National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Names New Chief Operating Officer

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) announced today that John Rabun will be retiring from his position as executive vice president and chief operating officer after 28 years with the organization.  He will be succeeded by Linda Krieg who will become vice president and chief operating officer of the organization in March.

Rabun was the first employee of NCMEC and has been with the organization since it was created in 1984.  During his 28 years as chief operating officer he has been responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the organization including the core programs and services offered to law enforcement and others on missing child and sexual exploitation cases.  He was the creator of the hospital infant abduction training program and has authored numerous articles on the subject as well as the book For Healthcare Professionals:  Guidelines on Prevention of and Response to Infant Abductions.  For 20 years he has provided consultation and on-site assessment and training for nearly 1,000 hospitals, national nursing associations, hospital security associations and law enforcement, including more than 62,000 personnel.  These programs have virtually eliminated the problem of hospital infant abduction.

"John has been the heart and soul of NCMEC.  He helped design its operations in 1984 and has guided them ever since," said Ernie Allen, president and CEO of NCMEC.  "For John, this was more than a job, it was a mission.  His dedication touched the lives of thousands of children.  He will be missed."

Linda Krieg joins NCMEC following a long career with the FBI.  She joined the FBI as a special agent in 1990 and worked in a number of areas including the White Collar Crime program, the Chicago Violent Crimes Task Force and in senior positions at FBI Headquarters.  She was a founding member and team leader of the Chicago Evidence Response Team where she led the team during several major crime scene investigations including the 1998 Embassy bombing in Nairobi, the bombing of the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, and the 1994 crash of American Eagle Flight 4184 in Indiana.  She has had extensive experience dealing with the issues of missing children and child sexual exploitation through her role as supervisory special agent in the FBI Crimes against Children Unit where she also served as the liaison to NCMEC.  And she served as assistant special agent in charge of the Milwaukee Division where she was responsible for Cyber and Criminal Programs and supervised the first deployment of the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team.

"We are very pleased that a true law enforcement professional like Linda will be taking John's place.  Her more than two decades at the FBI, her extensive expertise regarding crimes against children, and her knowledge of NCMEC make her an ideal choice to become NCMEC's new chief operating officer," said Allen. 

Krieg was hired by NCMEC in 2010 as assistant executive vice president, Operations as part of a planned succession effort.  She has worked closely with John Rabun since that time to ensure a smooth transition.   Rabun will continue to be involved with the organization and work on special projects. 

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1984.  Designated by Congress to serve as the nation's clearinghouse, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children's hotline which has handled more than 3,472,740 calls.  It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 169,840 children.  The organization's CyberTipline has handled more than 1,343,310 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 63,291,410 child pornography images and videos.  The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.

SOURCE National Center for Missing & Exploited Children