True success is not found in a single win — but built by steady, small steps taken over time. No one’s journey reflects this truth more clearly than Amanda VanHoozer’s.
May 2026 marks Amanda’s 30th Anniversary at the Center. She is an extraordinary individual whose contributions over the past three decades have helped craft the Center for Child Protection into what it is today. But to truly understand her impact, we have to go back to the very beginning.
In the Beginning
Before joining the Center, Amanda worked for the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). She started in 1990 as an Investigator. Although child welfare wasn’t originally on her radar, Amanda fell in love with the work.
As fate would have it, Amanda’s original DFPS position was created in response to the same tragic incident that sparked the inception of the Center for Child Protection: Christopher Wohlers’ death. In 1991, Amanda was formally introduced to the Center when her team was chosen as a test unit to represent DFPS in a new multidisciplinary approach to child abuse investigations: the Travis County Child Protection Team (CPT).
Like many CPT members at the time, she was hesitant about the multidisciplinary approach. It was hard to imagine how having so many hands involved wouldn’t make investigations more difficult, but she quickly began to see the results.
CPT partners began attending multidisciplinary staffing meetings (MDS) coordinated by the Center at a little house in East Austin. By providing a neutral place to review their cases, the Center helped agencies realize that they all shared the same goal: to support children and families during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases.
“Having so many eyes on your work was scary and uncomfortable,” Amanda recalled. “But being held more accountable was a good thing. It meant less was missed. It meant we were more supported. When we realized we were all on the same team, it allowed us to make our cases stronger.”
Amanda participated in CPT as an Investigator until 1994, when she became an Investigations Supervisor. In this position, she continued to sit in on the CPT policy meetings, transport kids to the Center for forensic interviews, and attended case staffings while also managing a unit of eight caseworkers and two techs.
Joining the Center
Amanda knew she wanted to work at the Center well before she transferred.
“The Center is uniquely positioned to affect outcomes for kids,” Amanda said, “and that was important to me.”
So, when a job opened, she applied immediately. At the time, the Center was a small operation of less than ten people, and their biggest hurdle was getting agency partners to work together. Amanda’s DFPS background and relationship with the Child Protection Team made her a valuable asset — and so, in 1996, she was hired as the Center’s Program Coordinator.
From the beginning, Amanda had her hands in a little bit of everything, supporting direct service staff and CPT members from the backend so client work could continue seamlessly. She spent most of her time greeting and sitting with families as they waited for services, but she was also responsible for a wide variety of administration tasks.
“In the early days of the Center, you literally had to be a jack of all trades … there were so few of us and on any given day, you never knew what was going to be asked of you.” – Michael Torres, CEO
Amanda coordinated and scheduled MDS meetings while building relationships with CPT members and informing them about the benefits of the multidisciplinary model. In partnership with UT, she helped develop a case tracking database and then became responsible for data entry and reporting within that system. She also worked closely with the Child Fatality Review Team, conducted client survey research, submitted quarterly grant reports, ran volunteer trainings, provided orientation to prepare kids and families for court, and performed daily facility management.
Growing Together
As the Center grew, so did Amanda’s responsibilities.
“Our growth was more organic than structured,” she said. “You did what you needed to do. You took on more than you were ready for, and you learned through the process.”
Amanda became a key asset to the everyday operations at the Center. She helped develop the Center’s first Employee Handbook as well as the initial CPT Operational Guidelines. She also began supporting higher-level projects and programs, conducting community education presentations, and managing public communication on the Center’s behalf.
Eventually, many of her original responsibilities became full time positions, and she was tasked with training and overseeing these employees. In 1998, Amanda was promoted to Director of Program Services. As Director, she supervised and supported staff from clinical and forensics to data and coordination.
“Amanda quickly became the person everyone turned to when we had questions about how things worked. She provided me with a strong foundation in child welfare and gave me countless opportunities to continue learning and growing.” – Miriam Jansky, LCSW-S, Chief Clinical Officer
Not only did Amanda help build the foundations of the Center itself; she also helped build the people around her. She has always believed that meaningful impact starts with the team behind the work.
Even as a Director, she still stepped in to help manage the day-to-day. In 2008, the Center moved into its current location on FM 969, which would allow agencies across CPT to co-locate with the Center on a shared campus, increasing the efficiency of communication and client service delivery. Amanda, of course, managed the entire physical transition. Always putting client work first, her intentionality and diligence allowed for services to continue at both sites throughout the majority of the move, with only a two-day full service shut down.
For Amanda, it comes down to a commitment to the outcome, not a commitment to any specific path. That mindset allows her to step in and support those around her in whatever way they need.
Lead, Vision, Teach
Today, Amanda is the Center’s Chief Program Officer.
She remains a cornerstone for direct services, supervising all client and CPT facing leaders across the Center. As a leader of leaders, Amanda aims to strengthen each generation through mentorship and professional guidance, so that they can build up their own teams.
She also works with her department heads to identify systematic gaps and develop solutions. Recent examples include the creation of the Education Department, the Facility Dog Program, the Comprehensive Case Management Program, and the opening of our St. Johns Therapy Location.
“Amanda’s role has evolved into one of programmatic visionary and teacher.” – Michael Torres, CEO
Aside from leadership, Amanda is responsible for developing and driving vision. This includes communicating that vision to the community. Amanda is the Center’s primary programmatic spokesperson and stands as second to the CEO. She attends all our donor, fundraising, and client events and helps foster relationships with community members, CPT partners, and beyond.
Throughout her career, Amanda has also facilitated trainings and shared her expertise at local, state, and national presentations on topics like mandated reporting, multidisciplinary team enhancement, the use of facility dogs in child testimony, and child abuse prevention. She has also given legislative testimony on victim’s rights and child abuse prevention.
Celebrating 30 Years!
Amanda started her journey at the Center 30 years ago. Since then, the Center has grown from a team of ten operating out of a small East Austin house to nearly 100 employees working across three locations.
Having joined in its earliest days, Amanda didn’t just witness the Center’s evolution — she helped make it possible.
“But I didn’t do any of it by myself,” she said.
Amanda is quick to credit the Center’s success to the individuals doing the day‑to‑day work — and she’s right. But that work is only possible because of the foundation she helped build and the steady support she continues to provide.
Her fingerprints are everywhere, yet her name is attached to very little. And she prefers it that way.
“I love knowing that when I do leave, it won’t matter,” Amanda shared. “We built something that doesn’t, at the end of the day, have anything to do with me. It’s so much bigger than me.”
We are grateful to Amanda for her countless contributions. Across 30 years, her hands-on problem-solving and tireless behind-the-scenes efforts have kept the Center moving forward, allowing our teams to focus on what truly matters — serving children. The Center would not be what it is today without her leadership.
“The City of Austin and its community owe so much to Amanda. She has been a tireless ally for our most vulnerable population and a steady voice of reason when emotions run high — which they often do when the stakes are this important.”
– Miriam Jansky, LCSW-S, Chief Clinical Officer
“As someone who has literally been there from day one of the Child Protection Team, Amanda has played an instrumental role in systemically changing how children are handled by the criminal justice system here in Travis County.”
– Michael Torres, CEO
