Our annual conference is ultimately about the people who make this community what it is. Each year, we welcome first-time attendees alongside members who have been part of ATSA for decades. To our knowledge, no one has been part of that journey longer than Jill Levenson, who has attended 33 consecutive ATSA Annual Conferences. We asked Jill to reflect on what has kept her coming back year after year. Her reflections capture not only how our field has evolved, but also the relationships, shared learning, and sense of community that continue to make gathering together so meaningful.
— Amber Schroeder, Executive Director, ATSA
In 1993, a flyer arrived at our agency announcing an ATSA conference and inviting people to become members. We didn't know much about the organization or the field at the time, but we joined anyway and attended our first conference in 1994 in San Francisco. This was before online databases and instant downloads. We spent hours in university libraries searching for journal articles, making photocopies, and trying to learn everything we could about sexual offense-specific treatment.
We were reading the work of pioneers like Richard Laws, William L. Marshall, and Gene Abel. Then suddenly, there they were, standing in an elevator with us. We were completely starstruck. And the Parc 55 Hotel was the most glamorous hotel we'd ever seen! We nudged each other in disbelief. "That's the guy who wrote that article we just read!"
What struck us even more than their scholarship was how genuinely nice and approachable everyone was. They patiently answered questions, shared ideas, and welcomed newcomers. That spirit of openness has remained one of the defining characteristics of ATSA.
Acquaintances across the globe have become lifelong friends.
Thirty-three consecutive conferences later, ATSA continues to be the highlight of my professional year. I come for the ever-evolving science, the thoughtful conversations, the innovative ideas, and the spirited debates that challenge us to think differently. I come to reflect and connect with colleagues who understand the complexity of this work and who continually inspire me to grow.
But I also come for the friendships. Over the years, acquaintances across the globe have become lifelong friends. There is something deeply comforting about being surrounded by people who share a commitment to compassion, evidence, and preventing harm. We belong to a unique community that isn't always understood by others, but that is united by a common purpose. And of course, I also come for the good food, the fun, the chance to visit new cities, and the silly moments of camaraderie in a serious field.
Every conference is an opportunity to learn from one another, mentor the next generation, process shared experiences, and continue shifting the paradigm toward approaches that are more effective, more humane, and more grounded in science. Collectively, we advocate for public safety, prevention, healing, accountability, recovery, restoration, evidence-based practice, trauma-informed care, social justice, and human rights for all.
Over thirty-three consecutive conferences, ATSA has been more to me than an annual meeting. It has been my professional home, a place where I've learned, taught, questioned, laughed, led, and perhaps most importantly, found my people.
— Jill
A longtime ATSA member, reflecting on 33 consecutive years of conferences.
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