Mr. Duarte has 20 years of experience in the field of Child Welfare; he began his career in 2002 as a social worker in Philadelphia's Department of Human Services conducting child abuse and neglect investigations. He later held various management positions in the same organization, including supervisor, program analyst and division administrator. As his current role of Executive Director for the Office of Children and Youth, Mr. Duarte is responsible for all child welfare operations, including programatic, fiscal and administrative functions. During the course of his career, Mr. Duarte has witnessed the negative effects Substance Use Disorder (SUD) has on children and families and has welcomed the opportunity to connect with other child welfare professionals to share his experience and help first responders assist families struggling with SUD and connect them to treatment. Mr. Duarte, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is fluent in English and Spanish and holds a Master's degree in Social Work and an MBA with a concentration in Finance Management.