| Time | Day 1 |
|---|---|
| 8-9 am | Registration & Breakfast |
| 9-9:15 am | Opening Remarks - Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen |
| 9:15 - 10:15 am | Keynote Speaker - Erin Merryn |
| 10:15-10:30 am | Break |
| 10:30-12:00 pm | Breakouts: Building Shared Understanding |
| 12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00-2:30 pm | Breakouts: Working Across Systems |
| 2:30-2:45 pm | Break |
| 2:45-4:15 pm | Breakouts: Justice, Voice, and Emotional Resilience |
| Time | Day 2 |
|---|---|
| 8-9 am | Breakfast |
| 9-9:15 am | Welcome back |
| 9:15 - 10:15 am | Featured Speaker - Dr. Wendy Ellis |
| 10:15-10:30 am | Break |
| 10:30-12:00 pm | Breakouts: Applied Skills for Trauma-Responsive Work |
| 12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00-2:30 pm | Breakouts: Innovation, Prevention, and Systems Change |
| 2:30-2:45 pm | Break |
| 2:45-3:45 pm | Panel Discussion: Collaborative Responses to Child Abuse in Public Schools |
| 3:45-4:00 pm | Closing Remarks |
May 11 Keynote: A Voice for the Voiceless
Presented by Erin Merryn
This keynote session deepens professionals’ understanding of the physical and emotional impact of sexual abuse on children, both during the abuse and in its aftermath. Participants will learn to recognize common warning signs that a child may be keeping sexual abuse a secret, including behavioral, emotional, and relational indicators that often go unnoticed. The session also introduces Erin’s Law, explaining its purpose and why developmentally appropriate personal body safety education is a critical, evidence-informed strategy for preventing child sexual abuse and empowering children to seek help.
May 12 Keynote: Setting Hope in Motion
Presented by Wendy Ellis, DrPH, MPH
In this keynote, Dr. Wendy Ellis introduces the Building Community Resilience (BCR) process and the groundbreaking Pair of ACEs framework, offering a powerful lens for understanding how childhood adversity and community conditions intersect to shape health, equity, and opportunity. Drawing from real-world examples across the United States and globally, Dr. Ellis demonstrates how cross-sector collaboration, spanning health, education, housing, justice, and community organizations, can align resources and strategies to create supportive environments where children and families can thrive. Participants will explore practical ways to apply community resilience concepts to their own systems, identify key partners and assets, and leverage policy and advocacy strategies that address social determinants upstream. This keynote equips attendees with a hopeful, actionable roadmap for transforming systems, advancing equity, and building the conditions for long-term resilience at both individual and community levels.
Monday, May 11 - Day 1 || Morning Breakout 10:30AM-12:00PM || Building Shared Understanding
| Presenter | Title | Sector | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megan Leader | Why Kids Stay Silent: Exploring Myths and Realities of Child Abuse Cases | Child Welfare | Lessons Learned |
| Molly Cupid | Working with Disbelieving Non Offending Caregivers | Child Welfare | Working with Survivors |
| Angelique Black McKoy | Creating Trauma-Informed Care Service Environments | Sector Neutral | Working with Survivors |
| Amanda Lee Costley, Esq | A call for Awareness and Action: Supporting Professionals Experiencing Domestic Violence | Sector Neutral | Working with Survivors |
| Crimson Barocca and Katie Gravely | Seeing Clearly Through Blind Testimony: The Role of Neutral Experts in Litigation Involving Trauma and Abuse | Legal | Lessons Learned/ Clinical Concepts and Skills |
Monday, May 11 - Day 1 || Afternoon Breakout 1:00-2:30PM || Working Across Systems
| Presenter | Title | Sector | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristen Dunn, Megan McGowan, Robin Grove | What You See is Not What I See: Understanding Each Other's Lenses to Improve Child Outcomes | Child Welfare | Multidisciplinary Approach |
| Emily Shank | Mental Health Providers and Best Interest Attorneys- We're on the same team! | Legal | Multidisciplinary Approach |
| Dr. Rebecca Carter, MD and Dr. Vicki Tepper, PhD | Collective Action for Pediatric Health Equity: Lessons from the TEAMS Model | Pediatrics | Multidisciplinary Approach/ Lessons Learned/ Programming |
| Dr. Danielle Thomas | Building a Statewide Network of Hope - The Regional Navigator Model | Sector Neutral | Multidisciplinary Approach/ Programming |
| Razia F. Kosi, EdD, LCSW-C | The Connection Catalyst: Deep Listening for a Divided Age | Sector Neutral | Skills Building |
Monday, May 11 - Day 1 || Afternoon Breakout 2:45-4:15PM || Justice, Voice, and Emotional Resilience
| Presenter | Title | Sector | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caroline Dato | Storytelling as Self-Advocacy: Survivor Speaker Programs that Advance Care | Sector Neutral | Programming/ Working with Survivors |
| Kathryn Robb | Creating Paths to Justice for Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) Survivors | Legal | Working with Survivors |
| Dr. Pamela Atueyi, PsyD, LCPC, LCADC | Steady in the Storm: Cultivating Emotional Regulation When Work Feels Overwhelming | Wellness | Professional Wellness |
| Judie Saunders | Why Are Advocates Working So Hard and Survivors Appear to be Losing? | Legal | Working with Survivors |
| Cara O'Brien, Ellen Flynn, & Avalon Brandt | Advocacy That Heals: Legal Pathways to Protect and Empower Survivors | Legal | Lessons Learned |
Tuesday, May 12 - Day 2
|| Morning Breakout 10:30AM-12:00PM
||
Applied Skills for Trauma-Responsive Work
| Presenter | Title | Sector | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicole Assi and Kirsten Johnson | The Parts We Hold: IFS Strategies for Helping Professionals | Mental Health | Clinical Concepts and Skills |
| Missy Cougnet & Natalie Klein | PSB (Problematic Sexual Behavior) - What is It, Why Does it Happen and What Can I Do? | Mental Health | Clinical Concepts and Skills |
| Sarah Bennett & Crimson Barocca | Medical Evaluation of Child Abuse within the Child Advocacy Model | Medical | Multidisciplinary approach |
Tuesday, May 12 - Day 2
||
Afternoon Breakout 1:00-2:30PM ||
Innovation, Prevention, and Systems Change
| Presenter | Title | Sector | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reva Chopra | Beyond Prosecution: What Legal Outcomes Teach us about Early Prevention | Legal | Lessons Learned |
| Jennifer Redding | Operational Wellness: Collective Strategies for Trauma-Resilient Systems | Wellness | Professional Wellness |
| Yolanda Johnson & Jeanmarie Graves | Building Trust, Community, and Partnership with Lived Experience Experts | Sector Neutral | Working with Survivors |
| Pamela Pine, PhD, MPH,RCHES | Transformative Actions: Empowering People and Communities to Combat Childhood Trauma | Sector Neutral | Working with Survivors/ Clinical Concepts and Skills |
Day 1 Afternoon Breakout (1:00-2:30) - Working Across Systems
| Presenter | Title | Sector | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristen Dunn, Megan McGowan, Robin Grove | What You See is Not What I See: Understanding Each Other's Lenses to Improve Child Outcomes | Child Welfare | Multidisciplinary Approach |
| Emily Shank | Mental Health Providers and Best Interest Attorneys- We're on the same team! | Legal | Multidisciplinary Approach |
| Dr. Rebecca Carter, MD and Dr. Vicki Tepper, PhD | Collective Action for Pediatric Health Equity: Lessons from the TEAMS Model | Pediatrics | Multidisciplinary Approach/ Lessons Learned/ Programming |
| Dr. Danielle Thomas | Building a Statewide Network of Hope - The Regional Navigator Model | Sector Neutral | Multidisciplinary Approach/ Programming |
| Razia F. Kosi, EdD, LCSW-C | The Connection Catalyst: Deep Listening for a Divided Age | Sector Neutral | Skills Building |
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Social Workers:
Harford Counseling, LLC (Provider number: 2705), is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: (1/15/26- 1/15/27). Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 9.5 credits of Category 1 Continuing Education Credits.
Contact information: Jennifer Redding, LCSW-C c/o Harford Counseling, LLC | jenniferreddinglcswc@gmail.com
All sessions have been classified as beginning level courses for the purposes of ACE.
Professional Counselors:
Collective Conversations: Setting Hope in Motion has been approved by NBCC for NBCC credit. Sessions approved for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Change the Conversation is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. NBCC Approval No. SP-5273.
Medical Professionals:
- This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Change the Conversation. The American Academy of Pediatrics is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
- AAP designates this live activity for a maximum of 9.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- This activity is acceptable for a maximum of 9.5 AAP credits. These credits can be applied toward the AAP CME/CPD Award available to Fellows and Candidate Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- PAs may claim a maximum of 9.5 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM from organizations accredited by the ACCME or a recognized state medical society.
- This program is accredited for 9.5 NAPNAP CE contact hours of which 0 hrs contain pharmacology (Rx) content, (0 related to psychopharmacology) (0 hours related to controlled substances), per the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) Continuing Education Guidelines.
- This Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 18014, for 9.5 contact hours.