Archbishop Broglio Appoints Members to the National Review Board

WASHINGTON – Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has appointed three new members to serve on the National Review Board (NRB). He also renewed the appointment for a current member to serve a second term. The NRB advises the U.S. bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and was established as part of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive set of procedures established and adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

In his letter to the newly appointed members, Archbishop Broglio underscored the importance of the NRB, saying that it plays a vital role as a consultative body assisting the bishops in ensuring the complete implementation and accountability of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

The three new NRB members are as follows:

Dr. Paulette Adams is a tenured professor emeritus from the University of Louisville School of Nursing. She practiced and taught in the profession of nursing from 1964-2008. She received her BSN and MAT from Spalding University and EdD in Higher Education from University of Kentucky. Dr. Adams is a registered license nurse in Kentucky. She taught nursing in three hospital schools of nursing, at Jefferson Community College and 33 years at the University of Louisville School of Nursing. For 25 years, Dr. Adams was a nurse legal consultant on malpractice cases working for numerous law firms in Kentucky and Ohio. She reviewed cases and testified as a nurse expert witness. Dr. Adams, a founding member of St. Michael Parish in 1974, served on numerous committees, and campaigns. On an archdiocesan level – Dr. Adams chaired the Peace and Justice Commission, honored by the Catholic Education Foundation in 1996. Dr. Adams has served on the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Sexual Abuse Review Board since its establishment in 2002 to present.

Scott Surette is a devoted husband to his wife of 26 years, Audrey, and he is also a devoted father to their five children. He was born and raised Catholic in central Indiana. Mr. Surette has been a home inspector for 41 years. He now owns and operates his own home inspection business. His father gave to Mr. Surette his home inspection career as well as his love for Jesus through the Catholic Church. Mr. Surette came to his local diocesan review board in the diocese of Lafayette in Indiana as a result of being fully healed from the clergy sexual abuse he suffered when he was 15 years old.  After 40 years of living in pain and denial, he came to understand that the priestly sexual abuse he suffered was at the core of his pain. At age 55, Mr. Surette sought understanding and healing through his local diocese in Lafayette, Indiana. Through counseling provided by the diocese and an intensely healing meeting with Bishop Timothy L. Doherty of the Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana, Mr. Surette believes he was given a vision of his abuser through the eyes of Christ. Christ did not view this man with anger and vengeance, but with sorrowful compassion and pity for his lost soul. Christ showed Mr. Surette how this man was a hurt, wounded and lost soul. Mr. Surette was able to fully forgive his abusive priest, who is now deceased. Mr. Surette’s paradigm regarding this man changed from anger and vengeance to compassion and forgiveness and Mr. Surette now routinely prays for this man’s eternal soul. This healing and peace have touched every aspect of Mr. Surette’s life, and he now wishes to bring this total paradigm shift from anger and vengeance to healing and forgiveness to the Church to help the Church recover from the deep wounds that the sexual abuse scandals have caused.

Barbara Thorp, MSW is a retired clinical social worker employed by the Archdiocese of Boston for 35 years. Ms. Thorp is the Founding Director of the Office of Pastoral Support and Outreach 2002-2012 – an outreach of trauma-informed services for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, family members and parishes. Ms. Thorp assisted with the first papal meeting with clergy abuse survivors led by Cardinal Seán O’Malley with Pope Benedict XVI in April 2008. Ms. Thorp was the Director of the Pro-Life Office for the Archdiocese of Boston from 1985-2002. She initiated Project Rachel for the Archdiocese of Boston as an outreach to persons suffering in the aftermath of abortion and served for many years as a board member for the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing. Presently, Ms. Thorp is a Board member for Awake – A community of abuse survivors, concerned Catholics and allies responding to the wounds of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Ms. Vivian M. Akel, LCSW, has been reappointed for a second term as member of the NRB. Ms. Akel is a Clinical Social Worker (retired) and Spiritual Director currently holding the position of Safe Environment Coordinator for the Maronite Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn as well as Seminary Formator and Pre-Cana facilitator. Ms. Akel has been a member of the USCCB’s National Review Board for Child and Youth Protection since June 2020. Prior experience includes 21 years with the New York City Department of Education as a School Social Worker providing all aspects of Social Work Services with school age children, parents and educators. In addition, Vivian held the position of Director of Social Work in an acute care medical center supervising social workers providing services to patients, families and medical personnel. She began her career working in a Community Mental Health Center in Brooklyn, New York providing psychotherapy to individual patients, couples and families and maintained a private practice until her retirement in 2014. Vivian received a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Hunter College’s School of Social Work and a certification in Spiritual Direction at Fairfield University’s Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality. She has been married for 38 years and has 2 adult children.

Details regarding the National Review Board, its functions and other members can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/about/child-and-youth-protection/the-national-review-board.cfm.

###