Mrs. Virginia America, Elizabeth Peace, had the opportunity to speak at the 3rd annual Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Summit in Houston, Texas, and teach media training to non-profit organizations dedicated to ending sexual exploitation in the country and worldwide.
“It was humbling and inspiring to spend three days talking with so many people dedicated to protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” Peace said. “Child sex abuse is a difficult topic to talk about, but by not being afraid to have these conservations, we have a better chance of protecting our children.”
While competing at Mrs. Virginia, and continuing onto Mrs. America in August, Peace promoted her platform of preventing child sexual abuse and talked about her work with a non-profit national organization that teaches parents and community leaders how to prevent child sexual abuse and how to respond if abuse does occur. Peace has been a facilitator for Darkness to Light for four years after her family went through a difficult and personal experience with abuse. Peace won the title of Mrs. Congeniality while competing at the national pageant in Las Vegas.
A mother of two and wife of a U.S. Marine, Peace is a communications director for the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to taking a position in Washington, D.C., she spent more than a decade working as a journalist in print, radio and television.
Other speakers at the summit included Ed Smart, father of kidnapping and sexual abuse survivor Elizabeth Smart. More than 280 national, state and local organizations have joined the coalition.
