Update on Child Advocates of Nevada County

Update on Child Advocates of Nevada County
Feb 12, 2026 12:15 PM
Nicole McNeely and Team
Update on Child Advocates of Nevada County

Child Advocates ~ Empowering and protecting children of Nevada County

We advocate for the wellbeing of children by disrupting cycles of abuse, giving children a voice, and supporting families in raising healthy children.

Nicole McNeely has served as the Executive Director of Child Advocates of Nevada County (CANC) since the fall of 2022, where she leads the organization’s strategic vision, fundraising, and community partnerships. During her tenure, she has strengthened board governance, guided long-term planning, and increased the organization’s budget through expanded donor engagement and government contract support.

Nicole previously served as Executive Director of the Food Bank of Nevada County, leading the organization through the height of COVID-19, Snowmageddon, and multiple other community-wide disasters. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics Education from Chico State and completed the Executive Director Academy through the Center for Nonprofit Leadership in 2023. A lifelong Nevada County resident of 45 years, Nicole is the proud mom of three boys and is deeply committed to advocating for children and families in her community.

Melinda Douros graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English Literature and an abiding interest in mentoring, nurturing, and educating young people. She has been active in various youth and educational organizations while raising five children, both biological and adopted, with her husband of 45 years. Acquainted with the challenges of trauma, loss, and grief in the lives of children, Melinda has pursued training opportunities in related fields of knowledge for over 25 years. Melinda served on the Board of Directors for Heartsent Adoptions, Inc. for 16 years and in 2010 joined the staff of Child Advocates of Nevada County. After directing the Child Safety Puppeteers program for two years, she moved to the position of Program Manager for CASA where she has served since. Her focus remains on providing a well-trained, supported, effective, and committed CASA for every child who needs one. Melinda also serves as chair of the Juvenile Justice/ Delinquency Prevention Commission for Nevada County and is a member of the Critical Incidents Citizen's Review Panel for the state of CA.

Anne Greco trained to become a CASA volunteer 14  years ago and has served 8 foster youth, aged 3 to 18, as a volunteer.  In 2015 she joined the staff of Child Advocates as a CASA Case Manager, where she supervised foster youth advocacy in dependency court.  In 2019, Nevada County joined one of the few programs in California to serve delinquency youth, which Anne developed with local judges, the DA’s office and probation.  Today, she is the Youth Justice Program Manager.  In addition to managing and continuing to build the delinquency side of the CASA program, Anne oversees a new program, called One 2 One, which focuses on prevention and serves at-risk youth who are referred by schools and community partners.