Our Team.

Robert J. Peters, Esq.

Robert J. Peters is the Director of Institutional Response at GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment). rior to GRACE, Robert developed and delivered training, tools, and technical assistance to child abuse prosecutors and allied professionals across the United States through work with Zero Abuse Project and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). He is the creator of the STARK (Stopping Technology-Facilitated Abuse of Rural Kids) Prosecutor Symposium, and led the development of NOVA (Nexus for Open-Source Virtual Assistance), an open-source intelligence tool for law enforcement. For nearly a decade, Robert assisted GRACE by designing comprehensive child protection policies and serving as a civil investigator of abuse in the context of faith communities.

Mr. Peters served as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney and Special Prosecutor in multiple West Virginia jurisdictions, where he specialized in the prosecution of sexual offenses, online child exploitation, and juvenile crime. Robert authored several child protection-related articles in peer-reviewed publications, including the Florida Journal of International Law, Mitchell Hamline Law Review, Handbook on Interpersonal Violence Across the Lifespan, and Christian Ethics Today. While in law school, Peters clerked at the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia.

Mr. Peters is the founder of SHIELD Task Force, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that partners with Child Advocacy Centers and local stakeholders to encourage reporting of sexual abuse and online safety. This initiative has brought age-appropriate abuse prevention education to thousands of school-aged children and numerous civic and community groups. Mr. Peters also serves on the WV Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) Board of Directors and WV Human Trafficking Task Force. In 2019, Robert received the WV State Police Center for Children’s Justice Extra Mile Award for demonstrated professional leadership and personal commitment in going the Extra Mile on behalf of children and families.