The National Sexual Assault Conference® (NSAC) is always our favorite part of the summer. Each year, we co-host the conference with ValorUS, taking turns hosting on the East Coast and the West Coast. This year, it was our turn to bring friends, colleagues, and fellow advocates from across the country to D.C. to reaffirm our collective commitment to sexual violence prevention and education. 1,339 of attendees joined us at the Washington Hilton for three days of learning, networking and standing by our shared vision of a future without sexual harassment, assault, and abuse. The conference theme “United in Purpose, Committed to Action” reflected our shared responsibility to turn knowledge, relationships, and collective resolve into meaningful action that strengthens the movement to end sexual violence.
For those who did not have the opportunity to join us, we thought we’d share some of our highlights from this year’s conference.
Plenary Speakers
The plenary sessions are a space we feel immense pride in. It’s a communal moment at our conference where advocates and attendees from all walks of life can gather to hear some of the most inspiring people in our movement. This year, we had the distinct privilege of uplifting two remarkable speakers.
First Speaker: Liz Stein
Liz Stein, Human Trafficking Specialist and Survivor Advocate, drew on both her personal experience and advocacy work in the Epstein case to examine how sexual violence is misunderstood, misidentified, and too often minimized, even within professional spaces. She is a prominent voice in the Epstein case, having led public education and policy work around the Epstein Files Transparency Act, advocating for its passage and the full, timely release of all records essential to uncovering the truth.
“It was so special to have Liz Stein be our first speaker at the conference,” Respect Together CEO Yolanda Edrington reflected. “Her courage, tenacity, and commitment to the truth are inspiring. She’s an incredibly important part of our movement, and I was thrilled to hear her speak at a conference that means so much to our team.”
Second Speaker: Meghna Bhat
Meghna Bhat, Ph.D., is an award-winning creative disruptor, independent culture-change consultant, and storytelling artist based in California. With more than 20 years of experience working in diverse community spaces, Meghna has partnered with organizations nationwide to explore how storytelling and the arts, when facilitated with care and intention, can spark critical conversations and shift culture.
“Meghna Bhat is someone I’ve long admired in the movement,” National Sexual Violence Resource Center COO Jennifer Grove remarked. “The most terrifying yet gratifying part of a survivor’s journey is learning how to tell their story to the people they trust the most on their own terms. How she helps others find their voice to tell their stories is vital, and I’m so glad attendees got to see this aspect of her work during her presentation.”
Remarks from Tarana Burke
Tarana Burke is a titan in the sexual violence prevention and education movement, so of course we were thrilled to see her on our stage this year! She walked up to the podium with a smile and told us her work is continuing. In front of over a thousand advocates, she announced that the first day of NSAC was also the official start of the 2026 Our Survivors Vote campaign. This campaign is the latest effort in the Survivor’s Agenda, an initiative to show that survivors are a powerful voting bloc whose needs all candidates must address. They are currently seeking survivors to sign their pledge, available below.
“I pledge to:
- Amplify the voices of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, ensuring that their experiences and perspectives are at the forefront of decision-making processes.
- Demand a clear commitment to addressing the issues that affect survivors of SGBV.
- Advocate for survivors at every point and ensure they have access to the resources needed to heal and thrive.
- Uplift survivors, and work towards creating a society where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.”
Representing the Survivor Justice Network, she said, “I have never been more motivated than I am now. We build movements to move people…and to move ourselves. I cannot get up every day and do this work without believing that we can do it, and I hope you believe that too.”
Our Workshops
Of course, this conference would be nothing without the workshops! We held 130 workshops across 8 sessions over 3 days covering a wide range of topics. From the presenters of these workshops to the interpreters who ensured their accessibility, the IT teams that kept them running smoothly, the monitors who ensured all workshop needs were met, and the attendees who engaged in these necessary conversations, we want to extend our wholehearted thanks to them all for making these spaces so special.
Gail Burns-Smith Award Winners
NSVRC and the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA) were pleased to honor Tom Leversee and Angela Luna with the 2026 Gail-Burns Smith Award. Presented jointly by ATSA and NSVRC, the award is named in honor of Gail Burns-Smith, one of the first advocates to recognize and speak publicly about the importance of collaboration between victim advocates and those working in sex offender management to effectively prevent child sexual abuse.
Leversee, with 34 years under his belt in clinical and administrative positions in the Colorado Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) and a current practice primarily focused on consultation, training, and clinical services for adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior, and Luna, a Victim Assistance Coordinator with the Nueces County Juvenile Probation Department, were honored during our first plenary and spoke briefly about what it meant to them to receive this recognition in the field they’ve dedicated their career to. They will receive their physical awards at ATSA’s conference later this year, so we hope you’ll continue sending them well-deserved congratulations if you’re attending!
Creating a Space for All
Respect Together’s top priority when hosting NSAC is ensuring all attendees feel safe and welcome. Our commitment to that value included our wellness room (with a therapy dog), lactation areas, and all-gender restroom options.
We also wanted space between hard conversations for easy networking and learning, which is why we had 25 exhibitors in our exhibit hall and a photo booth for attendees to remember their time with us.
This year’s conference is one we won’t soon forget. If you have any thoughts on NSAC 2026, please keep an eye out for our post-conference survey. If you did not receive it in your inbox, please reach out to NSAC@respecttogether.org.
Thank you once again to everyone who turned out this year. We can’t wait to see you all next year in San Francisco!