Nonprofit Organizations

This meeting is offered virtually and in-person.

Welcome and Introductions (2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. ET)

Committee Co-Chairs:

Amber Hobson
VP, Client Success
Wiland

Rachel Sweet
Marketing Scientist
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Presentation (2:15 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. ET)

In this session, Gavin Portnoy will explore the current state of child protection and how NCMEC continues to evolve as a leader in safeguarding children in an increasingly digital world. Attendees will gain insight into emerging threats, shifting crime trends, and the growing importance of empowering families with the knowledge and tools they need to keep kids safe online.

At the center of this conversation is No Escape Room, NCMEC’s immersive, interactive experience designed to put caregivers and teens in the driver’s seat of a sextortion scenario. Based on real CyberTipline reports, the experience follows a teenager who believes they’re chatting with another teen online - only to quickly find themselves trapped in a blackmail situation. Throughout the experience, participants are forced to make decisions in real time, illustrating just how quickly situations escalate and how difficult they can be for young people to navigate alone. 

This session will equip attendees with:
• A clear understanding of today’s evolving threats to children
• Insight into how sextortion and AI are reshaping online risks
• Practical strategies for talking with kids about their digital lives
• Tools to empower families and communities to take action

Gavin Portnoy
VP, Communications and Brand Division
NCMEC 

Roundtable Discussion (2:50 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. ET)

Closing Announcements (3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET)

About Our Speaker

As vice president of NCMEC’s Communications and Brand division, Gavin Portnoy is responsible for creating and maintaining strategies to elevate the organization’s media capabilities, events and brand presence.

Portnoy joined NCMEC in 2014 after more than 15 years helping organizations build brand awareness and effectively tell their story using the latest business, digital, social and media channels. He has created groundbreaking television, marketing and content development projects for a number of organizations and networks including  Discovery, Fox, Lifetime, National Geographic, Ovation, PADI, PBS and Think Food Group.

Portnoy previously oversaw NCMEC’s digital media team where he exponentially increased the organization’s social media reach and oversaw the formation of high-profile content. He launched a successful suite of new digital and social initiatives, thereby raising national awareness of NCMEC. He was honored in 2015 as one of PR Week’s “40 Under 40” for developing new, immensely-successful strategies to directly assist with the recovery of missing children.

Portnoy received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Rowan University in 2003.