Annual Conference At-a-Glance Agenda

Monday 06/01/2026

Welcome, 9:00 – 9:15

 Keynote Speaker, 9:15 – 10:15

  • No Safe Place: How Domestic Violence Harms Children, Andrew Campbell, CEO, Campbell Research & Consulting

Break 10:15 – 10:30

Concurrent Session 1, 10:30 – 12:00

  •  Healing Beyond Trauma: Exploring the Impact of ACEs on Mental Health, Aisha T. McDonald, LMHC

  •  The Overlapping Realities of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, John Long, VP of Abuse Services, Hope Villages of America

  •  Partners in Protection: Fundamentals of the Domestic Violence Child Welfare Initiative, Jennifer Rey, Child and Family Well-Being Coordinator, Florida Department of Children and Families

 Lunch Break, 12:00 – 1:30

 Concurrent Session 2, 1:30 – 3:00

  • Strategies for Building & Facilitating Effective Intimate Partner Violence Trainings, Emily Janas, Student, Master’s in Social Work, University of Michigan

  •  Protective Power: Communicating the Impact of Domestic Violence on Children in Ways That Empower Survivors,  Melissa Smallwood, LMHC Family Navigator Department of Children & Families

  • Bad to the Bone: The Interconnectedness of Pet Abuse, Partner Abuse and Child Abuse,  Andrew Campbell, CEO, Campbell Research & Consulting

  • Who Told Her She Wasn’t Enough? Petula Sankarsingh, MBA, CEO & Founder, VisionReady, Speaker, Strategist, Author & Podcast Host

Break, 3:00 – 3:15

 Concurrent Session 3, 3:15 – 4:45

  • Beyond Bruises: How AI Amplifies Coercive Control and Escapes Detection, Jessica Wendt Independent Writer, Researcher, and Survivor

  • Working Together for Change: A Collaborative Approach to Supporting Survivors, Erica Herman President & CEO Voices for Children of Broward County Lammy Askar Chief Program Officer Women In Distress of Broward County, Aisha T. McDonald, LMHC Director of Training, United Way of Broward County

  •  Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and How to Assist Children with Coping Skills, Brittany Willingham MPA, Domestic Violence Services Director and Barbara Beck Domestic Violence Services Coordinator, Micah’s Place

  •  When Abusers Call the Hotline, Isabella Smith, Hotline Training & Technical Assistance Specialist, FLDVC & Women In Distress

Early Monday Evening Event hosted by WiD, Women in Distress

Clocked Out, Connected In

Tuesday 06/02/2026

Concurrent Session 4, 9:00 – 10:30

  • How ACEs Shape Post-Separation Abuse and What Systems Can Do to Protect Survivors and Children, Cendie Stanford, ACEs Matter, Corp.

  • Reclaiming Financial Control: Understanding Hidden Barriers, Decision-Making, and Cognitive Bias in Survivors’ Paths to Independence, Brett Burkey, Director of Education at the Florida Council on Economic Education (FCEE)

  • Diversifying Revenue in a Climate of Uncertainty, Lessons Learned in the Trenches, Linda Parker Ph.D., CEO of Women in Distress, Vanessa Bongiorno, Chief Financial Officer, Women In Distress of Broward County

Break, 10:30 – 10:40

Concurrent Session 5, 10:40 – 12:10

  • Supporting Children with Special Needs Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence, Brittany D. Poitier-Downing, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate, Manager of Education & Prevention, WID Broward

  • What We Define, We Detect: Turning Legal Frameworks into Action Against Domestic Violence, Cheli Calderon, B.S., Florida Gulf Coast University*; Micki Besse, M.S., M.A., Florida Gulf Coast University; Heather Walsh-Haney, Ph.D., Florida Gulf Coast University; Lucy Papp, Ph.D., Florida Gulf Coast University

  • Hope in Motion: Strengthening Florida's Frontline Response to Domestic Violence, Shari Battles, Program Director, CASA Marion

Break, 12:10 – 12:20

Keynote, 12:20 – 1:05

  • Pathways to Accountability: A Shared Framework for Working with Fathers and Others Who Use Domestic Violence, Juan Carlos Areán, Ph.D., Program Director, Children and Youth Program, Futures Without Violence

Closing Remarks, 1:05 – 1:20

The agenda may be adjusted as needed.

05/18/2026

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