Cynthia Terlouw (CeCe) has dedicated her life to the development and advancement of others.
Cynthia (CeCe) Terlouw
Founder and Executive Director
Terebinth Refuge
Raised in Arden Hills, MN, CeCe graduated from Mounds View H. S. and received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Minnesota, where she received her B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation and a dance minor. After graduation, her passion for helping others led to positions at the Home of the Good Shepherd, Outreach Group Homes, and the Hennepin County Home School.
CeCe joined Heartland Girls Ranch in 1992. During her near 24 year tenure, her responsibilities encompassed everything from operations to program development. She was named HGR's Executive Director in 2008, and Executive Director of Strategic Development in 2015. Under her leadership, Heartland became a model program recognized throughout the state for at-risk and sexually exploited/trafficked girls.
CeCe has served on the Safe Harbor Statewide Director Advisory Panel and is an active member of the Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. She is certified in the My Life, My Choice curriculum for sexually exploited youth and has completed the Executive Director Leadership Program through the University of St. Thomas. CeCe co-authored “Heartland Girls’ Ranch Hearts for Freedom Project: A Resource Guide for Working with Sexually Exploited Youth & Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Law”, and has also written her own curriculum, designed specifically for sexually exploited girls. CeCe is frequently invited to speak on human trafficking and the hope of restoration for exploited women.
