By Dr. Ainslie Heasman, President of the ATSA Board of Directors
As I enter my final month as President of ATSA, I’ve been reflecting
deeply on the past two years - what we’ve accomplished together and the
important work still ahead. Serving this organization has been one of the
greatest professional honors of my career, and it is with pride, gratitude, and
optimism that I share this update with you.
When my term began, we were welcoming a new Executive Director after a
thoughtful and strategic assessment of our organization’s strengths,
challenges, and opportunities. That transition marked the beginning of a period
of meaningful evolution for ATSA. Over these two years, we have sharpened our
focus, strengthened our foundations, and positioned ourselves to lead - confidently
and visibly - in a global landscape that urgently needs evidence-informed
voices.
ATSA has always existed to represent and support our members. Today, that
mission is more vital than ever. Our field faces rapid shifts in local,
national, and international policy. We are navigating an era where the role of
science is being questioned and where prevention efforts are too often
misunderstood or overshadowed. Yet we are also a community of nearly 3,000
people - students, researchers, clinicians, supervisors, policymakers,
advocates, and law enforcement professionals - who carry an extraordinary
amount of expertise and influence.
And I have long believed: ATSA must take up more space.
We do not simply participate in conversations about preventing sexual violence.
We have the knowledge, the experience, and the responsibility to shape
those conversations. Over the past two years, we have moved decisively toward
that role.
At every decision point, the Board has asked itself a simple but powerful
question:
“Does this align with our mission?”
That values-based approach has ensured that our actions reflect not only who we
are, but who we aspire to be. It has made us more intentional, more strategic,
and more unified as we position ATSA for the future.
I want to highlight just a few of the major developments that reflect
this collective effort:
A Strategic Plan with Clarity and
Purpose
We developed a streamlined strategic plan that sharpens ATSA’s priorities
and provides a clearer path forward. This plan centers our mission, strengthens
our organizational structure, and guides us toward meaningful impact.
Chapter Realignment - A Renewed
Commitment to Local Leadership
Local representation is essential to ATSA’s reach and relevance. They are
our eyes, ears, and leadership on the ground. We know we have not always
supported Chapters as well as we should have. Over the past few months, we
launched a full chapter realignment process - including surveys, listening
sessions, and consultation with an external partner - to better understand what
Chapters need to thrive.
In 2026, we will renew, rebuild, and reinvigorate our chapter system so that
ATSA and its Chapters can work in true partnership, amplifying local and
national voices and strengthening our collective influence.
A Strategic Research Agenda - A Bold
New Direction
ATSA has always been home to exceptional researchers and to practice
leaders who translate that research into real-world change. Now, for the first
time, we are developing a formal Strategic Research Agenda.
Through this work, ATSA will:
- champion
increased global research funding,
- identify gaps
and emerging needs,
- foster stronger
connections between science and practice, and
- build new
partnerships that elevate the prevention of sexual violence worldwide.
The first meeting of this initiative will take place next month in
Toronto - a milestone that reflects both our ambition and our commitment to
shaping the future of the field.
On a personal note, I cannot close this message without reflecting on
what ATSA has meant in my own journey. I still remember attending my first ATSA
conference as a student in the early 2000s, watching from afar the people whose
work shaped the field - and who would later become my colleagues and
collaborators. From that very first conference, I knew this was a community I
wanted to belong to. A community of people committed to safety, to science, to
compassion, and to prevention.
ATSA influenced not just my professional development, but the direction
of my career. It was through ATSA - through conversations at conferences,
through colleagues who pushed the field forward - that I came to believe in the
importance of reaching people before harm occurs. That belief ultimately
led to my current work with Talking for Change in Canada, where we support
individuals who are at risk of causing sexual harm. That work exists because
ATSA created the space for innovation, for curiosity, and for courage.
And I know that today, there are students and early-career professionals
attending ATSA events who will, years from now, write their own reflections on
how this organization shaped their path. That is the legacy we carry - and the
legacy we continue to build.
I am proud of where we are. I am even more excited about where we are
going.
On January 1, 2026, I will pass the presidency baton to Professor Simon
Hackett, whose leadership, expertise, and vision will continue to strengthen
and grow our organization. I look forward to serving ATSA for one final year on
the Board as Immediate Past President and supporting this ongoing work.
Preventing sexual violence takes a village. It takes collaboration across
disciplines, sectors, and countries. It takes people who believe in science, in
evidence, in accountability, and in the possibility of change.
For over two decades, I have been honoured to be part of the ATSA
village. Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your unwavering
commitment to making our communities safer.
Our work is far from finished - but we are stronger, more prepared, and
more united than ever.
And I cannot wait to see what we will achieve together.
