for the Diocese of Springfield, Board of Trustees for Springfield College where he is the Immediate Past Chair, Treasurer, Executive Committee member and Trustee of the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow, and he is a Corporator of Monson Savings Bank. In 2017, Ross was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to serve on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Public Private Partnership (“P3”) Infrastructure Oversight Commission. Previously, he served on the Advisory Board of the University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Springfield and as a Trustee of Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jose Tosado of Springfield is a former Massachusetts State Representative who served the 9th Hampden District from 2015 until his retirement in 2020. Tosado is a product of Springfield and its public schools. He attended Carew Street School, Chestnut Junior High School and graduated from the High School of Commerce in 1972. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy where he served on active duty for three years. Returning home to Springfield in 1975, then going to college on the G.I. bill; first to STCC and then to Westfield State College earning a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. He continued in education, earning a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Connecticut. For more than 25 years, he was the Director of the Greater Springfield Area of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. Tosado served as a member of the Springfield Police Commission, Springfield School Committee, and as a City Councilor where he was elected president 3 times. For the past 42 years, he has been married to Irma Tosado; a retired Springfield Public Schools teacher.
Irene Woods of Greenfield is the founding executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin. Established in 2015, the CAC works with child victims of abuse and their non-offending family members throughout the investigation and intervention process. The CAC serves the most rural and geographically isolated region of Massachusetts. Before leading the CAC, Woods worked at various supervisory and management positions at the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families focusing on investigating allegation of child abuse and neglect. She retired from DCF in 2016. Woods served as the co-chair of the Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield. She also serves on the Domestic Violence Task Force for the City of Springfield. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker. She earned an MSW from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.