Cresenzo Consulting and Mediation is a consulting and professional services practice focused on helping legal professionals, organizations, and institutions navigate complex matters where military and civilian systems intersect. The work centers on sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic violence, retaliation, institutional accountability, and jurisdictional complexity—particularly in military-connected cases.
Founded by Ruth Cresenzo, J.D., Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army, Ret.), the practice is intentionally collaborative. Ruth works alongside attorneys, advocates, and organizations as a strategic partner—bringing institutional fluency, operational insight, and cross-system perspective to matters where missteps can create lasting harm.
Qualifications & Experience
- 30+ years of combined civilian and military legal experience
- 24 years as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army/ Army National Guard (Lieutenant Colonel, Ret.)
- 10+ years in senior leadership roles developing, managing, and mentoring attorneys and legal professionals
- 10 years designing, implementing, and resourcing national-level victim-representation programs
- 80+ survivors represented directly as a Special Victims’ Counsel in sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic violence matters
- 500+ clients served through leadership and oversight of the National Guard Special Victims’ Counsel Program
- 12 states and territories, and 30+ attorneys and staff overseen as Senior Regional and Deputy Program Manager, NG SVC Program
- National architect and resourcing lead for expansion of the National Guard Special Victims’ Counsel Program following the Fort Hood Independent Review Commission
- 7+ years as a civilian practitioner in family law, juvenile law, immigration, criminal law, and international child abduction (Hague Convention)
- Decades of cross-system experience spanning military justice, administrative law, civilian courts, investigations, and victim services
- Investigator in complex investigations
- Extensive training and teaching experience, including CLEs, military certification courses, national conferences, and interdisciplinary audiences.
Specialized Expertise
- Military justice and command processes
- Sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic violence response systems
- Retaliation, reprisal, and institutional accountability
- Military records analysis and corrections boards (BCMR/BCNR)
- MST/PTSD-related matters and VA claims navigation (consulting and systems support)
- Military jurisdiction, family law jurisdiction, UCCJEA, and Hague Convention cases involving military-connected families
- Trauma-informed investigations and interviewing
- Program design, policy development, and implementation
How Ruth Works
- Collaborative — works alongside existing legal and organizational teams
- Trauma-informed — centers safety, dignity, and survivor agency
- Systems-aware — grounded in how systems actually function
- Solutions focused — practical, strategic, and prevention-oriented
Background & Experience
Ruth was commissioned in 2000 as the first female Judge Advocate in the North Carolina Army National Guard. Before military service, she practiced juvenile, immigration, and family law; co-founded the North Carolina Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice and Children’s Rights Section; chaired her county’s Juvenile Crime Prevention Council; and launched a nonprofit serving at-risk youth.
During 24 years in uniform, Ruth deployed to Kuwait and Egypt, with additional assignments in Alaska, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and National Guard Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Her final decade of service centered on victim legal advocacy—beginning as one of the National Guard's inaugural Special Victims' Counsel (SVC), then serving as Regional and Senior Regional SVC, and later as Deputy Program Manager for the National Guard Bureau's SVC Program, which she helped develop, structure, and secure resourcing.
Drawing on this systems-level experience, Ruth now provides consulting, education, and trauma-informed mediation in select civil matters, particularly where military and civilian systems intersect.
She holds credentials as a Special Victims’ Counsel, Special Victims’ Investigator, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Title IX Investigator/Coordinator, and advanced credentialed victim advocate. Her work has been nationally recognized, including the American Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award for Legal Assistance to Military Personnel.
Outside her professional work, Ruth lives in North Carolina and values family, community, and time outdoors. Shaped by years of military life across multiple states and overseas, she brings a practical, real-world perspective to complex jurisdictional and family-law matters—and, in quieter moments, tends a small flock of backyard chickens.
Bridging Systems - Not Replacing Counsel
When matters involve sexual assault, harassment, or domestic violence, survivors are represented by their own attorneys. Ruth does not replace counsel. She works alongside litigation teams, victim-representation attorneys, military entities, and civilian organizations—helping translate military processes, align strategy across systems, and reduce common blind spots that can create secondary harm.
Relationship to CHANCE
CHANCE is a North Carolina nonprofit dedicated to empowering crime victims and strengthening the enforcement of victims’ rights through legal advocacy, education, and training. Its initial focus is on military-connected victims—supporting cross-system navigation between military and civilian processes and building capacity among attorneys and advocates. While CHANCE continues to develop, it serves as a complementary nonprofit platform focused on access, education, and targeted pro bono or reduced-fee support in select cases, and to assist military Victim Counsel to fill gaps and answer questions.