About the RIC
Mission
The Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborative Working to Disrupt Human Trafficking (the “RIC”), is a collaboration of stakeholders from the National, Regional, State and Local levels working together to end human trafficking, support survivors of trafficking and raise awareness of human trafficking. The RIC Members’ goal is to remove barriers, increase awareness across multiple disciplinarians including education, law enforcement, first responders, the medical community, faith-based communities, statewide organizations and through the Federal Government.
About the Collaborative
The RIC was formed as a planning committee to organize the Inaugural Regional Human Trafficking Summit (the “Summit”) for advocates working to end human trafficking in the U.S. Department of Human Services’ Region 3 which includes Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The Summit was held in February, 2021 virtually for advocates in the Region to learn from each other about best practices, barriers shared across state lines, legislation being enacted, medical guidelines being implemented as well as procedures being put in place to address human trafficking on the front lines of law enforcement and first responders.
During the process of planning the Summit, the planning committee realized that the sharing of ideas throughout the Region and on a national basis was so unique that it had to become a permanent group and expand to include as many advocates and survivors to create a long-lasting impact on human trafficking. Thus, the RIC was formed and is a 501c3. The RIC plans to provide informational Webinars as well as work throughout the Region to bring awareness and education to the community level.
Please be sure to visit the Events Page on this website for Webinars and upcoming events.
RIC Members
Select a member below to view bio and contact information.
BOARD MEMBERS
Chair
Senior Training Specialist
Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work
Vice Chair
Director, Anti-Trafficking for The Salvation Army
Advisor, New Day to Stop Trafficking Program
Co-Treasurer
Homeless/Client Services Advocate
Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Co-Treasurer
Sexual Assault Advocate
Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ESCADV)
Member
Training Director, Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), LA County Project, Consultant, Speaker
Lead Partner
Office of the Regional Director/Regional Outreach Specialist
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
SURVIVOR CONSULTANTS
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. Nathan.earl@giantslayer.us
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. Nathan.earl@@giantslayer.us
Principal Consultant at Giant Slayer Consulting
Jerome Elam
Jerome Elam is President and CEO of Trafficking in America Task Force. Raised in a broken home by an alcoholic parent, he is a survivor of child abuse/domestic violence, child sex trafficking, and child pornography.
Brought up in the South, Jerome enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. The decision to serve was made, in part, as an effort to escape the tragic circumstances he was trapped in. Through the experience of serving his country, Jerome found a new beginning and embarked upon a journey that showed him the world. This opened his eyes to the strength of the human spirit. After his completion of eight years in the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Elam attended the University of Florida, earning a Bachelor of Science degree. He went on to spend several years working in the Biotechnology sector. Motivated by the painful memories of his past, Jerome found his inner strength and began to speak out about his abuse. Through this journey, he found the healing force of God’s unconditional love and discovered the joy of starting his own family.
Today, Mr. Elam is a fierce Advocate for all children deprived of their voice. He is a public speaker, a staff writer, and known columnist for Communities Digital News. Recently featured as one of New York’s New Abolitionists, he remains dedicated to the protection and empowerment of trafficked people. Staying true to values he learned in the Marine Corps continues to provide a safe harbor for all, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual identity, or immigration status.
When asked to describe his life experiences Mr. Elam stated, “I have struggled against many things in my life and somehow I found a way to survive. Writing is my passion and it keeps me in touch with the wealth everyone holds deep inside their hearts and minds. I share my experiences in the hope that those suffering in silence will find the courage to speak out and share their voices. I have been blessed to have God reveal His purpose to me in saving innocent children from predators.”
Jerome has received the Award for Courage presented by the National Council of Jewish Women for his work in the advocacy arena and in 2015, he was appointed as a Special Advisor to the Utah Attorney General on human trafficking. In 2016, Jerome founded his nonprofit Trafficking in America Task Force using his notoriety to help promote global awareness of human trafficking. In 2017, Jerome was invited to speak in Strasbourg, France before the Council of Europe on the International Day of the Child. In 2018, he was invited to the United Nations to share his story. In 2019, Jerome was inducted as one of New York’s New Abolitionists alongside Mike Bloomberg and President Jimmy Carter. In 2021, Jerome was appointed to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) inaugural International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Board (ISTAC) where he has trained law enforcement, judges and prosecutors in the Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In 2021, he spoke at conferences in Africa, Australia, India, the UK and South Africa. jerome@traffickinginamericataskforce.org
President and CEO Trafficking in America Task Force, Child Sex Trafficking Survivor, Survivor Leader
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. Shamere.mckenzie@gmail.com
Training for National Human Trafficking Hotline
Polaris
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/
Training Director, Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST), LA County Project, Consultant, Speaker
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Caren M. Schiffman, Esq.
In addition, Caren has significant experience in marketing, communications, business development, and project management for a variety of organizations throughout the country.
Assistant Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Alexandra Menezes
Alexandra Menezes is an Assistant Attorney General (AAG) at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) for the District of Columbia. Ms. Menezes is assigned to the Family Services Division, in the Child Protection Section, where she litigates child abuse and neglect matters on behalf of the District’s Child and Family Services Agency. In this role, Ms. Menezes specializes in cases involving youth who have been trafficked or who are at high risk of being trafficked, also handling cases in D.C. Superior Court’s HOPE Court, a specialty court serving victims of trafficking. In this capacity, Ms. Menezes also trains students, school staff, government entities, and community organizations around the District on the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the District.
Prior to joining OAG, Ms. Menezes was a Staff Attorney at Break the Cycle, a nonprofit organization serving youth experiencing domestic violence and dating abuse. Ms. Menezes also served three years as an Agency Attorney with New York City’s Administration for Children Services, prosecuting cases of child abuse and neglect. Ms. Menezes received her Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honors in Political Science from the University of Ottawa and her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where she was the President of Law Students against Trafficking. Alexandra.menezes@dc.gov
Assistant Attorney General
DC Office of Attorney General
DELAWARE
Lauren Arnold
Lauren Arnold is the Anti Human Trafficking Program Manager for The Salvation Army Delaware’s Restoration Now program. This program provides emergency shelter and trauma informed, intensive case management to those who are adult victims of Sex and Labor Trafficking. The program follows our Fight for Freedom plan, The Salvation Army International Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Response Strategy, to the Army world and beyond.
Arnold is a graduate of the Psychology Program at Penn State University, (1997). Prior to working for the Salvation Army, Delaware, Lauren worked for the Delaware Division of Family Services (DFS) for 21 years in various capacities, as a case manager and then as Supervisor of the Adolescent Unit.
Lauren is involved with the Human Trafficking Interagency Coordinating Council (HTICC), serving on the juvenile and victim services and training committees. For over twenty three years, Lauren has been a champion for the voiceless, advocating for the rights and needs of those who go unheard in our society. She is passionate about walking the path to recovery with women whose lives have been devastated by the horrible crime of human trafficking. Arnold’s ongoing goal is to establish collaborations with other individuals, organizations, and services in order to build solid, effective programming in Delaware for those who need to rebuild and restore their lives. lauren.arnold@use.salvationarmy.org
Anti Human Trafficking Program Manager
Salvation Army, Delaware State Office
Christina Crooks Bryan
Christina Cooks Bryan joined the Delaware Healthcare Association (DHA) as Director, Communications and Policy in 2018. In this role, Christina advocates on behalf of DHA’s membership of hospitals and health care delivery systems before the Delaware General Assembly and State Agencies. Christina serves as staff for DHA’s Human Trafficking Medical Committee, Hospital Finance Committee and Strategic Communications Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining DHA, Christina served as Director, Tax and Domestic Economic Policy in Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) from 2013-2017 where she lobbied on tax policy, pensions, corporate finance and governance issues.
Previously, Christina served as Senior Manager of Government Affairs for Financial Executives International from 2010-2013, where she advocated on behalf of the association’s membership of senior-level business executives on issues including the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Christina began her career in Washington, D.C. working as Legislative Assistant for former U.S. Congressman Michael N. Castle (R-DE). christina@deha.org
Director, Communications & Policy
DE Healthcare Association
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. Johanna.p.bishop@wilmu.edu
Director, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Wilmington University
Yolanda Schlabach
Yolanda Schlabach is a Registered Nurse, having worked in labor and delivery and N.I.C.U. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership and Management from Regent University in 2004, then graduated from Liberty University with a Master’s in Human Services & Counseling. Yolanda attended the University of Maryland, earning a Certificate in Working with Survivors of Violence, Trauma and Torture. She is currently enrolled in a doctorate program for community counseling and trauma.
Yolanda served as a member of Delaware’s Human Trafficking Coordinating Council and Co-Chair of the Victim Services Committee form 2015-2017. She is the Founder of DelCAT—the Delaware Coalition Against Trafficking.
Yolanda has served as Executive Director of Zoë Ministries, Inc. since 2012, when the organization received 501©3 status. For the past several years, she has spent her time engaged in public awareness and professional training and education to bring the reality of human trafficking to the forefront in Delaware. The organization’s goal is to bring long-term housing and aftercare for trafficking survivors to DE. yschlabach@zooe-delaware.org
Executive Director
Zoe Ministries, Inc.
Diana Suchodolski
Diana Suchodolski is an active advocate serving survivors of trafficking, Diana engages in trauma informed practices supporting survivors working towards life-changing goals. Diana has a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy & Public Service with a concentration in Leadership, is certified in the SERVE model to provide trauma responsive advocacy and has completed Pennsylvania’s Domestic Violence Prevention Project training for providing support in residential programs. Diana is also a certified vinyasa and aerial yoga teacher for youth and adults. Diana.suchdolski@thewellde.org
Administrator
Meet Me At The Well
MARYLAND
Jessica Dickerson
Jessica Dickerson is the Victim Services Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). She has approximately 25 years of experience providing services to delinquent youth, their families and victims of juvenile crime. Mrs. Dickerson works directly with the agencies Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking initiative and is currently a co-chair of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force Victim Services committee.
In addition, she serves as the representative for DJS as a member of the Maryland State Board of Victim Services, the Governor’s Family Violence Council, the Maryland Coalition of Sexual Assault’s Maryland Women of Color Network and is affiliated with other organizations devoted to assisting victims of crime. She graduated from the Roper Victim Assistance Academy of Maryland in 2004. Jessica.dickerson@maryland.gov
Maryland Department of Juvenile Services
Victim Services Coordinator
Neil Mallon
Neil Mallon, LCSW-C is a Senior Training Specialist with the Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work.
In his role, Mr. Mallon is responsible for implementing and overseeing several grant funded initiatives to improve outcomes for child and young adult victims of sex and labor trafficking in Maryland. Mr. Mallon is also an Advisor to the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom, & Empowerment (SAFE) Center; a multi-disciplinary service center for survivors of human trafficking. He has also previously served in leadership roles with the Maryland Child Labor Trafficking Learning Collaborative and the Washington County Human Trafficking Task Force. nmallon@ssw.umaryland.edu
Senior Training Specialist
Prevention of Adolescent Risks Initiative at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Social Work
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. dholbrook@mdmercy.com
Forensic Nurse
Mercy Hospital
PENNSYLVANIA
Alycha Boehm, MSW, LSW
Clinical Supervisor, THRIVE, LV Shelter & LV Independent Living
Renee E. Franchi, Esq.
Renee represents survivors of sexual abuse, violent crime, and human trafficking against large and powerful institutions including, but not limited to, Catholic Diocese, religious institutions, and churches, foster care agencies, national and international corporations, mentoring organizations, and schools. Renee’s practice is nation-wide, and she is specifically licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Colorado. Prior to her work representing survivors, Renee was a Senior Deputy Prosecutor who prosecuted violent crime and death cases including strangulation, domestic violence, aggravated assaults, and homicides in jury trials to verdict.
Renee is also the Vice-Chair of Collective Liberty, a non-profit that works closely with government agencies to shift systems and improve public policy to ensure, as a community, we support survivors while stopping traffickers. Collective Liberty uses tech-forward solutions interconnecting data points across multiple platforms to produce impactful intelligence reports. Combined with legislative efforts to create systemic change through public policy, it is Collective Liberty’s mission to effectively end all forms of human trafficking and ensure survivors have access to necessary resources.
Renee can be reached at renee@vca.law.
Attorney representing survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking, Andreozzi + Foote
Vice-Chair, Collective Liberty
Amber Goltz
Amber Goltz is originally from Denver, Colorado and holds a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and two master’s degrees in Nonprofit Management and Human Rights Practice. Amber began her work in social services working with children with special needs and shortly thereafter had an opportunity to live abroad in Peru for two years. Fueling her desire to work with survivors of human trafficking she than began to work as a supervisor for a human trafficking hotline in Colorado while working with at risk children and their families.
She is now the Manager of Anti-Trafficking at WOAR in Philadelphia, where she is working to open a drop-in center for victims and survivors of human trafficking in the city and provides trainings to other organization, hospitals, law enforcement, etc. Amber also assists law enforcement in human trafficking investigations and sits on many task forces locally and nationally. Amber is also an Adjunct Professor at Temple University teaching a course on Human Trafficking for Temple’s MSW program. amber@woar.org
Manager of Anti-Trafficking
WOAR
Heather LaRocca
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. Heather.larocca@USE.SalvationArmy.org
Director, Anti-Trafficking for The Salvation Army
Advisor, New Day to Stop Trafficking Program
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. pmowen@crimevictimscenter.com
Prevention Specialist
Crime Victims Center
Dr. Glenn Sterner
Dr. Glenn Sterner is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at The Pennsylvania State University, Abington Campus. He serves as the coordinator of the Criminal Justice Research Center’s Greater Philadelphia Office for the University. As an expert on the opioid epidemic, he sits on the Opioid Overdose Task Force for the State of Pennsylvania. He is also a founding member of the Penn State Consortium to Combat Substance Abuse advisory board. He serves as a faculty fellow of the Penn State University Administrative Data Accelerator. He is the founder of the Share Your Opioid Story initiative, found at www.shareyouropioidstory.com.
His main research agenda is focused on the application of social network analysis in understanding illicit, illegal, and covert networks, and he is experienced with both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Dr. Sterner has been awarded over $6.7 Million in local, state, and federal grants to study and address the opioid epidemic, including funding from the National Institute of Justice, Department of Justice, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). His work includes the examination of opioid abuse networks, illegal opiate distribution, networks of legitimate opioid distributors and overdose deaths, hot spots of opioid availability, intelligence-based interventions in rural areas, and stigma associated with opioid and other substance use disorders.
Dr. Sterner collaborates extensively with law enforcement agencies on the local, state, and federal level in his work to address the opioid crisis and other substance use issues. He has several active grants with the Pennsylvania State Police, and partners with local district attorneys, coroners, and police departments. Within the Pennsylvania State Police, he regularly works with individuals in the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC), the data fusion center at State Police Headquarters in Harrisburg. Ges5098@psu.edu
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
Penn State University
Ashley Wilson
Health Services, which provided counseling and parental education. Prior to becoming a mother, she worked as an Executive Director at Oasis of Hope, which was a secluded safe home for teen sex trafficking survivors.
Ashley’s continuous community involvement and advocacy engagement, has been demonstrated through her previous work with (LHIP) Lancaster Health Improvement Partnerships, which worked to ensure that the community and workplaces would have optimal health and overall well-being. Ashley also created and taught life skill classes to women who were in recovery from troubled backgrounds through a program at Tabor Community Services. Also, Ashley has previously served as a Missionary at Victory Church in Lancaster, and traveled to Haiti for ministry where she was asked to teach to some of
the Haitian community about best practices when dealing with at risk youth in a boarding school type setting. In addition to these activities, Ashley has collaborated and served as a vital member with a number of groups and ministries. Ashley has been married to her husband (Jason Wilson) for 11 years, and they have 3 amazing children together. She believes in spreading wellness through spiritual living and natural elements. Ashley’s primary goal is to serve God by helping others experience freedom from bondages that have been unjustly inflicted which is why she became the founder of an organization called Rewritten of Tioga County. Rewritten addresses human trafficking issues by increasing awareness
of the problem, offering prevention solutions that can end demand, creating trauma- informed communities, and providing restoration services to survivors. When Ashley isn’t doing the stated work above, she is creating content for a number of social media platforms, connecting with her clients through her practice as an Integrative Health Practitioner at AMW Wellness, LLC and creating art through different mediums through her business A. Wilson Creates.
Founder, Director, CEO of Rewritten of Tioga County
VIRGINIA
Kerry Brockmeier
Homeless/Client Services Advocate
Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence
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.
Survivor Leader & Expert
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. Patrickjmckenna.vcaht@gmail.com
Co-Founder
Virginia Coalition Against Human Trafficking
Fatina Muslimani
My name is Fatina Muslimani and I am the Sexual Assault Client Service Advocate for the Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ESCADV) I have been provided direct services to clients since Feb. 2015. I helped to spearhead our Sexual Assault Program in 2016 and have been in my current role since. I am a survivor of child sexual abuse. I’m a credentialed Advocate with National Advocate Credentialing Program through the National Organization for Victim Assistance at the Intermediate level as a Comprehensive Advocate who specializes in Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse.
Sexual Assault Advocate
Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ESCADV)
Carol Olson, MA, LPC, ATR, CSAC
Carol Olson manages two programs under Injury and Violence Prevention. She has over 16 years of experience in sexual violence, d/ipv, and stalking program development; leading response and advocacy teams in two of the largest service areas in Virginia; which included multiple rural counties. She has served in executive leadership roles in local, regional, state-wide, and national organizations developing programs, designing policy, and training effective teams. She will supervise the collaboration with Empower and the participating local sdvas as well as onboarding and training the advocate. She will coordinate with CTCCE and the external partners on incorporating training on the intersection of d/ipv, mental health, and substance abuse. Olson is licensed in the state of Virginia and certified in substance abuse with expertise in screening, response, and treatment. She is trained in Motivational Interviewing and is a certified Mental Health Crisis responder. Carol will be an asset around the training topics of responding to substance abuse and mental health patients. She will work with internal and external partners to ensure successful program implementation and oversee data integrity and reporting.
She has presented extensively locally to international on sexual and domestic violence including most recently (2021) at the following conferences:
End Violence Against Women International: Project Empower: Best Practice in Hospital-based Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Patient Care
Trauma Center Association of America: Project EMPOWER: A Best Practice in hospital-based IPV/SV Care
PanAmerican Trauma Society: Adapting Hospital-Based Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Programs to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention: ADAPTING HOSPITAL-BASED INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE PROGRAMS TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (co-presenter)
American Public Health Association – Adapting Hospital-Based Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Programs to the COVID-19 Pandemic
End Violence Against Women International – Best Practice in Hospital-Based Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Patient Care
Upcoming Publications
Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery – ADAPTING HOSPITAL-BASED INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE PROGRAMS TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Assistant Director VCU Injury and Violence Prevention – Gender and IPV Initiatives and Counseling Programs
Julian Walker
Julian Walker serves as Vice President of Communications for VHHA. In that role, he oversees all manner of internal and external communications including media engagement; strategic communication and messaging; production of daily, weekly monthly, semi-quarterly, and annual publications; advertising and public awareness campaigns; audio and video production work; market and public opinion research; and administration of VHHA’s online and social media platforms.
Walker also works with the advocacy team to coordinate communications strategies with other VHHA outreach efforts, and is the staff lead on VHHA’s Human Trafficking Task Force. Earlier in his career, Walker spent 16 years as a full-time journalist covering government and politics for newspapers in Virginia and Pennsylvania, winning several writing awards along the way. His knowledge of Virginia politics, policy, and governance resulted in frequent invitations to appear as a guest commentator on television networks such as CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, and C-SPAN. jtwalker@vhha.com
VP, Communications
VA Hospital & Healthcare Association
WEST VIRGINIA
Amie Ashcraft, PhD, MPH
Amie Ashcraft, PhD, MPH is a social psychologist who conducts research in topics related to women’s sexual decisions and health, including contraception, preventative health screening, and sexual exploitation and trafficking.
She is a Research Assistant Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Family Medicine at West Virginia University. amashcraft@hsc.wvu.edu
Assistant Research Professor
Health Sciences Center, W.V. University
Corporal F.H. Edwards
Corporal F.H. Edwards has been a member of the West Virginia State Police for approximately 17 years. He has been assigned to the Crimes Against Unit for the last ten years. In this capacity, Corporal Edwards investigates cases of child sexual/physical abuse and on-line sexual exploitation of minors.
Corporal Edwards is a member of the Berkeley County Multi-Disciplinary Investigative Team, which is facilitated by the Virginia State Police’s Prosecutors Office.
Since being assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit (2018), he have become Federally Deputized as a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Violent Crimes against Children’s Task Force (VCAC). Frederick.edwards@wvsp.gov
Lia M. Palmer
Lia M. Palmer is currently Chief Investigator, for the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General. Ms. Palmer began her work with the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office in June, 2011. Since her time with the Attorney General’s Office, she has worked as a Law Enforcement Liaison, and Investigator working in conjunction with various local, state, and federal law enforcement and governmental agencies.
She is a member of the West Virginia Fusion Center’s Fusion Liaison Program (FLO), the West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force, and is an adjunct professor with West Virginia State University, teaching Criminology, Criminal Procedure, and Criminal Law. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in Sociology from West Virginia State University in December 2001, and was a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta, International Honor Society. She earned her Masters of Science in Criminal Justice from Marshall University Graduate School in May 2009, and is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma International Honor Society. Lia.m.palmer@wvago.gov
Chief Investigator
Office of the West Virginia Attorney General
PARTNERS
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. In this capacity, 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. Additionally, she is the Co-Chair of the Delaware Human Trafficking Interagency Coordinating Council and is the lead for the Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborative Working to End Human Trafficking.
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. Patricia.danner@hhs.gov
Office of the Regional Director/Regional Outreach Specialist
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Gail Houppert
Gail Houppert serves as a Project Officer Supervisor for the Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children Program which is part of the Administration of Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services. Gail provides oversight of all of the Home Study and Post Release Services Programs for ORR. Gail.houppert@acf.hhs.gov
Senior Project Officer
Office of Refugee and Resettlement
DHS Blue Campaign
The Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign, designed to educate the public, law enforcement and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. Blue Campaign works closely with DHS Components to create general awareness training and materials for law enforcement and others to increase detection of human trafficking, and to identify victims. For more information, please contact us at BlueCampaign@hq.dhs.gov.
White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI)
The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) is charged with driving an ambitious, whole-of-government agenda to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities.
More information: https://www.hhs.gov/about/whiaanhpi/index.html