Presented at ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference

Lifetime Significant Achievement Award

The ATSA Lifetime Significant Achievement Award acknowledges and celebrates an individual who, throughout their career, has made a significant impact in the realm of sexual abuse. This award recognizes individuals who have contributed to advancing knowledge in the field of sexual abuse, efforts in mitigating or averting instances of sexual abuse, or the establishment of initiatives or programs aimed at aiding both those who have caused sexual harm and those who have been sexually harmed. It is bestowed upon someone whose lifelong dedication and work have profoundly influenced progress in the field while emphasizing prevention and the well-being of those impacted by sexual abuse and the broader community.

The recipient of this award should embody the following criteria:

• Has dedicated a minimum of 25 years to addressing sexual abuse.
  • Has enriched the understanding and discourse surrounding sexual abuse.
  • Has exerted influence through various leadership roles, such as innovator, educator/mentor, theorist, advocate, or policy developer, pertaining to sexual abuse.
  • Has contributed to proactively preventing sexual abuse.

Nomination Procedures

• Nominations must be made by an ATSA member.
• Nominations should be submitted to awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Lifetime Achievement Award”.
• Please submit the email address and telephone number of the person you are nominating.

In addition to addressing how the nominee contributed service to the Association for the Treatment & Prevention of Sexual Abuse, at the national, regional, state, and/or local levels, the Lifetime Significant Achievement Award nominations should include two detailed letters of support addressing at least 3 of 6 areas below, as well as the nominee's current CV.

1. How has the nominee's research and publications contributed to the knowledge in our field?​
2. If the nominee is also a treatment provider or other service provider in the assessment and/or treatment of abusers, what significant contributions have they made to the evolution of best practices in evaluation and treatment?
3. How has the nominee's research contributed to informing policy analyses or evidence-based policy development?
4. How has the nominee played a role in advocating for evidence-based policy, practices, or human rights and social justice as it pertains to people who have abused?
5. What outstanding contributions has the nominee made in serving the community through dedicating their time, energy, knowledge, and skills to support/facilitate community safety and abuse prevention?
6. What significant impact has the nominee had on the growth and development of professionals in the field through mentoring and clinical guidance to others?

The submission must be received by July 6, 2026.

One award will be granted annually.  Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• 50% off conference registration at the ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference.
• 2 nights hotel at the ATSA Annual Research & Treatment Conference.
• ATSA Press Release highlighting the award recipient and their achievements.

Decision And Presentation

The Awards Committee will review the nominees and make recommendations to the ATSA Board of Directors, who will vote on the presentation of the Award to the most appropriate and deserving nominee. The recipient will be informed and the award will be presented as part of the conference program.

Presented at Annual Membership Meeting Virtually

President’s Award

Annually, the President of the Board of Directors, in discussion with the Board of Directors will have the ability to offer one award to an ATSA member who has made a significant contribution to the field.  This award shall be open to all disciplines and areas of the field of sexual abuse.

Eligibility

A nominee must be an active member of ATSA, not a current member of the association’s Board of Directors and not a recipient of this award in the past 10 years.

Areas of work that may be recognized include, but are not limited to:

• Demonstrated excellent and innovative clinical skills that have engaged clients in the process of change and advanced the state of sex offender treatment; or
• Made outstanding contributions in serving the community through dedicating their time, energy, knowledge, and skills to support/facilitate community safety and abuse prevention; or
• Through the press, television or film has advanced the public understanding of relevant issues regarding sexual abuse and offending, as well as the role of effective treatment in risk management; or
• Promoted advances in the effective management of sex offenders through other avenues, disciplines, etc.

Nominations may be made by submitting a letter highlighting the nominee’s contributions via e-mail at awards@atsa.com with the subject line, “President’s Award.”

The submission must be received by September 30, 2026.

One award may be granted annually.  Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• Recognition in the virtual Annual Membership Meeting held in the fall of each year virtually.
• ATSA Press Release highlighting the award recipient and their achievements.

The Gail Burns-Smith Award recognizes people who have made groundbreaking contributions to preventing sexual violence by bridging the areas of survivor work and those who have caused sexual harm.

We offer this award to two individuals, one who primarily provides services to those who have been sexually harmed, and another to an individual who provides treatment or does research in the area of treatment or prevention of sexual harm.

This award honors those who are creatively and inspirationally doing this much-needed work, and we strongly encourage students and those who are new to the field to apply.

Nominations are officially being accepted now through May 31, 2026. Apply to awards@atsa.com

About the Award

The Gail Burns-Smith Award recognizes individuals who understand that eliminating sexual violence requires collaboration across the spectrum of prevention and forward-thinking leadership. Individuals eligible for this award will have demonstrated achievements in connecting the fields of survivor advocacy with the field of sexual abuse perpetration prevention and treatment.

In 2024, NSVRC and ATSA began to offer this award to two individuals, one who primarily provides services to those who have been sexually harmed, and another to an individual who provides treatment or does research in the area of treatment or prevention of sexual harm. As of 2025, NSVRC and ATSA have collaborated on this award for 15 years.

Each individual will have demonstrated success in collaborating across the prevention continuum and with their counterparts in survivor or treatment services.

Named in honor of Gail Burns-Smith — a visionary woman who expanded the thinking and actions of two previously disconnected groups of professionals — this award is intended to ensure this important collaboration is continued and expanded by other forward-thinking leaders. The award is jointly sponsored by the Association for the Treatment & Prevention of Sexual Abuse  (ATSA) and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), two organizations with similar missions and goals, honored to carry on the mission and vision of Gail Burns-Smith.

One award will be granted annually to practitioners from each of the two fields of work. Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• Free conference registration at the ATSA Annual Research and Treatment Conference and the National Sexual Assault Conference
• Travel to and hotel at either the ATSA or the National Sexual Assault Conference — recipient’s choice
• Press release highlighting winners’ work released by both organizations.

About Gail Burns-Smith (1946-2009)

In 1996, Gail Burns-Smith partnered with the Center for Treatment of Problem Sexual Behavior, creating the first victim advocate program for sex offender treatment. The victim advocate in this program is dedicated to:

• working with the intensive sex offender probation unit to initiate and maintain contact with victims and their families, and
• working to ensure a victim-centered approach to sex offender treatment/probation decision-making.

This innovative program became the national model for such programs, and Gail provided the vision and support to make this unique collaboration possible.

Early in her career, Gail was a head nurse and the in-service educator of Nursing Staff at Hartford Hospital. From 1982 to her retirement in 2004, she was the Executive Director of Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services (now the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence), where she grew the organization from just herself to a staff of 23. Her accomplishments in Connecticut and nationally over 20 years are incredible.

Her public policy advocacy on behalf of victims resulted in Connecticut: passing anti-stalking laws, designating Marriage License Surcharge toward funding local centers, and requiring mandatory sexual harassment training for all supervisors at workplaces with 50 or more employees.

She worked tirelessly to ensure everyone had access to services they needed. Gail ensured the needs of Spanish-speaking victims were met by implementing a statewide Spanish hotline, one of only two in the country.  At the same time, she secured funding to hire bilingual/bicultural Spanish-speaking advocates at six sexual assault crisis centers in the state. To meet the needs of deaf and hearing-impaired victims, Gail acquired funding in 1997 to provide TTY machines for each of the sexual assault crisis centers.

Nationally, Gail co-founded the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV), which focuses on public policy advocacy. NAESV was instrumental in securing passage of the U.S. National Violence Against Women Act and related funding of programs for services to victims of sexual assault and other violence. She was a founding Advisory Council member for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center from 1999-2004.

About the Sponsors

The Association for the Treatment & Prevention of Sexual Abuse is an international, multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to preventing sexual abuse. Through research, education, and shared learning, ATSA promotes evidence-based practice, public policy, and community strategies that lead to the effective assessment, treatment, and management of individuals who have sexually abused or are at risk to abuse.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities and service providers achieve real and lasting change. The center also works with the media to promote informed reporting. Every April, NSVRC leads Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a campaign to educate and engage the public in addressing this widespread issue. NSVRC is also one of the three founding organizations of RALIANCE, a national, collaborative initiative dedicated to creating equitable, respectful, and safe environments. NSVRC is a primary division of Respect Together.

Presented at Annual Membership Meeting Virtually

Volunteer of the Year Award

The ATSA Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes individual members for the contributions they've made to the benefit and overall goals of ATSA through volunteering their time and resources.

Eligibility

A nominee must be an active member of ATSA, not a current member of the association’s Board of Directors and not a recipient of this award in the past 10 years.

Nomination Criteria

The Nominee shall have exhibited extraordinary voluntary service and commitment to the mission of ATSA. The individual shall have a demonstrated record of service evidenced by a meaningful commitment of effort and time. Nominations can be made by sending a letter of support to awards@atsa.com with the subject line “Volunteer of the Year” detailing the nominee’s commitment to the following criteria:

• Actively participated in the activities of ATSA at the national level in the past year.  Additional consideration will be given for members who substantially supported their local chapter.
• Supports and upholds the aims and goals of ATSA.
• Makes an outstanding contribution to the Association through volunteer service.
• Demonstrates exceptional commitment, service, creativity, and cooperation.
• Inspires others to engage in volunteer activities.

The submission must be received by September 30, 2026.

One award will be granted annually.  Award recipients will receive the following:

• Plaque/trophy
• Recognition in the virtual Annual Membership Meeting held in the fall of each year virtually.
• ATSA Press Release highlighting the award recipient and their achievements.

Decision And Presentation

ATSA staff will review applications and make a final recommendation to the ATSA Board of Directors who vote on the presentation of the Award to the most appropriate and deserving nominee.