In a push to position Costa Mesa as a desired tourist and conference destination spot, Council Member Katrina Foley was successful in getting a Maryland-based nonprofit that advocates for children and adults with attention-deficit disorder to hold its annual conference in Costa Mesa for the first time in its existence.

One of three Keynote Speaker of the CHADD conference, which takes place Nov. 10 through Nov. 12 at the Orange County Hilton in Costa Mesa, will be renowned sports agent and high-profile Orange County leader Leigh Steinberg.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to speak to this prestigious group of professionals and parents searching for solution and treatment for the ADHD diagnosis,” Steinberg said. “ADHD diagnosed individuals can be among the most productive and impactful members of our society.”

The nonprofit conference is the annual get together of the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, which was founded in 1987 to help parents who have children with the disorder. The group claims up to 12,000 members nationwide.

“Organizations who choose to host conferences in Costa Mesa provide a significant impact to our city,” said Paulette Lombardi-Fries, President of Travel Costa Mesa. “Not only are they spending time in our hotels, they dine, shop and enjoy various arts and entertainment attractions only Costa Mesa offers, all of which enhances the economy and boosts tourism.”

Other keynote speakers are Luis Rohde, a Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and Sue Smalley, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UCLA.

In addition, the attendees of the  conference will hear from some of the leaders in attention deficit disorder research, including UC Irvine Professor Jim Swanson.

“CHADD brings several experts to Costa Mesa, which provides an extraordinary opportunity to get an update this week at the 2016 Annual Meeting,” Swanson said. “In the Keynote Presentations, Research Symposia, and Workshops, some of the most credible local, national and international experts in the field will be discussing current controversies about ADHD.”

Swanson also said five groups from UC Irvine and Orange County will discuss local programs focused on a number of cutting-edge topics for innovative new treatment of ADHD.

According to the CHADD website ADHD is medically and legally recognized as a treatable yet potentially serious disorder, affecting up to nine percent of all children, and approximately four percent of adults.