Published: July 7, 2021

The first biennial Colorado Summit on Sexual Misconduct will take place virtually on July 19-20. 

The summit is free of charge and will cover topics related to Title IX and sexual misconduct at college campuses and K-12 schools. The agenda and link to register for the summit are available on the website of the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). 

Following an application process, CDHE selected a planning committee of campus experts and students from around the state who organized the summit, including Teresa Wroe, the senior director of education and prevention and deputy Title IX coordinator in CU Boulder’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), and Jessica Ladd-Webert, director for the campus’s Office of Victim Assistance (OVA). 

Additionally, the CDHE selected CU Boulder student Violet Stoudt to serve as co-chair of the summit planning committee. Stoudt is majoring in women and gender studies and ethnic studies with a minor in leadership and is an intern at Violence Free Colorado. She also co-created the Survivor Healing Collective

CU Boulder was well represented in the summit’s planning, and campus experts will also be featured speakers during the event. Valerie Simons, associate vice chancellor and Title IX coordinator for OIEC, will kick off the summit with an opening address on sexual misconduct within higher education in Colorado. Simons also chairs the Colorado Sexual Misconduct Advisory Committee, which the state established in December 2019 to help ensure equitable statewide processes and procedures in alignment with federal guidance. 

Wroe and Julie Volckens, OIEC’s director of assessment, will present a session on best and promising practices for prevention of sexual misconduct and other interpersonal harm and violence. 

“Bystander intervention was a key priority area to be included in the summit lineup, and Julie and Teresa bring tremendous skill and expertise to this area,” Simons said. “Bystander intervention education is a foundation for our CU community.” 

OVA’s Jessica Ladd-Webert will speak about the neurobiology and impact of trauma, and her presentation will include skills for supporting someone who has experienced trauma. OVA provides similar workshops for campus and community members with the focus on improving the community’s understanding of how people can better support survivors of sexual assault and other interpersonal abuse and violence.