Kimberly Corban grew up in Greeley, Colorado, and still has the pleasure of calling the Rocky Mountain state home. In May of 2006, Kimberly’s life was irrevocably changed when a stranger broke into her college-area apartment, held her there for two hours, and raped her. She immediately reported the crime to authorities and served as the key witness in her attacker’s trial, successfully garnering a sexual assault conviction.

A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in psychology and M.A. in criminal justice, Kimberly is a certified crime victim advocate having worked for both the Greeley Police Department and the Weld County District Attorney's Office. Her expertise in trauma-informed media coverage led to the creation of her consulting agency. Her work advocates for consent-based coverage of crime survivors and their families.

Kimberly has been featured on many major news networks including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC. She often lends her voice to syndicated radio programs and print media including The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Elle Magazine, MSN.com, the New York Times, among many other online publications. Today, she has followed her life's passion and tours the country speaking to campuses and organizations about sexual assault education and victim advocacy. Her recent TED Talk “How My Sexual Assault Was Hijacked by Politicians and Lobbies” has received high praise and sparked both timely and timeless conversations about survivors of abuse.

A mother to four young children, Kimberly stays plenty active and has no shame in singing Disney songs at full volume with her kids. Her husband Michael is as fiercely supportive as he is quick to roll his eyes at her “punny” sense of humor. Kimberly is an Alpha Phi sister, hates running yet does it anyway, loves all things that have to do with llamas, is a serious movie quoting buff, and is not very sarcastic.

Under a cover of darkness, he stalked and broke into his college victim’s apartment in the early morning hours. When he came upon the 20-year-old woman asleep in her bed, he covered her face and attacked.

But he never imagined he had just awakened a survivor…

Join crime victim advocate Kimberly Corban as she details her sexual assault by a
stranger and the harrowing journey to pursue justice that followed.

The criminal justice system and university collaborations that brought this highly publicized case to a successful conclusion lay the foundation for an in-depth discussion on how we can best support victims of sexual violence. Kimberly offers inspiration and tangible ways to advocate for and respond specifically to college students. how we can fight together for positive change.

Learning Objectives:
- Evaluate best-practices for responding to sexual assault disclosures.
- Describe examples of adaptive advocacy and how they can be applied by students, faculty, and administrators.
- Analyze strategies to address mental health challenges for victims and their support systems.
- Recognize cognitive bias and actively combat victim-blaming practices and verbiage in personal and professional settings.
- Consider trauma-informed changes to current practices within social university
organizations.

The excitement of rushing Greek life and living in the Alpha Phi sorority house made Kimberly Corban’s first two years of college unforgettable. When she and five of her sisters decided to live together the summer before their junior year, they could never have imagined just how important the bonds of sisterhood would become.

On the early morning hours of May 12th, 2006, a stranger broke into the ground floor apartment, held Kimberly captive for two hours, and sexually assaulted her.

Throughout “Sisterhood and Start By Believing”, Kimberly will engage audiences with the stories of her battle to survive the moments, months, and even years after her attack. The response by her Alpha Phi chapter and the entire Greek life community at the University of Northern Colorado set the tone for her journey to healing, and for helping other victims. Had Kimberly not been believed, the outcome would have been vastly different.

Approximately one in five college-age women will experience sexual assault. Because of the high prevalence among sorority women, it is safe to assume we all know a victim. They may not yet have disclosed their experiences, so how sisters respond to other disclosures influence their willingness to speak out or ask for help.

This keynote offers inspiration and tangible ways to advocate for and respond to victims of sexual violence. Utilizing End Violence Against Women International’s Start by believing campaign, attendees will walk away feeling inspired and ready to take action within their own community to implement prevention education programs and practices.

Learning Objectives:
- Describe positive and negative responses to disclosures.
- Recognize cognitive bias and actively combat victim-blaming practices and verbiage in chapter and Greek life settings.
- Consider trauma-informed changes to current new member curriculums within chapters.
- Recognize the necessary steps to launch a Start by believing campaign.
- Recognize and respond in a trauma-informed manner to sisters in crisis.
- Develop a chapter-specific prevention program.