New Hampshire, who would help draw practitioners in the field, including professionals working in education, human services, law enforcement, medicine, and mental health. But organizers also needed to find speakers with broader appeal. “You want to have the heart of someone telling you their per- sonal story and how it impacted them,” Staley said. Organiz- ers took a look at a number of survivors of child sexual abuse who had some celebrity behind them, and settled on boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, who revealed in his 2011 autobi- ography that he suffered abuse at the hands of his Olympic boxing coach; and Elizabeth Smart, the then-14-year-old victim of a high-profile kidnapping and rape case in Salt Lake City in 2002. While Smart and Leonard make frequent speaking
appearances, CSAC was a unique experience for both of them. Smart’s father registered as a participant — which organiz- ers didn’t even know until shortly before the conference opened. For Leonard, CSAC was even more intense. “Sugar Ray Leonard took a long time to reach a decision because, as he revealed at the conference, it was only the second time he’s spoken publicly about his childhood sexual abuse,” Driftmier said. “He was having a hard time at moments [while he was speaking], but he knew that he needed to say the things that he did, and he ended his talk by saying that he hopes he can now become a spokesperson.”
SURMOUNTABLE CHALLENGES Every meeting planner faces challenges, but organizing a conference on such a controversial topic — with such a direct association with Penn State — presented a host of unique obstacles. The first one that Driftmier identified had to do with politics and perception: Because the event was a joint effort among administrators, the board of trustees, and faculty, it was crucial that the program represent Penn State well. Additionally, CSAC was a collaborative effort among departments as well as various organizations outside Penn State. Because of these issues, Driftmier acted as a co-chair of the event, serving as a sort of neutral coordinator to ensure that all viewpoints were heard and represented. Media coverage also presented some challenges. “Penn
State’s under a microscope,” Driftmier said. “We needed to publicize this [conference], and publicize it in a manner that was accurate and true to what we were trying to accomplish. … We ultimately had more press at this event and attending this event than we’ve had at any single conference we’ve held here at Penn State.” Media included representatives from the Associated Press, Reuters, Fox News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and various television outlets and local press. Complicating things further, CSAC took place just after
Superstorm Sandy slammed the East Coast. While the impact in central Pennsylvania was only moderate, travel for some participants was affected. The conference ended up with
CSAC Online Before registration opened, Child Sexual Abuse Conference (CSAC) organizers had discussed livestreaming portions of the program, but when it sold out so quickly, they went full speed ahead with the plan. Most sessions were recorded and livestreamed via YouTube during the conference — with the exception of those presentations deemed too sensitive by the speakers themselves, such as one that included video clips of therapy sessions with child sexual abuse victims, or those blocked by contractual obligations, such as Elizabeth Smart’s.
“The streaming was critical,” said Penn State’s Pamela Driftmier. “We want this content to live, and we’re utilizing the website to do that.” Archived footage is still available at protectchildren.psu.edu, which Penn State plans to make a portal for resources on child sexual abuse and information about future CSAC events.
CSAC also made use of Twitter, allowing both attendees and remote participants to ask questions of speakers and comment on the program. In all, the #CSAC12 hashtag received more than 2,300 tweets over the three-day conference. A dedicated Penn State staffer monitored the Twitter stream throughout each session and sorted through questions that were posed to speakers. “The room was extremely large, and it would have been dificult to have individuals stand up and ask questions,” Driftmier said. “We weren’t afraid to ask any questions, but it was a matter of trying to select the questions that would impact the most people or would perhaps help the speaker elaborate.”
JANUARY 2013 PCMA CONVENE 81
‘You want to have the heart of someone telling you their personal story and how it impacted them.’