ST. JOSEPH — Berrien County District 5 Commissioner Gloria Gillespie has been awarded the 2010 Ernestine Moore Justice for Children Award by the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Commissioner Jeannette Leahey recognized Gillespie’s award during her commissioner report at Thursday’s board meeting in St. Joseph.

The award is presented to individuals for outstanding service to and on behalf of children and families in Michigan.

Gillespie co-founded Assault Recovery Associates, providing training and consulting services statewide to legal, human services, educational, law enforcement and medical agencies in the area of sexual abuse.

She also assisted in the development of Michigan’s Forensic Interviewing Protocol, helping to ensure that the proper methods of child interviewing became a common practice among professionals in the child abuse and neglect field.

In her career, Gillespie has worked as a juvenile court probation officer, department of human services caseworker, a counselor in schools and a therapist in private practice.