2nd Annual Regional Human Trafficking Summit
BETTER & STRONGER TOGETHER • TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA AND HOW IT RELATES TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING
For Advocates Against Human Trafficking
SUMMIT TO BE HELD VIRTUALLY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022 • 7:30 AM to 4:15 PM
• From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Voices of Survivors Project
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2022 • 7:30 AM to 3:45 PM
SPEAKERS
Click on a speaker’s name below to read their bio.
Keynote Speaker
Council Chair at the United States
Advisory Council on Human Trafficking
Suleman Masood
Suleman Masood is a subject matter expert on domestic labor trafficking and male victimization. Since 2013, his advocacy experience allowed him to work exclusively with state and federal government agencies and non-profit organizations. Mr. Masood’s expertise includes collaborating with victim service providers and task forces on advocating for ways to improve the quality of services for trafficking survivors. This work emphasizes the need to build partnerships with survivors and ensure that strategies and implementation influence a survivor-informed approach. Mr. Masood currently serves as Council Chair for the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. Through Mr. Masood’s leadership, the Advisory Council provides recommendations on federal anti-trafficking policies to the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (PITF).
Mr. Masood’s partnerships with service providers and first responders include serving as a program specialist on behalf of the Office on Trafficking in Persons and working as a consultant for various prosecutors’ offices across the United States. Also, Mr. Masood previously served on board positions for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, 3Strands Global Foundation, and the National Survivor Network. In 2017, Mr. Masood participated in the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy, a pilot leadership development fellowship under the Office on Trafficking in Persons and the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center. Mr. Masood’s cohort was tasked with creating a recommendations report and was credited with coining the phrase “survivor-informed,” which was adopted and published by the Administration for Children and Families. Mr. Masood graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Criminology/Victimology from Fresno State University and currently attends the University of the District of Columbia – David A. Clarke School of Law, where he aspires to create meaningful change within the criminal justice system.
Featured Speaker
Washington State Attorney
Erik Bauer
Erik Bauer is a Washington State Attorney with over 35 years of experience in State and Federal Court. His practice has focused on representing abused children in successful lawsuits against the perpetrators and other responsible entities. In a landmark case, Mr. Bauer represented two seventh grade girls and one ninth grade girl who were sold on Backpage.com to as many as 20 johns per day. Mr. Bauer was able to convince a Washington State Trial Court Judge to rule that the Communications Decency Act § 230 does not give Backpage immunity for their involvement in sex trafficking. When Backpage appealed the ruling to the Washington State Supreme Court, Mr. Bauer again successfully argued that CDA § 230 did not prevent these children’s cases from moving forward. This was a precedent-setting ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court and afforded Mr. Bauer the opportunity to assist the United States Congress in drafting legislation known as FOSTA/SESTA.
Since then, Mr. Bauer has successfully argued in Federal Court in a similar case involving Craigslist and their now defunct category “erotic services.” Again, this is a trailblazing ruling.
Featured Speaker
Co-Producer
Boys Documentary
Anna Smith
Anna Smith is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate (NC), RYT500 and Registered Psychotherapist (CO). Anna has spent nearly 10 years working in therapeutic services, focusing on developing an understanding of the mind-body connection and best approaches for clinical interventions. Prior to coming to clinical work, she collaborated with trauma experts to develop innovative approaches to care for boys and men who’ve exited the life of sex trafficking, as a result of her findings she co-produced a full length Documentary film on the issue.
As an anti-trafficking advocate, Anna enjoys using her knowledge and personal experience to strengthen and stand in freedom with others through speaking, writing, teaching, and consulting. Journeying through her own recovery process, she understands that healing is a painful yet beautiful path we must take to receive freedom. Anna believes healing is possible for everyone, no matter age, gender, or situation – it is possible.
Anna’s education includes a Master of Social Work from East Carolina University and 500 RYT in yoga therapeutics from the Wilmington Yoga Center.
Anna is also an adjunct faculty at Metropolitan State Denver, School of Social Work and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Social Work.
Aside from her work, Anna loves to adventure outdoors with her husband and young daughter.
SPEAKERS
Kendall Alaimo
International Activist
Kendall Alaimo
Kendall Alaimo is an international activist, a clinical educator, a professionally trained artist, and a survivor of child trafficking and re-exploitation. What survived is her voice and she is using it around the world to innovate clinical care for complex trauma survivors. Kendall is an expert in child sexual abuse prevention and versed in medical modalities for complex trauma recovery. She has spoken both domestically and internationally in her mission to educate, support and provide hope to populations affected by the fallout of all types of trauma through her Trauma Talk. In celebration of World Day against Trafficking July 30th, 2021, Kendall founded The University Alliance on Human Trafficking.
She is a Member of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council (ISTAC) which assists the work of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in combating trafficking in persons.
Jose Alfaro
Human Trafficking Survivor, Public Speaker, Author, Advocate and Activist
Jose Alfaro
Jose Alfaro is a Human Trafficking Survivor, Public Speaker, Author, Advocate and Activist. Jose was physically and sexually abused as a child. He did not have the love and support of his parents or family because he was “too feminine” and later came out as gay, and his father strongly disapproved. When he was a lost teenager looking for love and acceptance, he was put into human trafficking through a massage business.
He was a young teenager who was put in a dangerous, uncomfortable and forced situation by a way older man who he thought was his friend and cared about him. After 3 months he was able to get out of the situation physically, but mentally its something that took work and that he has been carrying with him for years. He is ready to speak up and bring awareness to this situation because unfortunately its a very common issue.
Jane Anderson, Esq.
Attorney Advisor, Aequitas
Jane Anderson, Esq.
Jane Anderson, Esq., Jane joined AEquitas in October, 2014 after having served as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami Dade County. As an Attorney Advisor with AEquitas, Jane has leveraged her experience prosecuting domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking crimes to provide technical assistance and trainings to prosecutors and allied professionals. Last year, Jane developed and presented AEquitas’ first National Institute on the Prosecution of Human Trafficking. As a prosecutor, Jane tried many of the Florida’s first human trafficking cases, including related sexual assault, child abuse, and money laundering crimes. As a founding member of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Human Trafficking Unit and Task Force, Jane developed key partnerships and infrastructure that improved victim identification and safety, while ensuring that offenders were held accountable.
Jane particularly focused on building stronger prosecutions through the use of cyber investigations, digital evidence, and Racketeering (RICO) statutes; and in December 2013 Jane successfully prosecuted a trafficking case where the victim did not testify at trial. Jane held several supervisory positions where she oversaw the prosecutions of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, and other felony level crimes. Prior to focusing on Human Trafficking prosecutions, Jane served as the Chief of Litigation for the Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit; the same unit where she started her legal career. While a supervisor, she trained and supervised new lawyers in the complexities of intimate partner violence and prosecutions, including best practices for victim interviewing, pretrial litigation, and trial strategies. Jane graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor from American University, Washington College of Law after earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Washington in Seattle. Prior to her legal career, she lived and taught English in Bangkok, Thailand. Jane is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Wade Arvizu
Published Author, Speaker and Human Trafficking Subject Matter Expert
Wade Arvizu
Wade Arvizu is a published author, public speaker and human trafficking subject matter expert. He has been providing recommendations and input to inform research, policies, and programs to combat trafficking since 2014. He is passionate about economic empowerment for trafficking survivors and working with LGBQ and Transgender survivors of exploitation.
He is the Associate Director of Employment Pathways at Survivor Alliance, which works to provide opportunities for survivors of human trafficking to acheive financial freedom by increasing the number of survivors employed in economically stable jobs. He published his first book, Fragments: A Post Traumatic Paradigm, in 2019 under the pseudonym K.D. Roche and is currently working on his second book.
Aims Babich
Advocate, Activist, and Consultant
Aims Babich
Aims Babich is a nonbinary advocate and activist based in Denver, CO. They have devoted many years of advocacy and outreach in mental health, LGBTQ+ & Trans* care, supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and human rights. Aims has worked with social justice and mental health organizations both locally and nationally in presenting trainings for LGBTQ+ DEAI, Trans* & Nonbinary Affirming Care, and Survivor Allyship, as well as through volunteer mentorship, support groups, and harm reduction practices.
Johanna Bishop, Ed.D
Director, Behavioral Science Programs, Wilmington University
Johanna Bishop
Johanna Bishop is Director of Behavioral Science Programs at Wilmington University. Her career includes working with the chemical and petrochemical industries, establishing voluntary industry skills standards, and working in the highly regulated nuclear power industry, where she conducted train-the-trainer programs, developed training curricula, performed needs assessments, evaluated training, conducted leadership training, developed human performance improvement training, among other duties. During Hurricane Isabel she was called to duty with the Emergency Preparedness team, and after 9/11 she was an active participant in the first NRC-mandated force-on-force exercises.
At Wilmington University, Johanna developed the graduate Certificate in Case Management program, and undergraduate certificates in Emotional Intelligence & Leadership, Community Engagement, and Human Trafficking Awareness. She founded and organized the first human trafficking symposium in 2016, has met with numerous survivors of trafficking and listened to their stories. She has gathered community expertise to share knowledge and practice to call attention to human trafficking, immigration, child abuse, and domestic violence in society. Johanna’s plan is to develop communities resilient to human trafficking.
Johanna earned her doctorate in Human Resource Development/ Human & Organizational Learning at The George Washington University, holds several Master’s degrees from Wilmington College and is currently working on earning a degree in the Administration of Human Justice with a concentration in Criminal Behavior and a focus on Human Trafficking at Wilmington University.
Dr. Bishop has presented numerous sessions related to human trafficking at nationwide sociology, anthropology, and emergency management conferences. She also serves as Commissioner on the New Castle County Ethics Commission in Delaware.
Alycha Boehm
Clinical Supervisor for Northeast Emergency Services, Valley Youth Home
Alycha Boehm, MSW
Alycha Boehm, MSW is the Clinical Supervisor for the Northeast Division of Emergency Services and Independent Living programs at Valley Youth House. Valley Youth House serves vulnerable and homeless youth through various programs including their emergency youth shelter and new THRIVE program; housing designed for identified youth survivors of trafficking. Alycha is a licensed social worker with Master’s Degree in Social work and a concentration in trauma informed therapy interventions received from Widener University in 2017. Alycha has been working with children and adolescents through school settings, outpatient therapy and residential programs for about 10 years. Alycha is a member of the Advisory Board for the Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking week collaborative and is also an adjunct professor for Kutztown University where she teaches developmental psychology courses for undergraduate level students.
Evelyn Chumbow
Survivor of Child Labor Trafficking/Activist
Evelyn Chumbow
Evelyn Chumbow is a survivor of child labor trafficking turned anti-trafficking activist and public speaker who has focused her life’s work on ending modern day slavery, a crime impacting some 35M victims globally.
Ms. Chumbow was brought to the U.S. from Cameroon at the age of nine and forced to cook, clean, and care for her trafficker’s children. She was never paid for her work, and any hope that she might escape her miserable life was undermined by the constant beatings she received from her trafficker.
For seven years, she lived in constant fear, working day and night. She was prevented from contacting her family, attending school and enjoying things that many children take for granted – she never rode the school bus, went to prom, hung out with friends after school, or joined a dance team. Instead, she was a modern-day slave – not in some far-flung country, but right here in the U.S.
After years of captivity, she finally escaped and her trafficker was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Today, Ms. Chumbow works tirelessly to raise awareness and help other survivors. She serves as an advisor to human trafficking NGOs, and has been invited to brief government agencies about human trafficking from a survivor’s perspective, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Department of Justice. She is invited regularly to speak around the world about her experience, including at the White House. She also serves as an advocate and mentor for fellow survivors.
In December 2015, fulfilling a life-long dream, Ms. Chumbow graduated with a B.S. in Homeland Security studies from the University of Maryland University College. She was appointed by the President of the United States to serve as United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to his administration. Since January 2015, she has worked at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP in Washington, D.C., where she has the opportunity to support human trafficking and human rights related pro bono initiatives.
Ms. Chumbow has been featured in New York’s New Abolitionists, a book of portraits of women and men committed to ending human trafficking in New York and globally. Ms. Chumbow was one of the coaches for the Partnership for Freedom’s first innovation challenge, Reimagine: Opportunity – a competition to improve the infrastructure of support for survivors of modern slavery; U.S. government agencies and private donors co-sponsored by Humanity United. Ms. Chumbow hopes to leverage her unique position as a former child slave to end human trafficking in West Africa, in her hometown, and the rest of the world.
Amanda Corbin
Vice President of Operations at Trafficking in America Task Force Inc.
Amanda Corbin, LCSW
Amanda Corbin, LCSW, holds a Bachelor and Master of Social Work Degree from USF. She is a certified hypnotherapist, licensed psychotherapist, Qualified Supervisor for Registered Social Work Interns in the State of Florida, and is presently Adjunct Faculty at Saint Leo University and University of South Florida. She has over 20 years of experience working with adolescents, women and men who have experienced various forms of trauma.
Amanda has worked in the foster care system, private counseling settings, housing and case management organizations for severely mentally ill and homeless populations, social service and direct service settings, including management and executive leadership for non-profits. In 2016, she was recruited to assist in opening the first safe home in the nation for sex trafficked male youth; in 2017, as Director of the Safe Home Program for the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, that goal came to fruition. Her work there included therapeutic oversight of the program and services, community outreach, education, program adaptation, and identification of male survivors. Presently, Amanda serves the Trafficking in America Task Force with honor as she oversees domestic programs and serves survivors in an ongoing capacity. As an author, The Insightful Parent: Helping Parents Heal so Kids Don’t Have to Hurt was birthed from two decades of Amanda’s experience working with children and families affected by trauma, mental illness, and life struggles. With candor and passion, Amanda recently opened Mixed Nuts Counseling Services a private counseling company in Tampa, Florida.
Trish Danner
Regional Outreach Specialist, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Lead Partner of the RIC
Trish Danner
Trish Danner serves as Regional Outreach Specialist for the United States Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in Region III. In this capacity, she serves as an advisor to the HHS Regional Director on and provides outreach to a variety of stakeholders on issues related to the Department.
She also serves on the HHS Region III Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. She has assisted in identifying stakeholders throughout the Region to partner with to organize human trafficking education and awareness events. These stakeholders include Chambers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, the faith-based community as well as the medical community. She also serves on the Delaware Human Trafficking Medical Committee and the Maryland Child Labor Trafficking Learning Collaborative. She is the lead of the Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborative Working to End Human Trafficking (the RIC). The RIC consists of national representatives from OTIP, ORR, and Polaris as well as federal representation of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Health Resources and Services Association, the Administration of Children and Families and the Office of the Regional Director. Stakeholders represent the entire HHS Region 3 and includes survivors and tribal members. The RIC held its first Regional Human Trafficking Summit in February, 2021 for advocates working to end human trafficking and will be holding annual regional meetings.
Prior to joining HHS, she served as a Local Government Policy Specialist in the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), where she worked on local government legislation and local government policies. Additionally, she served as Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Pennsylvania Department of Health. At the Pennsylvania law firm of a Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, she was a paralegal and the Government Affairs and Administrative Coordinator.
Dr. Monti Narayan Datta
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Richmond
Dr. Monti Narayan Datta
Dr. Monti Narayan Datta, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Richmond, where he teaches classes in international relations, global governance, and research methods. Since 2013, he has taught a year-long intensive experiential course on human rights and modern slavery. Some of his most recent research examines the relationship between human trafficking and armed conflicts across the globe. Since 2017, he has taught meditation to students and faculty at the University of Richmond and to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons in the Greater Richmond Area.
Nathan Earl
Principal Consultant at Giant Slayer Consulting
Nathan Earl
Nathan Earl is an anti-trafficking pioneer, fierce advocate and visionary leader with a passion for building resilient communities immune to exploitation. Nathan creates impactful change across systems by leveraging prior lived experiences involving commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, incarceration and addiction to develop and lead transformational initiatives aimed at preventing and combating the victimization of boys and male-identifying individuals.
In addition to serving on The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CSE Leadership Council, Mr. Earl advocates for the continued framing of human trafficking as a public health priority. He educates counter-trafficking stakeholders on the systemic factors that create and sustain exploitation through his work as a Consultant with the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime and the U.S. Office on Trafficking in Persons’ National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center.
Mr. Earl is a 2019 Fellow of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Human Trafficking Leadership Academy. His educational background includes a business degree from State College of Florida and current studies in marketing and public health at the University of South Florida. Mr. Earl has earned a Certificate in Leadership from Coro Southern California, and a Certificate in Human Subjects Research from Florida International University.
Dr. Heather Evans
Co-Founder, Valley Against Sex Trafficking
Dr. Heather Evans
Heather Evans is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a private counseling practice in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania. She has over 17 years experience providing individual, marriage, and family therapy, specifically specializing in complex trauma. Heather is Co-founder and involved with the Survivor Services Council. In 2013, Heather received the Allied Professional Award from Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley for outstanding commitment to victims’ services.
Heather has also traveled internationally with the goal of partnering with and training trauma healing caregivers. Specific interest and passion relate to anti-trafficking work is training of service providers and empowering of survivors towards effective aftercare. She is also passionate to see a multidisciplinary unified community and service response to preventing and responding to human trafficking.
Kim Figueroa
Survivor Leader
Kim Figueroa
Kim Figueroa, Survivor Leader, Kim’s story was rewritten with much triumph and victory. She suffered and endured a traumatic childhood experiencing sexual, mental, emotional, verbal and physical abuse as well as being in and out of the foster care system in her adolescent years. As a teenager she became a runaway, and as a result, was placed in several residential facilities until she aged out of the system and entered into homelessness. It was then that she met her first “Romeo” pimp who groomed her for three weeks before he started trafficking her. This would lead to nearly six brutal and unimaginable years of being sexually abused, exploited and trafficked. Kim suffered from PTSD, Depression, anxiety, RAD and many more mental health illnesses that ultimately led to drug abuse and feeling utterly hopeless that her life was of worth or any value and that change would ever be possible.
She has been able to use her expertise, knowledge and lived experiences to assist FBI and local Law Enforcement with cases, Advocacy within the Judicial system, DCF and many more. She serves our local State Foster homes by volunteering her time with the youth, she currently sits on five local HT Boards and serves as an Advisory Leader, Kim has over 120+ HT/ CSEC Training hours and several certifications for her local work within the community, She has completed two years of Bible College and obtained a certificate in ministry and now her passion is to fight human trafficking while serving with organizations with the same mission. Kim is currently employed at MoreTooLife/VoicesForFlorida and working full time as a Survivor-Mentor in the field mentoring, educating and advocating for HT and CSEC youth ages 10-24.
Marvin Figueroa
Director, Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA)
Marvin Figueroa
Marvin B. Figueroa serves as the Director of the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In this capacity, he is the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ principal adviser on strengthening intergovernmental relationships with state, local, territorial and tribal governments as well as private sector, nonprofit, faith-based, and other external partners to advance the Administration’s health and human services priorities. In addition to leading the IEA staff in Washington, D.C., Director Figueroa oversees ten regional offices representing the Secretary and the Administration at both the state and local levels.
Most recently, Director Figueroa served as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources in the Administration of Governor Ralph S. Northam, 73rd Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, where he led the day-to-day operations of the Health and Human Resources (HHR) Secretariat that is comprised of 12 health and social services agencies that collectively touch the lives of close to one-in-four Virginians, employ over 14, 700 individuals, and have a $22 Billion annual operating budget. During the 2020 Virginia General Assembly legislative session, he served as Governor Northam’s Legislative Director, where he built bipartisan coalitions to advance the Governor’s health insurance agenda focused on improving access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage, as well as Medicaid Expansion implementation.
Director Figueroa also worked in the United States Senate as Senior Advisor to Senator Mark R. Warner where he advised the Senator on Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and other health care issues. From 2015-2017, he co-led the bipartisan Senate Finance Committee Chronic Care Working Group that led to the bipartisan CHRONIC CARE Act of 2017 aimed to improve Medicare services and wrap-around supports for individuals with multiple chronic conditions. The legislation was signed into law in 2018.
Director Figueroa is originally from La Ceiba, Honduras (a proud Garifuna). He earned his Master’s degree at Harvard and Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, and is an alum of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and POSSE Foundation.
Karen Galbraith
Projects Coordinator
PA Coalition Against Rape Training
Karen Galbraith
Karen Galbraith is the Training Projects Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR). A licensed social worker, Karen has over 20 years of experience in the field of sexual violence, volunteering and working at both the local and state levels.
She has provided direct services to survivors and their families, and has facilitated trainings to a variety of audiences, including victim advocates, criminal justice professionals and the courts, college campuses, and the military.
In her role at PCAR, Karen has developed numerous resources and training curricula, with topics ranging from human trafficking to trauma-informed practices.
Karen has participated in numerous local, regional, and statewide taskforces, including the Office of the Attorney General’s working group on campus sexual assault, the Pennsylvania Alliance Against Trafficking in Humans and the Statewide Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking. In addition to her work at PCAR, Karen is an adjunct professor in the Social Work Department at Shippensburg University and a Social Work Supervisor at Penn State Dickinson School of Law’s Children’s Advocacy Clinic.
Tanya Gould
Survivor Leader & Expert
Tanya Gould
Honorable Tanya Gould is an activist fighting against human trafficking, striving to impact legislative policy and raise public awareness. She currently holds her second term and is co-chair on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human trafficking. She is the Anti-Human Trafficking Director for the VA Commonwealth Attorney General’s Office. This year Tanya received the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking in Persons. Tanya has given lectures at universities, local schools, and churches raising awareness in Hampton Road and across the United States. She has served as a consultant to various anti human trafficking organizations, as well as DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime, DHS’ Blue Campaign, and DOS’ TIP office. She also serves on boards and organizations such as Polaris, Beloved Haven and Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum Taskforce on Human Trafficking. Tanya Gould shares her story of being trafficked as part of her advocacy and gives credit to Survivors, family and friends of her community who has helped her in achieving her goals.
Michaela Guthrie, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a TBRI Practitioner
Michaela Guthrie
Michaela Guthrie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a TBRI Practitioner. In a full-time capacity, Michaela is a School Therapist for a school in an under-resourced community on the west side of Atlanta. Michaela was formerly the Program Executive for Crossroads Foster Care an Adoption, which she developed and launched at a non-profit. Furthermore, Michaela is also a Young Adult Consultant with the Capacity Building Center for States and has served on projects related to prevention, adoption, CQI, and youth and family engagement. Additionally, Michaela has experience in serving survivors of sexual exploitation, survivors of interpersonal violence including sexual assault, rape, and dating/domestic violence. She also worked with juvenile sex offenders and has served as a family visitation supervisor. In addition to her job roles, Michaela has participated in many panel discussions and lead various trainings on child welfare related topics.
Mary Haggerty, Esq.
Legal Representative, CSE Institute
Mary Haggerty, Esq.
Mary Haggerty provides direct legal representation for victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking at the CSE Institute Justice for Victims. Ms. Haggerty focuses her practice on the pursuit of post-conviction relief.
Additionally, Ms. Haggerty supervises CSE’s legal externs and presents on issues relating to trauma-informed lawyering and laws relating to commercial sexual exploitation.
Bailey Hilliard
Inmate Rehabilitation Programs Manager, Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office
Bailey Hilliard
Bailey Hilliard is the Inmate Programs Manager at the Chesterfield County Jail (CCJ). She has her Master’s Degree in Social Work from The Ohio State University. Bailey oversees operation of the Helping Addicts Recover Progressively (HARP) Program and all other rehabilitative programming within CCJ. Capitalizing on a professional background in substance abuse programming, mental health programming and re-entry services, Bailey is responsible for the monitoring, growth, and development of programming at CCJ. She supervises two program Deputies, the Re-Entry Coordinator and the Grant Assistant as well as all volunteers and facilitators at the facility. All of the work Bailey does is to help return happy, healthy, and productive members of society back to their homes.
In her free time Bailey volunteers with ImPact Virginia, a local non-profit geared towards fighting human trafficking. Additionally, she spends time with her husband and friends (usually cheering on the Buckeyes).
Debra Holbrook
Forensic Nurse, Baltimore City Mercy Medical Center
Debra Holbrook
Debra Holbrook attended The Union Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, in Baltimore, Maryland and completed both undergrad and graduate studies through the Wilmington University. After working in the field of critical care, Mrs. Holbrook founded a Forensic Nurse Examiner Program in Delaware that became a model of the United States (US Senate Subcommittee / Biden, 2002).
In 2002 she testified on Capitol Hill before a Senate Judicial Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs on behalf of the Bill that was signed into law in 2005 as the DNA Justice Act. She is the recipient of numerous international awards, including the ANCC Magnet International Nurse of the Year, the Delaware Nurse of the year, the International Association of Forensic Nurses Pioneer Award, the 2014 Most Influential Marylanders in Healthcare, Distinguished Fellow – Academy of Forensic Nursing, and the prestigious Fellow American Academy of Nursing. She serves on the Board of the National Strangulation Institute, has authored grants totaling over 11 million dollars to benefit victims of major person’s crimes and lectures nationally for the Office for Victims of Crime, educating medical professionals across the country. She has conducted over 200 pediatric and adult SANE educational offerings both nationally and internationally.
Sam Howard, BSN, RN
Forensic Nurse Examiner, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, Adult Emergency Department, VCU Health
Sam Howard, BSN, RN
Sam Howard is an Adult Forensic Nurse Examiner at VCU Health in Richmond, VA. He obtained his bachelor’s degree of science in nursing from James Madison University and is currently studying for his master’s of science in nursing at Walden University to practice as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. He has practiced as an inpatient and emergency trauma nurse for 9 years, and as a forensic nurse examiner for 5 years.
Sam provides services and support to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, and those affected by community violence. He is an educational contributor throughout the VCU Medical School, VCU Health System, and the metro Richmond community. He is a member of the Chickahominy Indian Eastern Division Tribe. Sam has a passion for supporting survivors and promoting harm reduction within the community.
Heather LaRocca, LCSW
Director, Anti-Trafficking for The Salvation Army
Advisor, New Day to Stop Trafficking Program
Heather LaRocca, LCSW
Heather LaRocca, LCSW is the Director of Anti-Trafficking for The Salvation Army and provides leadership and clinical oversight to the New Day to Stop Trafficking Program (NDSTP). NDSTP delivers trauma informed, wholistic, and victim centered services to survivors of trafficking including task force response to trafficking in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, transitional housing, 24 hour hotline, intensive mobile clinical case management, a drop in center, court advocacy, Police Assisted diversion program, and trainings.
Ms. LaRocca has been working with victims of Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking since 2006. Ms. LaRocca was employed by Women Against Abuse (WAA), the lead domestic violence agency in Philadelphia, for over a decade where she supervised and coordinated the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline as well as intake to two 100 bed shelters. Ms. LaRocca has advocated for the rights and identification of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence survivors and participates in collaborations of service providers and law enforcement in the greater Philadelphia area. Ms. LaRocca holds her master’s degree in Social Work from Widener University and bachelor’s in Social Work from Messiah College.
Dr. Jo Ann Janoski
Published author, national and international speaker, trainer, consultant, and associate professor at Penn State University, the Eberly Campus
Dr. Jo Ann Jankoski
Dr. Jo Ann Jankoski’s academic journey started by graduating from California University of PA with both her BSW in Social Work and her Master of Science in clinical Mental Health. She continued her education by earning her second master’s degree from West Virginia University and completing her doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from Duquesne University. Dr. Jo is a published author, national and international speaker, trainer, consultant, and associate professor at Penn State University, the Eberly Campus, in the department of Human Development and Family Studies. She has earned many awards for her research and scholarship and the highest honor bestowed upon any faculty member at Penn State—the prestigious Eisenhower Award for Outstanding teaching. Dr. Jo is truly committed to serving others; she currently serves on several boards of directors; is the co-chair of the Fayette County Human Trafficking Taskforce, a Disaster Mental Health Specialist for the American Red Cross, and a member of the Fayette County Suicide Taskforce.
Catharine Kessack, MSW
Executive Director of The Valley Against Sex Trafficking (VAST)
Catharine Kessack, MSW
Catharine Kessack, MSW is the Executive Director of The Valley Against Sex Trafficking (VAST), located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The mission of VAST is through collaboration, education, and advocacy we empower survivors and encourage the community to take action in the anti-trafficking movement. Catharine is a social worker with her Masters of Social Work in international social work and community development. She has worked with vulnerable populations for over 20 years throughout California, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She has a strong passion for human rights and social justice.
Catharine is the chairperson of Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week, a collaborative that plans and organizes a seven-day human trafficking awareness campaign in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. She is also the chairperson of the Pennsylvania Human Trafficking Advocacy Work Group, a collaboration of agencies throughout Pennsylvania working toward positive legislative change for survivors of human trafficking.
Admiral Rachel L. Levine
17th Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Admiral Rachel L. Levine
Admiral Rachel L. Levine serves as the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), after being nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021. As Assistant Secretary for Health, ADM Rachel Levine fights every day to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. She’s working to help our nation overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger foundation for a healthier future – one in which every American can attain their full health potential. ADM Levine also is the head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned one of the eight uniformed services.
After graduating from Harvard College and Tulane University School of Medicine, ADM Levine completed her training in Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. As a physician, she focused on the intersection between mental and physical health, treating children, adolescents, and young adults. ADM Levine was a Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. Her previous posts included: Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs for the Department of Pediatrics, and Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
In 2015, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf nominated ADM Levine to be Pennsylvania’s Physician General and she was subsequently unanimously confirmed by Pennsylvania’s state Senate. In March of 2018, ADM Levine was named Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health. During her time in state government, ADM Levine worked to address Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis, focus attention on maternal health and improve immunization rates among children. Her decision to issue a standing order for the anti-overdose drug, Naloxone, saved thousands of lives by allowing law enforcement to carry the drug and Pennsylvanians to purchase it without a prescription from their doctor.
ADM Levine is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the Academy for Eating Disorders. She was also the President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. In addition to her recent posts in medicine and government, ADM Levine is an accomplished speaker and author of numerous publications on the opioid crisis, adolescent medicine, eating disorders, and LGBT medicine.
Shamere McKenzie
CEO, Sun Gate Foundation
Shamere McKenzie
Shamere McKenzie was simply trying to find a way to pay her college tuition when she met her trafficker. He seemed like a nice guy, and he promised her she could make money dancing.
Instead he forced her into sex slavery.
For the next several years, Shamere was forced to perform sexual services both on the streets and inside strip clubs. Strong-willed as she is, Shamere often refused and resisted this man who posed as her boyfriend. Each time, she was beaten to a point where she was unable to take care of herself.
Escape was never an option.
It wasn’t until the police busted the pimp (and her!) that she was able to find a way to liberate herself from his clutches. Even though Shamere was clearly a victim, she was charged alongside the pimp.
Today, Shamere is a free woman. She is empowered by her recognition of her own strength, her faith, and her family and friends. She is now the Chief Executive Officer for the Sun Gate Foundation, an anti-trafficking organization that aims to provide educational opportunities for survivor of human trafficking. She the former Program Assistant for Shared Hope International, an organization whose mission is to prevent, rescue and restore women and children in crisis. In addition, she is a subject matter expert consultant with Fox Valley Technical College Amber Alert TTA; a member of Who is Stolen performance troupe; a mentor to survivors of sex trafficking; a member of the National Survivor Network, the Survivor Leadership Institute and an international speaker on the issue of sex trafficking.
Dr. Erin McDonald, PhD, MPP
Regional Administrator, Administration for Children & Families
Dr. Erin McDonald, PhD, MPP
Dr. Erin McDonald, PhD, MPP, is the Regional Administrator for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in Region 3, which serves Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. In this capacity, she leads ACF’s strategic initiatives and priorities to promote the economic well-being of children and families in the region.
Prior to joining ACF, Dr. McDonald served in the New York City Mayor’s Office as the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer for Human Services where she led a range of cross-cutting policy and programmatic initiatives to advance new innovative, outcomes-oriented solutions to serve vulnerable residents including creation of a human-centered pathways to family economic mobility model, adoption of the largest national municipal Good Food Purchasing program, and expanding flexible procurement policy to improve business continuity of health and human service providers. She served as a leading advisor to the Deputy Mayor and human service agencies in the Coronavirus emergency response and recovery, including standing up a cross-sector older adult health and wellbeing outreach and response network.
Her strong commitment to primary prevention and family engagement solutions led her to become a founder of the first system-mandated Family Group Conferencing (FGC) model in the country where she led development, integration, outcomes research, technical assistance, and publication to expand across multiple states and countries, supporting FGC to become a respected best practice.
Patrick J. McKenna, Esq.
Co-Founder and President of the Virginia Coalition Against Human Trafficking (VCAHT)
Patrick J. McKenna, Esq.
Patrick J. McKenna, Esq., is one of the co-founders and President of the Virginia Coalition Against Human Trafficking (VCAHT), an alliance of service providers, attorneys, survivor-advocates, and community members on a mission to remove barriers preventing survivors from achieving a full and healthy life through public awareness campaigns, policy reform and enacting survivor-centered human trafficking legislation.
Mr. McKenna has also co-founded and is the President of Human Trafficking Justice & Freedom International (HTJFI) HTJFI exists to seek justice and freedom for those who have been afflicted and abused by human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation through legal advocacy, education and policy reform. It works with survivors of trafficking to address their legal needs beyond criminal defense.
He is also a Co-Founder and former Executive Director of the Virginia Beach Justice Initiative (“VBJI”) a faith-based non-profit organization founded in 2011, dedicated to ending human trafficking and restoring those victimized by it throughout southeastern Virginia.
Since 2011, Mr. McKenna has been raising awareness, training groups about the ploys of traffickers and signs of human trafficking, facilitating case management for victims, partnering with governmental and non-governmental organizations to form local and statewide coalitions advocating for better state laws and partnering with others to develop protocols and wrap-around services for victims in the Hampton Roads area. As a local expert in the area of human trafficking, Mr. McKenna has done interviews with TBN, CBN, local television ABC, NBC & CBS affiliates, radio, and newspaper/internet news sources.
Mr. McKenna has practiced law for over 30 years and is a member of the Virginia State Bar. He earned his B.A. and B. Mus. Degrees cum laude from S.U.N.Y. at Potsdam and his J.D. degree from Regent University School of Law. He has been happily married to Lori for over 31 years and is the proud father of three adult children.
Brenda Mezick
Assistant State Attorney, Miami/Dade Counties, Florida
Brenda Mezick
Brenda Mezick is As an Assistant State Attorney who has specialized in the prosecution of offenses involving human trafficking, cyber-crimes, capital sexual battery, and homicides. She has forensic sub-specializations in the areas of digital evidence investigation and DNA. She served as Chief of Program Development & Public Policy for the Human Trafficking Unit in the Office of the State Attorney for Miami-Dade County.
Ms. Mezick supervises her office’s groundbreaking Human Trafficking-Child Plan and Recovery initiative. She has participated in the drafting of several successful legislative initiatives to help improve Florida’s legal infrastructure for minors and human trafficking victims. She has created human trafficking training materials for law enforcement and lectures statewide on the use of digital evidence and Florida’s RICO statute to investigate human trafficking. Ms. Mezick has taught for the National District Attorneys Association, the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, and the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative. She has presented at numerous police department trainings, conferences, and community events.
She received her law degree from Georgetown University. She is the recipient of the Florida Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecutor of the Year Award, the Women’s Fund Law Enforcement Visionary Award, the National Crime Victims’ Rights Committee Justice for All Award, the CABA Pro Bono Award, the Dade Chiefs of Police ASA Recognition Award, and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award of Distinction.
Pat Mowen
Prevention Specialist for the Crime Victim’s Center of Fayette County, PA
Pat Mowen
Pat Mowen is the Prevention Specialist for the Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County. During her 20 years of working in victim services, Pat has conducted hundreds, if not thousands, of education programs and professional trainings within Fayette County and regionally. Pat has extensive experience working with all ages of individuals, starting as young as three years of age to adults. She has developed curricula that focuses on the education and awareness of issues and behaviors that can lead to victimization with the emphasis on prevention practices and behavior modification. She is a certified sexual assault counselor and a certified trainer on the topic of mandated reporting of suspected child abuse.
Pat has served on a state committee that developed a curriculum on Elder Sexual Abuse Awareness as a joint project with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. Pat serves as the co-chair of the Fayette County Human Trafficking Task Force. Pat was a panelist for the Pennsylvania Rural Health Human Trafficking Summit discussing community collaboration and partnerships in addressing labor and sex trafficking in rural communities.
She is also a member of the Fayette County Suicide Prevention Task Force and serves on the Advisory Council for the Connellsville Area School District. She has served as a member of the Policy Council for Head Start of Fayette County, the board of Healthy Start of Fayette and the Youth Advisory Council for the Private Industry Council of Fayette County. Pat is a member and past president of Soroptimist International.
Kimberly L.H. Murphy
Child Welfare Program Specialist, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Kimberly L.H. Murphy
Kimberly L.H. Murphy will be graduating in January, 2021 with a Doctorate in Social Science (DSocSci) in Prevention Science from Wilmington University. Her doctoral research defines high-quality residential care and supportive services for children and youth who have been found to be, or are at-risk of becoming, sex trafficking victims. She also holds an M.S. in Organizational Leadership through Wilmington University and is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Family and Community Services.
Ms. Murphy joined the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families/Children’s Bureau Region 3 Office in 2007 after working with children, youth and their families at state and community levels in Delaware for 9 years. In addition to her state assignment of monitoring child welfare services and funding for the Commonwealth of Virginia, she is the lead for human trafficking, tribes and the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) for youth aging out of foster care in the Children’s Bureau Region 3. Kimberly.murphy@acf.hhs.gov
Shailiegh Piepmeier
Youth Support Lead, Division X TA, Young Adult Consultant on behalf of the Children’s Bureau
Shailiegh Piepmeier
Shailiegh Piepmeier has more than ten years of experience with the child welfare system. Shailiegh focuses on supporting youth development programs for transitional-aged youth and young adults through project management, project administration, project coordination, training, counseling, policy, and advocacy. Shailiegh has been recognized as an Outstanding Leader by FosterClub and has written a blog entry for FosterKSKids. She feels called to continue her work in supporting this population by encouraging authentic youth voice and engagement. Shailiegh holds a Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Human Services and is certified in Addiction Counseling, Trauma and Recovery, and Person-Centered Case Management. Shailiegh also holds a minor in Social Work from Washburn University.
Shailiegh currently serves as a full-time employee with ICF International as a Youth Support Lead on the Division X Technical Assistance project, a part-time Young Adult Consultant on behalf of the Children’s Bureau, and as an Independent Living Consultant Intern for the state of Kansas. Shailiegh is also a member of the Kansas Youth Advisory Council as a mentor to people with lived experience.
Jeynce Poindexter
Case Manager, Ruth Ellis Center
Jeynce Poindexter
Jeynce Poindexter is a strong and proud Black trans woman who has committed her life to elevating and progressing the equitable inclusiveness of all LGBTQ community members with a deep concern for the survival and better quality of life for trans women of color, particularly Black trans women with a life expectancy of 35 years of age because of harm, murder, and violence. Ms. Poindexter is a Case Manager and heads up the Housing Department that provides supportive housing services to survivors of Human Trafficking with the Ruth Ellis Center. Jeynce is also Vice President of Trans Sista’s Of Color Project, Co-Chair of Fair and Equal Michigan working on state policies and legislation like the amendment of Michigan’s Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity for the benefit of all Michigan’s LGBTQ community members, and she is also a board member of the impactful Michigan’s Women’s March who helped get Michigan’s world recognized and influential Governor Gretchen Whitmer elected.
Ms. Poindexter was a guest speaker for the 100th Annual NAACP Convention held in Detroit, Michigan in 2020. She has also advised and consulted with several of the 2020 presidential candidates such as Senator Cory Booker, Senator Bernie Sanders, as well as maintaining an ongoing friendship while politically advising United States Representative Beto O’Rourke. Jeynce has also worked very closely with Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to rewrite and introduce state policy regarding gender marker changes for all trans identifying community members, as well as helped bring the plight and hardships of LGBTQ community to a national level working the Biden administration to elevate the importance of securing the National Equality Act.
Fidelma B. Rigby, M.D.
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine
Fidelma B. Rigby, M.D.
Dr. Fidelma Rigby’s current areas of focus involve Human Trafficking Educational Development, Perinatal Mood Disorders and Educational Curriculum development. In terms of Human Trafficking, She has worked closely with Fay Chelmow, RN and Cheryl Bodamer, RN, PhD in the development of educational material at the community, medical school and national levels. Dr. Rigby has been Co-Director of the first two Annual Human Trafficking Medical Symposiums at VCU for the last two years.
In terms of Perinatal Mood Disorders, the VCU MOMs clinic received national recognition from Marce of North America with a $3000 grant which they plan to use to develop a simulation curriculum for pediatric, OB/GYN and psychiatric residents. For educational curriculum development, Dr. Rigby has been working with Sally Santen, MD , PhD and Mike Ryan, MD and their group in presenting our data on curriculum developments in their third year.
Donna Sabella, Ph.D.
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and is the PMHNP Track Coordinator at PA College of Health Sciences
Donna Sabella
Donna Sabella, M.Ed., MSN, PhD, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner and is the PMHNP Track Coordinator at PA College of Health Sciences. She is the founder and contributing editor for the American Journal of Nursing’s Mental Health Matters column, and co-founder and associate editor for the Journal of Human Trafficking.
A former Program Director and a founding member of Dawn’s Place, a residential recovery program for trafficked and prostituted women in Philadelphia, she is also the former Seedworks Endowed Associate Professor of Nursing and Social Justice at UMass Amherst’s College of Nursing.
Aside from her expertise in mental health she is nationally recognized as an expert in human trafficking and has numerous presentations and publications related to mental health and human trafficking. She has decades of teaching experience at various universities and colleges including West Chester University, Ursinus College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Drexel University where she served as the Director of Global Studies in the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
In addition, she has experience working in crisis intervention, substance abuse, domestic violence, and forensic nursing and has provided direct services to vulnerable populations. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), and the American Correctional Association (ACA).
Dawn Schiller, M.A.
Training Director, Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), LA County Project, Consultant, Speaker, Human Trafficking Survivor Leader
Dawn Schiller
Dawn Schiller is the Training Director, L.A. County Project for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST). She is an expert survivor-leader in the anti-trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault movements. Abused and trafficked on the streets of Hollywood in her youth her subsequent years of struggle to survivorship, education and service to others offer valuable first-hand insight to community advocates. Today, she is a national speaker, educator, consultant and author.
Dawn earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude in 2012 from Eastern Oregon University with honors in communication and gender studies. She received the “Women of Vision and Courage” award from EOU President’s Commission on the Status of Women. She is a Phi Kappa Phi Kathleen Greey Fellow and received a teaching fellowship from Oregon State University earning her Master of Arts in Women, Gender, & Sexuality in 2020. Dawn is a VISTO volunteer and regularly visits the girls in Los Angeles juvenile halls who struggle with substance abuse, sharing her experience, strength, hope, and recovery.
Dawn taught Women’s Studies and Activism at Oregon State University. Her academic presentations and trainings infuse lived experience on topics of anti-violence, anti-trafficking (Commercial Sexual Exploitation & Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children), trauma and trauma-informed care, teen/child abuse, the media, ally-ship, resilience, addiction, recovery and healing. Her memoir, “The Road Through Wonderland,” was published by Medallion Press.
Nationally, Dawn is a violence and human trafficking expert consultant with the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, the Department of Health & Human Services Office on Trafficking in Persons (NHTTAC) and the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She is a founding member of “Survivor 2 Survivor” (S2S) and member of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking’s (CAST) “Resilient Voices.”
Above all else, Dawn’s greatest joy is the privilege to be a parent to her talented daughter.
Dawn welcomes you to connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-schiller-m-a-54586316/
Detective Joseph Scaramucci
Deputy Sheriff, McLennan County, Texas
Detective Joseph Scaramucci
Detective Joseph Scaramucci is a nationally renowned law enforcement expert on human trafficking, having trained hundreds of local, state, and federal agencies across the United States. He provides training and technical assistance regularly through the federal Office on Victims of Crimes and through Collective Liberty’s Advanced Human Trafficking Investigations training institutes.
He began his law enforcement career on patrol before being promoted to Detective in 2008 with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, investigating Crimes Against Persons. Since initiating investigations in Human Trafficking in 2014, Detective Scaramucci has participated in John Suppression events, arresting over 450 sex buyers with his partner in a period of 8 months. In the last 3 years he has conducted sting operations resulting in the arrest of approximately 120 individuals for Human Trafficking and related offenses, which lead to the recovery of approximately 200 trafficking victims and seizure of more than $300,000 in Currency and assets.
Detective Scaramucci has worked both State and Federal investigation as a Task Force Officer with H.S.I., which has led to investigations and arrests throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has also lead and trained numerous agencies throughout the U.S. on how to conduct these operations, along with operations targeting Illicit Massage Parlors. Detective Scaramucci is certified in Courts of Law as a Subject Matter Expert in Human Trafficking. He is further employed as a consultant for Collective Liberty, training more than 100 agencies throughout the country, along with providing technical support for their Human Trafficking Operations and Investigations.
Cleo Tellier
Film Director,
TV, commercial and voice actress
Cleo Tellier
Cleo Tellier is a TV, commercial and voice actress, best known for her French-Canadian series roles on Virgine & 30 Vies. She has also appeared on Max and Shred, Being Human, Wingin’ it, Teenagers, Lost Girl, Make It Pop, How to be Indie, The Stanley Dynamic, and Degrassi.
Cleo studied Film Production at York University where she made her first film at 19 years old. The silence, her film about child abuse and human trafficking won over 40 awards across the world and over 30 additional nominations. At 20 years old, Cleo directed her second film, Mishka, a movie about teen pregnancy and incest. Mishka got over 57 million views on Youtube, making it one of the most watched short-film in the history of Youtube. Today, Cleo works actively with several organizations and charities to fight child abuse and human trafficking.
Alexia Tomlinson, Esq.
Legal Representative, CSE Institute
Alexia Tomlinson
Alexia Tomlinson, Esq. joined the Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation legal team in September 2019 as the third Justice for Victims Fellow. In this position, Ms. Tomlinson directly engages with victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking by providing direct legal representation. Ms. Tomlinson focuses her practice on the pursuit of post-conviction relief, including vacatur and expungement. In addition, Ms. Tomlinson regularly spends time at the Salvation Army’s New Day Drop-In Center for women in Kensington, where she provides critical Know Your Rights information, conducts legal triage, and gathers data about the legal needs and challenges that victims of commercial sexual exploitation face.
Alexia Tomlinson is a 2018 graduate of Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law. Prior to joining the Institute, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jeffery D. Wright in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, working on both civil and criminal matters. In this position, she also served as a member of the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court. During her time as a law student, Ms. Tomlinson worked in international public interest law with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Hague, as well as St. Andrew’s Refugee Service in Cairo. She attended Franklin & Marshall College as an undergraduate studying German and History. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.
Douglas Trahey
Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator, PA Office of Developmental Programs
Douglas Trahey
Doug Trahey has been involved with human services and emergency response/management his entire adult life. Currently employed by the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs to advocate, coordinate, and develop initiatives that support individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism before, during, and after emergencies/disasters.
Prizila Vidal
Advocate for Foster Youth, HIV/AIDS and Sexual Orientation, Gender Identify and Expression (SOGIE)
Prizila Vidal
Prizila Vidal has been working in the San Diego community as an advocate for foster youth, HIV/AIDS, and SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) specific services since 2006. She has worked with nonprofits, government agencies, and various service providers to offer training, consultation, and client advocacy. Prizila has also done a significant amount of work with Migrant/Undocumented communities.
Some of the organizations and programs she has worked with include Center for Community Solutions, North County Lifeline, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, UCSD, San Diego Youth Services, San Diego County Child Welfare Services, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, Voices for Children, California Coalition for Youth, The Center of Excellence for Transgender Health, San Diego Office of Education, Family Health Centers, San Ysidro Health, and Urban Street Angels.
Kirby Williams
Anti-Violence Activist/Consultant and Survivor Leader
Kirby Williams
Kirby Williams (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma) is an anti-violence activist/consultant and survivor leader. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Clinical Psychology from Missouri State University. Since 2014, she has worked in her professional and personal life to raise awareness and promote prevention of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking, and stalking. She currently focuses the majority of her work on serving Native American survivors of these crimes.
Kirby has conducted numerous trainings addressing violence dynamics throughout the United States. She is a Class 5 graduate fellow of the National Human Trafficking Leadership Academy (HTLA), in which she and 11 other Indigenous fellows addressed how culture can be used as a protective factor in the trafficking of all Indigenous youth. For her work in violence prevention, she was named an inaugural recipient of the Cherokee Phoenix’s Seven Feathers Award. In addition to her understanding of violence against Native Americans overall, she has a background of knowledge in psychological diagnostics, statistical analysis, the impact of trauma from a physical and psychological perspective, and healing from a culturally relevant perspective. She currently serves on the board for the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs (NCIA).
Bill Woolf
Former Director of Human Trafficking Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Bill Woolf
Bill Woolf has dedicated his personal and professional life to combatting human trafficking – most recently being recognized by receiving the Presidential Medal for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons. He started his professional career as a police officer where he was promoted to the position of detective and was assigned to work on the Gang Investigations Unit. While doing this work, he quickly became aware of an emerging problem in his region, human trafficking. Mr. Woolf learned that gangs were transitioning from other profitable crime, such as narcotics trafficking, to human trafficking as a source of income for their illicit activities. Mr. Woolf, having no formal law enforcement training regarding human trafficking, sought out to better understand the problem. In doing so, he learned how prevalent the issue really was domestically in the United States, as well as internationally. From that point forward he became dedicated to combatting the issue serving as a federal task force officer investigating and prosecuting cases locally and federally.
He was instrumental in applying for, and ultimately receiving, funding to start a human trafficking task force in northern Virginia. Mr. Woolf was placed in charge of the task force and was assigned to coordinate enforcement and interdiction efforts with other regional, state and federal law enforcement. He was also tasked with forging partnerships with non-governmental agencies that could provide necessary services to those victimized by human trafficking. In the first two years, under Mr. Woolf’s leadership, the task force was able to identify 217 victims of sex and labor trafficking and recover over 126 of them. The task force also identified and initiated investigations into more than 100 traffickers that had conducted illegal activities in the northern Virginia area.