Chelsea King was a talented Poway, CA, teen whose life was taken this year by a convicted sex offender.  Her bright memory lives on in the commitment to inspire positive change pledged by her parents, Brent and Kelly King, now of Chicago, IL.  Their passionate determination has paid off in the California Senate and Assembly’s passing of Chelsea’s Law, AB1844, now awaiting the governor’s signature, that could transform the State’s approach to sex offenders through a new one-strike provision for the most violent offenses, longer sentences for lesser offenses,  parole revisions and targeted treatment.   Kelly King will participate in a keynote panel at the 15th International Conference on Violence, Abuse & Trauma, originated by The Institute on Violence, Abuse & Trauma at Alliant International University. The Institute’s mission, to promote violence-free living, is consistent with the King family focus.  The keynote panel, Public Policy vs. Research vs. Advocacy Concerning Sex Offender Management, on September 13, 1:30-3:30PM, is when Mrs. King will discuss their family’s experience and their new foundation, the Chelsea’s Light Foundation.  In the past six months, they have garnered the active support of nearly 100,000 Chelsea’s Light “changemakers,” people from around the world who have joined together on the Chelsea’s Light Facebook page to support and assist the King family with their efforts.

The Monday keynote panel also features presenters Michael Miner, Ph.D., University of MN, L.C. Miccio-Fonseca, Ph.D., Private Practice in San Diego, and Mark Carich, PhD., Illinois Dept. of Corrections and Lindenwood University, IL, and is chaired by Lucinda Rasmussen, Ph.D., San Diego State University, School of Social Work. Panelists will discuss the need and importance of research and evidence-based practices and the contradiction of a consistent lack of funding for research in the area of sex offender management. Issues of evaluation, assessment, treatment, and management for both juvenile and adult offenders will be addressed.  Recent legislative changes and proposals are often controversial, and there has sometimes been a conflict between research informed policy and that based upon public outcry. The anticipated 1200 attendees at this Conference include professionals from a variety of fields; local, state and federal agency representatives; and consumer/survivors, all dedicated to ending violence, abuse and trauma.