CornerHouse, a Minneapolis organization that conducts hundreds of forensic interviews of child abuse victims for police and social workers, has hired a new executive director.

She is Mitzi Nelson Hobot, who was executive director of programs and organization development at American Indian OIC, a training and employment service in Minneapolis. She replaces Patricia Harmon, who retired after running CornerHouse for nearly a decade.

"If we are 'lucky' in life, we have the privilege of doing meaningful work that impacts people's lives in a positive way. If we can't create happy endings, we can certainly comfort, guide and support individuals who are coping with difficult life situations," Harmon said.

Among her accomplishments were expanding a family services department and the construction of its first satellite office in Rogers. Harmon received the Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award for Social Justice from the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

"This is an exciting opportunity to build on existing momentum to expand the positive impact of CornerHouse and its value to our constituents," said Nelson Hobot.

In Hennepin County, there were 20,674 reports of child maltreatment in 2017. CornerHouse has been "one of our greatest allies and is critical to our work," said Deputy Hennepin County Attorney Lolita Ulloa. Founded in 1989, CornerHouse serves more than 500 people a year.

David Chanen