Nancy Chi Cantalupo is associate professor of law and assistant dean for diversity, equity and belonging at the Wayne State University Law School. Cantalupo is a nationally-recognized scholar and expert on Title IX, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence in education. Her scholarship draws from her over 25 years of anti-campus sexual harassment and gender-based violence work as a researcher, campus administrator, victims’ advocate, attorney, and policymaker and focuses on the use of law to combat discriminatory violence. In 2016, she co-authored “Title IX & the Preponderance of the Evidence: A White Paper,” signed by over 115 law professors from across the country and from 2017-19 was asked by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence to draft and edit (based on feedback from peer reviewers) its Recommendations for Improving Campus Student Conduct Processes for Gender-Based Violence. Media includes: USA Today, TIME, The Washington Post, CQ Researcher.

Andrea L. Pino-Silva is a public scholar on issues of global gender based violence, media framing of violence, portrayals of gender and sexuality and Latinx identity, and narratives of survivorhood. She is co-author of We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out, and co-founder of the national survivor advocacy organization End Rape on Campus, where she worked for over five years to support students in learning their rights under Title IX, and in changing their campus sexual assault and harassment policies. Media includes: The New Republic, Vogue, New York Magazine, MSNBC.

Kenyora Lenair Johnson is the chief executive officer of End Rape On Campus (EROC) and a co-host of the Centering the Survivor Series podcast. With over 15 years of experience working with youth, families, and college students, Kenyora is a recognized leader in the movement to end campus sexual violence. Her work spans nonprofit leadership, higher education, and civic engagement, including collaborations with leaders like the late Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. Media includes: Newsy, Ms. Magazine, Forbes, ABC.

Shiwali Patel s a nationally recognized expert on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and leads policy development and advocacy addressing gender-based harassment in schools for the National Women's Law Center, where she also works to strengthen civil rights protections for LGBTQI+ students. Previously, she was at the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, where she worked on civil rights policy and legal guidance interpreting Title IX’s anti-discrimination protections, including schools’ responsibilities in responding to sexual harassment, protections for transgender students, and the rights of girls of color. She has authored Fulfilling Title IX's Promise Through the SAFER Act (103 B.U. L. Rev. Online 25 (2023), and co-authored A Sweep As Broad As Its Promise: 50 Years Later, We Must Amend Title IX to End Sex-Based Harassment in Schools (83 La. L. Rev. (2023)), and has published several op-eds. Media includes: Vice News, The New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, The Washington Post, CNN, NPR.

Tracey E. Vitchers is a non-profit executive, Democratic political advisor, and nationally recognized expert on sexual violence prevention and survivor advocacy. Vitchers currently serves as the executive director of It’s On Us, a nonprofit founded in 2014 as an initiative of the Obama-Biden Administration to combat campus sexual assault through peer-to-peer prevention education programs and activating the largest student organizing program of its kind. It’s On Us is the only national sexual assault prevention nonprofit in the United States to combine grassroots organizing and prevention education with large-scale culture change campaigns through partnerships with creative agencies, influencers, PR and communications firms, and media. Media includes: Cosmopolitan, Forbes, MSNBC, CNN, CSPAN.

Nicole Bedera is a sociologist studying how sexual violence is much bigger than the people involved in a sexual assault. Her work focuses on how social structures, organizations, and culture create a world where violence is predictable and ordinary. By identifying how violence is produced, she can identify interventions to make our society safer. Over the past decade, Bedera has studied sexual violence in a variety of contexts, including college campuses and LGBTQ communities. Her doctoral research focused on college sexual violence with specific focus on how university organizations shape the experience of sexual violence victimization and perpetration, as well as the role of masculinity and sexual identity in sexual assault. Bedera’s first book On the Wrong Side: How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence, was published in December 2024. Media includes: The New York Times, NPR, Time Magazine, Slate, Teen Vogue.

Lisalyn R. Jacobs is the CEO of Just Solutions: Bringing in justice to counteract injustice. She has worked closely with the Obama Administration on a variety of criminal and racial justice matters, including policing reform, sexual and domestic violence, campus sexual assault, the school to prison pipeline, and the impact of criminal justice reform on women. Jacobs has testified before congressional committees at both the state and federal levels. She has also fought for and secured needed protections for poor women and survivors of violence in a number of key federal laws including two reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act (2005 and 2013), the 2006 reauthorization of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and the 2009 amendments to the Stimulus law. Media includes: The New York Times, NPR, MSNBC, CNN, Fox.

Beginning in 2009, JoAnn Buttaro Cooper has been giving speeches and interviews about rape and sexual assault speaking to groups ranging from victim’s advocate trainings and Take Back the Night events on college and university campuses across the country. Cooper is a date rape survivor who has successfully completed counseling and seen her attacker through two trials resulting in convictions for sexual assault and rape. As a victim she experienced the full range of our law enforcement process and criminal justice system resulting in a life sentence for her attacker. Cooper's first speech was encouraged by her WOAR (Women Organized Against Rape) counselor and given at a Take Back the Night event. She then decided to continue speaking out and building awareness for the subject. Cooper is an advocate of date rape and sexual assault victims who can’t speak for themselves. Extensive media experience.

Wagatwe Wanjuki is a feminist activist, speaker, writer, and digital strategist best known for her work as a national campus anti-violence advocate. Since launching a campaign for a better sexual assault policy at Tufts University in 2009, she's continued to work for a world free of gender-based violence. In July 2016, she co-founded a new anti-rape organization — Survivors Eradicating Rape Culture. Media includes: BuzzFeed, Feministing, Upworthy, The Establishment, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Dot, ESSENCE Magazine.

Angela Esquivel Hawkins is a higher education administrator with over 15 years of experience in crisis management, public speaking, advocacy, and project management experience. A survivor of sexual assault, Hawkins has committed herself to leveraging traumatic experiences into powerful catalysts for change. From 2011-2015, she taught a sex-positive, consent-based course in Human Sexuality to undergraduates at the George Washington University, work she was inspired to do after serving as a rape crisis counselor for the District of Columbia Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC). Since working with DCRCC, Hawkins co-founded her own non-profit organization, the As One Project, and currently serves as its CEO. The As One Project is the first national non-profit to provide resources and support exclusively for friends and family members of survivors of sexual violence. Media includes: Huffington Post, SELF, GW Hatchet.

Elizabeth A. Armstrong is a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the reproduction of gender, class, and race inequalities. She examines these processes in the domain of sexuality and within the organizational context of the university. For over a decade, Armstrong has worked on how colleges respond to sexual violence, most recently co-authoring, with Charlotte Hoppen and Miriam Gleckman-Krut, a paper Preventing Campus Sexual Assault: Institutional Variation in Prevention Programing Across U.S. Colleges and Universities (2025). She is also co-author, with Laura T. Hamilton, of Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality. Media includes: The New York Times, The Washington Post.

Neena K. Chaudhry is vice president and general counsel and senior advisor for education at the National Women's Law Center, where she works to promote the rights of women and girls at school, with a particular emphasis on improving outcomes for girls at risk for dropout, including girls of color, pregnant and parenting students, girls who experience harassment, are excessively disciplined, or attend schools where the climate is not conducive to learning. Chaudhry has co-authored several publications, including When Girls Don’t Graduate, We All Fail; Finishing Last: Girls of Color and School Sports Opportunities; Check It Out: Is the Playing Field Level for Women and Girls at Your School?; Making the Grade on Women’s Health: A National and State-by-State Report Card; and Women in Construction: Still Breaking Ground. She has addressed gender equity in education issues in the media and before key national audiences throughout the U.S. Extensive media experience.

Patricia Teffenhart is the chief of staff of the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, before which she was the executive director of Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance at the Department of Law and Public Safety/New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. She was also executive director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA), during which time she chaired the Governor’s Campus Sexual Assault Task Force. NJCASA elevates the voice of sexual violence survivors and service providers by advocating for survivor-centered legislation, training allied professionals, and supporting statewide prevention strategies that work to address and defy the sociocultural norms that permit and promote rape culture. Media includes: NBC, NJTV, NPR.

Taylr Ucker-Lauderman is chief officer of communications & engagement at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, where she works to use the media as a platform for supporting and uplifting survivors in Ohio and beyond. Ucker-Lauderman believes that we must all use the tools at our disposal in order to address systems of oppression and the violence they cause in our world, and she does this by amplifying the voices of survivors and of professionals in her field. Ucker-Lauderman is also a former adjunct instructor at Wright State University, where she facilitates Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies courses including Intro to WGS, Feminist Theory, and Feminist Activism. Extensive media experience.

A dedicated organizer and change-maker, Venkayla Haynes’ work is grounded in lived experience and a deep commitment to movement building. For over a decade, she has championed the rights of communities impacted by sexual violence, police brutality, voter suppression, homelessness, gentrification, and more. Her activism spans K–12 classrooms and university campuses nationwide, leading initiatives in educational programming, community outreach, digital organizing, strategic marketing, content creation, and partnership development. She has influenced systems at every level collaborating with administrators, shaping policy conversations with local and statewide officials, and advocating for survivors of violence in settings from small-group dialogues to national conferences. Haynes is currently the founder of EH Strategies and director of communications at Black Voters Matter. Media includes: The Nation, Forbes, WABE.

Elizabeth L. Jeglic Ph.D. is a professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. She is an internationally renowned expert on criminal justice reform, sexual violence prevention, child abuse prevention, sexual offenders and sex offender legislation as well as suicide and suicide prevention. She has published over 100 journal articles and book chapters on evidence based treatment within the criminal justice system, sexual violence prevention and topics related to suicide prevention. Dr. Jeglic is the co-author/editor of six books: Child Sexual Grooming: Integrating Research, Practice, Prevention and Policy (Springer, 2022); Handbook of Youth Suicide Prevention (Springer, 2022); Handbook of Issues of Criminal Justice Reform in the U.S. (Springer, 2021); New Frontiers in Offender Treatment: The Translation of Evidence Based Practices to Correctional Settings (Springer, 2018), Sexual Offending: Evidence Based Legislation and Prevention (Springer 2016) and Protecting your Child from Sexual Abuse: What you Need to know to Keep your Kids Safe (Skyhorse, 2018; 2022). She is the former Associate Editor of the journal Sexual Abuse and is on the editorial board of Sexual Abuse, Psychology, Public Policy and Law. Along with Dr. Cynthia Calkins, she is co-Director of the Sex Offender Research Lab (SORL). She was awarded the Fay Honey Knopp Award from the New State Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers for her contributions to the prevention of sexual violence. Media includes: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Guardian.

Erin Pollitt is the executive director of District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners (DCFNE), a nonprofit that is the sole provider of trauma-informed forensic care to adult survivors of violence in Washington, DC. Pollitt is a certified sexual assault nurse examiner and has practiced as a forensic nurse since 2011. Throughout her career, she has cared for patients that experienced sexual assault, domestic and interpersonal violence, human trafficking, elder abuse/maltreatment, strangulation, and attempted homicide. She also practices as a TeleSANE expert consultant for Penn State University and the University of Arkansas for Medical Studies. Media includes: The Baltimore Sun, WUSA9 News DC, NPR-WAMU, FOX 45 New Baltimore, ABC2 News Baltimore.

Jennifer J. Freyd, PhD, is a researcher, author, educator, and speaker. Freyd is the Founder and President of the Center for Institutional Courage, Professor Emerit of Psychology at the University of Oregon, Affiliate Professor of Psychology, University of Washington, Affiliate Professor of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, University of Washington, and Affiliated Faculty, Women's Leadership Lab, Stanford University. She is also a Member of the Advisory Committee, 2019-2023, for the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and leader of the Program on Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Sexual Violence at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, 2019-20, where she was a Fellow, 1989-90 and 2018-19. Freyd is a widely published and nationally-renowned scholar known for her theories of betrayal trauma, institutional betrayal, institutional courage, and DARVO. Media includes: The New York Times, Mother Jones, The Mercury News, The Washington Post, Science Magazine, Voice of America.

Justine Andronici is a feminist attorney, advocate, writer, trainer, and public commentator with more than 25 years of experience working at the intersection of gender justice, civil rights, survivor rights, institutional accountability, and social justice. Her work focuses on gender-based violence, sexual abuse, domestic violence, sexual harassment, reproductive rights, survivor-centered accountability, and the role of law and public systems in shaping safety, dignity, and access to justice. Andronici’s civil legal practice has included sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, Title IX, civil rights, and institutional accountability matters. She represented multiple survivors in civil matters arising from the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State University sexual abuse cases. She has also helped launch and strengthen community-based domestic violence and sexual assault legal services programs and has led projects involving legal systems, advocacy organizations, public institutions, and nonprofit partners. Media includes: Ms. Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Centre Daily, NPR.

Sheerine Alemzadeh is the co-founder and co-director of Healing to Action, a non-profit organization whose mission is to end gender-based violence through building the leadership and collective power of the communities most impacted -- low-income, disability, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and immigrant communities. Alemzadeh has forged strategic partnerships across the nation to develop community-based, survivor-led responses to gender-based violence, including launching the Survivor Power Institute, a national training and movement-building program for practitioners to develop expertise in applying survivor leadership as a critical intervention strategy to gender-based violence. She is the author of the book, Survivor Genius: A New Vision for Ending Gender-Based Violence (The New Press, 2026). Media includes: The Washington Post, Vox, The Guardian, the Chicago Sun-Times, Teen Vogue, Truthout.

Carolyn M. West is professor of clinical psychology in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences and associate professor in the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington. She is a nationally recognized Black feminist scholar who investigates gender-based violence in the lives of African American women, with a focus on domestic violence, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. West has authored more than 70 academic publications and is editor/contributor of "Violence in the Lives of Black Women: Battered, Black, and Blue" (Routledge, 2002). She has taught courses on sex crimes and sexual violence, family violence, and the psychology of Black women for more than 30 years. Media includes: Essence Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC, NPR.

As the executive director of I Have The Right To and an experienced attorney, Katie M. Shipp brings a deep understanding of the legal and advocacy landscapes shaping the fight against sexual violence. Shipp's work is informed by over a decade representing survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Pennsylvania and New York, equipping her with firsthand insight into the complexities survivors face within the legal system. At I Have The Right To, she collaborates with K-12 schools and higher education institutions nationwide, delivering impactful keynotes, workshops, and professional development on essential topics such as consent, healthy relationships, aspirational masculinity, and digital safety. Her approach connects legal expertise with educational initiatives, allowing for nuanced conversations that foster understanding, prevention, and systemic change. Media includes: The Legal Intelligencer, New York Law Journal, American Public Human Services Association Policy & Practice Magazine.

Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist. As a cultural critic, she writes and speaks frequently about gender norms, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, politics, and technology. The former executive director of The Representation Project and director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, she has long been committed to expanding women’s civic and political participation. Chemaly’s most recently released book, All We Want Is Everything: How We Dismantle Male Supremacy, has been called “a potent rallying cry for a beleaguered feminist movement.” In it, she challenges dearly held beliefs about gender and equality today, drawing clear lines between the dynamics of intimate inequality and global antifeminist, antidemocratic backlash and macho-fascism. Extensive media experience.

Emily F. Rothman is assistant provost for general education and a professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health with a secondary appointments at the BU School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Emergency Medicine. She is also a visiting scientist at the Harvard Injury Control Research Center (HICRC). Dr. Rothman is a researcher and conducts studies on dating violence, sexual violence, pornography, and human trafficking. She has authored more than 85 peer-reviewed publications. Media includes: The New York Times magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue, CNN.