Meet Our Keynote Speaker

Rev. Dr. Robert P. McLaughlin, MDiv, MTh, MSW, PhD

Rev. Dr. Robert P. McLaughlin, MDiv, MTh, MSW, PhD, has always had a strong passion for social justice and working for the most vulnerable members of society. Ordained in 2011 for the Archdiocese of Newark, Fr. Bob has worked in parishes, college campus ministry, and hospital chaplain ministry. In 2016, he decided to pursue his master’s and later doctoral studies in Social Work.

While studying at Fordham University and working with the Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty, he became familiar with LifeWay Network through the mentorship program WINGS (Welcoming and Inspiring New Growth as Sisters). This experience inspired him to focus his doctoral dissertation on the interdisciplinary, interagency collaboration of service providers for survivors of human trafficking as understood through the lens of complexity theory.

Recently appointed as Administrator for the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oakland, NJ, Fr. Bob continues to consult for the Beck Institute, teaches Social Work Research at Ramapo College of New Jersey, and is a leadership consultant for Catholic Leadership Institute.

Session I Speakers

Patti Pfeiffer

Speakers Bureau, NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking

Patti Pfeifer has a BA in Education and an MA in Guidance Counseling. She has been a member of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking for 8 years and serves on the Speakers Bureau. Patti has Coalition leadership roles as the Outreach Committee Co-Chair and Director of the NJ Freedom Gala.

On the Speakers Bureau, she engages audiences such as middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students, religious and community groups. Patti also serves on the Education Committee where she helped develop human trafficking lesson plans for teachers/parents which are available at https://www.safernjlessons.org. In her spare time, Patti is an avid gardener and nature enthusiast.

Session II Speakers

Rolidel Czekajlo, LSW

Senior Director of Services, Covenant House New Jersey

Rolidel Czekajlo, LSW is the Senior Director of Services at Covenant House New Jersey. In her current role, she supervises the Statewide Human Trafficking Victim Services Program which provides case management and case coordination to survivors across the State, and support to Law Enforcement agencies to help meet the needs of victims. Rolidel also supervises the Street Outreach team for Covenant House NJ and Essex County Youth Coordinated Entry. She is a Consultant with the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance. In her 19 years of supervising direct care workers, she has expertise in case management, human trafficking, and crisis intervention.

Working for Covenant House New Jersey since 2004, she has held various positions and spent 14 years supervising the Crisis Shelter in Newark, New Jersey. Before coming to Covenant House New Jersey, she was a Child Protective Service Investigator, in the State of Pennsylvania.

Rolidel has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University at Albany, SUNY, and earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University in 2009. She is licensed as a social worker in the State of New Jersey, and graduated from the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy, a training program provided by the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center and the Coro Institute.

Kaitlyn Zedalis, LSW, LCADC

Associate Director of Research, Learning, & Advocacy, Covenant House Action & Research Tank (CHART), Covenant House New Jersey

Kaitlyn Zedalis, MSW, LSW, LCADC, is the Associate Director of Research, Learning, & Advocacy for Covenant House Action and Research Tank (CHART) at Covenant House New Jersey, where she oversees agency initiatives related to research, program evaluation, data analysis, and advocacy.

Working for Covenant House New Jersey since 2017, Kaitlyn previously served as the Behavioral Health Specialist for the Atlantic City sites, addressing young people’s mental health and substance abuse needs, and conducting human trafficking assessments. Kaitlyn has worked in the behavioral health field since 2011 in a variety of settings including a corrections facility, school-based counseling program, and addictions treatment centers. In 2023, Kaitlyn co-authored published research on the topic of labor trafficking by forced criminality. Kaitlyn is a subject matter expert for the National Human Trafficking Training & Technical Assistance Center, and has assisted organizations across North America on the topics of human trafficking screening and assessment, trauma informed care, and best practices for serving victims of human trafficking.

Kaitlyn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Stockton University. She is a Licensed Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the State of New Jersey, and is an Adjunct Professor of Social Work at Stockton University.

Session III Speakers

Peter DeNigris, Psy.D.

Dr. Peter DeNigris earned his Psy.D. in clinical psychology in 2004 from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) at Rutgers University. His general practice includes evaluating and treating adolescents and adults using a cognitive-behavioral approach. Two of Dr. DeNigris’ primary areas of interest include anxiety and mood disorders. An additional area of specialty is forensic psychology, including therapy with those involved in the legal system.

Many of Dr. DeNigris’ clinical experiences involve working with adolescents who have experienced trauma. His research includes developing and implementing a model for treating adolescents affected by trauma who were resistant to traditional modes of psychotherapy. The model, called “Community-Based Intervention for Trauma-Affected Adolescents (CITA),” was applied to adolescents who were directly affected by the terrorism at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Dr. DeNigris remains active with traumatic response.

In addition, Dr. DeNigris is a member of the Medical Staff at Morristown Medical Center. When not engaged in clinical service, Dr. DeNigris was the 2022 President of the New Jersey Psychological Association and is Past President of the Alumni Organization at the Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology at Rutgers University.

Susan Neigher, Ph.D.

Susan Neigher, Ph.D., is a founding member of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking and serves as Vice President of the Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Speakers Bureau and is part of the Evaluation Team of the Healthcare Committee. Dr. Neigher is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Chester, N.J. She graduated cum laude from Cornell University and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University. For over 45 years, Dr. Neigher has worked therapeutically with adults, children, adolescents, and families. Her specialties include helping people with chronic illness, chronic pain, and physical disability. She is a past president of the Morris County Psychological Association.

Beyond her clinical practice, she has developed programs to combat prejudice, to promote inter-group relations in communities, and to help refugees resettle successfully in the United States. In recognition of this work, she has been awarded the Hannah G. Solomon Award by the National Council of Jewish Women. Dr. Neigher represents the West Morris Section of the National Council of Jewish Women at NJCAHT.