Outreach Steering Committee Update

Outreach Steering Committee Update - Outreach & Development: A Sneak Peek into an Evolving Development Committee

Kristen Lilla LCSW, CST, CSE is the Chair of the Development Committee and has been an active member of AASECT since 2010. She attended her first annual AASECT Conference in 2011 and presented for her first time in Austin, TX in 2012. Kristen worked diligently after completing her Master of Social Work from the University of Denver, to become a Certified Sex Therapist. She accomplished this goal in early 2013 and by that fall, she had become the Mid-Continent Section Leader for the state of Nebraska. In December of the same year, she approached the president of AASECT at the annual Center for Sex Education Conference, and expressed her interest in getting more involved with AASECT. Within a few weeks, she was asked to be the Chair of the Development Committee. At the time, the committee was overseen by the Chair of the Outreach Steering Committee, Michael McGee, with a purpose and goal of fundraising for AASECT.

In 2014, Kristen helped organize a raffle and drawing, utilizing a sculpture of a three-foot tall condom. While the fundraiser made over $300, the committee was hoping to be more successful and be more impactful. After brainstorming and discussing how to have a greater impact, and with support from the AASECT Board, it was decided that AASECT was overdue in creating a scholarship fund. In 2015, Kristen helped organize the first scholarship fundraiser in Minneapolis, complete with ice-cream and burlesque.

With a shift in board members, Jayleen Galarza became the Chair of the Outreach Steering Committee in 2015. Jayleen and Kristen worked arduously to establish the Creating Community Scholarship Fund. In 2016, they had the privilege of advertising the scholarship and selecting two deserving applicants to have their conference registration and hotel room covered. With Kristen's commitment and tenacity to AASECT, and the support of the Chair and the rest of the AASECT Board, there are high hopes that the scholarship fund will continue to raise money, grow, and support future counselors, therapists, and educators. Please consider being a part of this process and contribute a donation to the Creating Community Scholarship.

In addition to her commitment to the scholarship fund, Kristen has continued to grow in the field of sexuality, and became a Certified Sexuality Educator in 2016. Next up on her agenda, she is working on becoming a Certified Sex Therapist Supervisor, serving on the 2016 Center for Sex Education Conference committee, and presenting her first international workshop this year.

If you have any questions or thoughts regarding the Creating Community Scholarship or interest in being involved with the Development Committee, please feel free to reach out to Kristen at klilla813@gmail.com or Jayleen Galarza, Outreach Steering Committee Chair, at jg4840@gmail.com.