The Diocesan Review Board assists the bishop in promptly responding to any allegation of sexual misconduct by the diocesan clergy members. Members are:
Christine Larkin, Chairperson
Christine Larkin began working for Onondaga County Child Protective Services in 1979, specializing in child sexual abuse, being on one of the original sexual abuse unit members in 1983. In the early 1980’s she helped create and participated in the film used throughout New York to train CPS caseworkers and law enforcement personnel to interview families involved with sexual abuse. In 1989, Mrs. Larkin participated in a focus group to recommend the Governor’s Task Force on Rape and Sexual Assault. She supervised the Sexual Abuse Investigations Unit from 1990 to 2004 until she was appointed Assistant Director in the Children’s Division. As Assistant Director, Ms. Larkin was responsible for the Sex Abuse/Child Fatality Investigations Unit, the Sex Abuse Services Unit, and the Child Abuse Hotline until her retirement in June 2010.
In July 2010, Ms. Larkin became the Coordinator for the Onondaga County Child Fatality Review Team, where she coordinates a multidisciplinary team of approximately 20 - 25 professionals who review the unexpected deaths of children up to the age of 18 years.
Ms. Larkin is also a trainer for the New York State Forensic Interviewing Best Practices training for those who work in child sexual abuse. In 2013, she participated in the Advanced Forensic Interviewing Best Practices training curriculum and is currently a trainer. In 2015, Ms. Larkin became the project facilitator for the Safe Harbor for Children Project; her role was to implement the program in Onondaga County. The Safe Harbor law was enacted to identify, protect, and provide service to minors who were commercially sexually exploited (trafficked).
Over her career, Ms. Larkin has participated in many professional organizations that specialize in education around sex abuse issues, including the Sexual Abuse Study and Treatment Team (SAST); the NY Chapter of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (NYAPSAC), and the Onondaga County Child Abuse Citizens Advisory Council. She is currently a member of the Children’s Justice Task Force, Mother’s and Children in Crisis (Board Vice President since 2012); the Regional Anti-Trafficking Task Force; and the advisory board for Hope Connections.
Ms. Larkin is a 1978 graduate from SUNY Oswego with a bachelor’s degree in Public Justice. She is also the recipient of four awards for her work with children and families.
Deacon Mark J. Berube
Deacon Mark J. Berube was a career criminal investigator (Special Agent) with the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer with 23 years of active service and has served in various assignments in New York State, Panama, Germany, Alabama, Alaska, and Missouri. During his career with the Army CID, Deacon Berube served two separate tours with the Army Military Police School, being recognized as a Subject Matter Expert in Interviews and Interrogations, Child Sexual and Physical Abuse Investigations and he was responsible for the leadership/management education of junior and senior warrant officers. Deacon Berube served as a Military Police Officer, a Special Agent, Special Agent-In-Charge, Battalion Staff Officer, and Deputy Director of the Investigations Division with the US Army Military Police School.
Deacon Berube is the Special Agent in Charge of the Syracuse Field Office, with the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) – Office of Personnel Management, supervising 21 background investigators throughout the State of New York, outside of New York City. NBIB conducts background investigations on any person requiring a security clearance or is considered for a position of trust with the United States Military or Federal Government as a military service member, federal civil servant, or government contractor. Based on prior experiences, Deacon Berube developed an Investigative Interviewing Techniques Course, which he later relinquished to the Training Department for incorporation with the Federal Background Investigator Training Program.
Deacon Berube also serves at the Divine Mercy Parish in Central Square, NY.
Deacon Berube holds an MS degree in Business Organizational Management from the University of La Verne, La Verne, CA.
Valerie A. Brogan
Valerie A. Brogan began working in the law enforcement profession in 1988. She retired from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department (Police Division) in 2012 and is currently the Assistant Director at Colgate University Campus Safety Department.
Ms. Brogan was a detective in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Sheriff’s Department for sixteen years. She was assigned to the Abused Persons Unit. Ms. Brogan was responsible for investigating sexually-based offenses against children and adults, child homicides, child abuse, and domestic violence cases. Ms. Brogan was the first detective to be assigned to the Onondaga County Child Advocacy Center until her retirement in 2012.
In Ms. Brogan’s current assignment, she is responsible for conducting investigations of sexual assaults, stalking, and dating violence cases reported to have occurred on the Colgate University campus. She is also the liaison with local law enforcement on those cases where a prosecution is desired.
Catherine Diana, LCSW
Catherine Diana, LCSW, has over 25 years of clinical experience in sexual abuse and maintains a private practice working with adult men and women sex offenders. Ms. Diana has also been a part-time trainer on sexual abuse at Fordham University for 14 years. In 1993, Ms. Diana developed an on-campus residential program at LaSalle School in Albany for adolescents. She was the Director of the Huntington Adolescent Safe Options Treatment Program in Syracuse. She helped Elmcrest Children’s Center develop specialized treatment programs for adolescents who have sexual offending behaviors. Ms. Diana has presented over two hundred workshops and training seminars on many different topics surrounding sex offenses. She has been a consultant both nationally and internationally on adolescent sex offending behaviors and programming issues. Ms. Diana has offered her time and expertise to McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center’s Advisory Board; the Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Committee; the Sex Abuse Study and Treatment Team (SAST); the Onondaga County Family Court Judges’ Committee; and the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office Child Abuse Response Team (CART). She has a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Syracuse University.
Robert B. Murrett
Robert B. Murrett is a professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs faculty at Syracuse University and serves as the Deputy Director of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT). He is on the RAND Corporation's adjunct staff, the Institute for Defense Analyses, and chairs the MITRE Intelligence Advisory Board. Mr. Murrett also serves on the Senior Advisory Group for the Boeing Corporation's Network and Space Systems branch. He is a member of the Board for the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. He is responsible for ongoing research projects between Syracuse University and the Syracuse Veterans Medical Center.
Previously, Mr. Murrett was a career intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, serving in assignments throughout the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East during his thirty-four years of duty, retiring in the grade of Vice-Admiral. His duty station included service as Operational Intelligence Officer for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Assistant Naval Attaché’ at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, and Director for Intelligence, U.S. Joint Forces Command. In recent years, he also served as Vice Director for Intelligence, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Naval Intelligence, and Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Mr. Murrett holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Buffalo and a master’s degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Rev. Richard J. Prior, Jr.
Rev. Richard J. Prior, Jr. is the pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Vestal and Our Lady of Good Counsel in Endicott, N.Y. A graduate of St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Fr. Prior was ordained to the priesthood in 2001.
Allison Spaulding, LCSW
Allison Spauldingis the Director of Residential and Community-Based Operations for Elmcrest in Syracuse, NY.
Ms. Spaulding has worked with and for children and families since 2002. Responsibilities included providing home-based clinical services to at-risk children and families and clinical services to children and families impacted by sexual abuse. In 2006, Ms. Spaulding became Program Director of the Family Transitions Program, managing a community-based, specialized sexual abuse treatment program for families impacted by sexual abuse, focusing on children who sexually act out.
In 2011, Ms. Spaulding was promoted to Director of Residential and Community-Based Programming, focusing on specialized sexual abuse services. She was responsible for managing two critical care residential programs for adolescent males with trauma histories and sexual behaviors. Ms. Spaulding’s responsibilities increased in 2013 in her role as director. She now oversees Elmcrest's program operations for youth residential programming and county-funded community-based programs. This entails oversight of nine “Critical Care” level residential programs, an Agency-Operated Boarding Home, a 14-bed Emergency Respite Program, a 12-bed Non-Secure Detention Center, a family visitation program, and a discharge and support services program for residential youth. She is also responsible for specialized sexual abuse services for residential and community-based services serving 72 youth and families living in Onondaga County.
Ms. Spaulding has experience co-facilitating adult sex offender treatment groups and counseling adult sex offenders. She is also a Children and Families Institute for Research, Support, and Training (FIRST) trainer for Fordham University.
Ms. Spaulding has a Masters Degree in Social Work from Syracuse University and sits on the Onondaga County District Advisory Council.