Amy Smith is the Program Manager of Anti-Human Trafficking Services and Unaccompanied Minor Services at the Institute of Minnesota. She delivers trauma-informed, comprehensive social work services to foreign born survivors of human trafficking. Amy provides training and assistance to service providers regarding labor trafficking and foreign-born human trafficking survivors. Amy has worked with survivors of human trafficking as well as with several labor trafficking group cases.
Read MoreKristen Bracy is the Associate Director of Research Implementation for the Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research at Arizona State University. Kristen has a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Human Rights and a Master of Social Work.
Read MoreCristina Sevilla is an Attorney and the Founder of Action Against Violence and Exploitation, Inc. She formerly served as a consultant of the Philippine Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons, Counsel of ECPAT-Phil., CATW-AP and participated in the 2009 US International Visitors Leadership Program, “Combatting Trafficking in Persons”.
Read MoreDr. Tammy Schultz is a Professor and Clinical Training Coordinator in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Wheaton College. She passionately teaches about transformation from sexual abuse around the world and co-authored Beyond Desolate: Hope vs. hate in the Rubble of Sexual Abuse. She was awarded the 2010 Indiana Counselor of the Year Award by the Indiana Counseling Association.
Read MoreEmina Sadic is a Project Coordinator focused on maritime security for Oceans Beyond Piracy, a program of the One Earth Future Foundation. Prior to this role, Ms. Sadic completed a master’s degree in human rights from Sciences Po Paris and worked at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and NATO.
Read MoreJohn Rush is a social entrepreneur with a focus on changing the paradigm of how we think about the relationship between business and the social sector. As a Sergeant in the Marine Corps, John focused on creating small businesses to provide employment for people impacted by homelessness, incarceration, human trafficking, and domestic violence. In 2011, he helped launch CleanTurn Enterprise. John holds five Master's degrees focused on urban studies, religion, history, non-profit management, and business.
Read MoreDr. Rosa Valls is a Professor of Theory and History of Education at the University of Barcelona. She is the main researcher of the first research project on gender violence at the University in Spain. The results of the project were included in the Spanish Law for Effective Equality between Women and Men.
Read MoreDr. Lena de Botton is a Professor at the University of Barcelona. She received her PhD at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. She has a long trajectory researching women’s studies and cultural groups. She is a researcher for the project TRATA: Life trajectories that move away or bring closer to networks of trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Read MoreDr. Guiomar Merodio is a fellow at the Department of Sociology at the University of Barcelona and a researcher at CREA Research Center. Her research focuses on sex trafficking prevention. She is a member of the research team for the “END-TRAFFICKING” project which is funded by the Spanish National Plan for R+D.
Read MoreDr. Lidia Puigvert is a Professor of Sociological Theory and Women’s Studies at the University of Barcelona and a Marie Curie Fellow at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. Dr. Puigvert published “Women and social transformation” together with Judith Butler and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim. She has led two R+D projects on Sex Trafficking in Spain.
Read MoreChristina Melander is a Research Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Urban Research Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). Her research focuses on sex trafficking, gender equality, and structural inequalities using community-based and participatory approaches. Christina believes that through rigorous methodology, research can tackle some of society’s biggest social issues.
Read MoreDr. Lauren Martin is the Director of Research at the University of Minnesota Urban Research Outreach Engagement Center (UROC), and affiliated faculty at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Lauren has numerous scholarly and community publications. She uses community-based action research to co-create empirical knowledge in service of justice and equity.
Read MoreDavid Manville teaches the only Human Trafficking class in Michigan and has mentored students at the Undergraduate Symposium on human trafficking issues. He is the faculty advisor for a human trafficking student organization: UNMASKED. David is a member of the Washtenaw County Anti-Trafficking Task Force and presented on human trafficking in Jamaica.
Read MoreDiana Patton is a speaker, social justice and integrative health advocacy coach, author, and attorney. Diana works with high schools to implement her Integrative and Authentic School Care Strategy. She also consults and speaks to businesses and nonprofit organizations to empower their staff to Find Their Why and serve others.
Read MoreDr. Jesse Bach is the founder of The Imagine Foundation, a Cleveland-based non-profit dedicated to fostering domestic human rights. He earned his PhD studying domestic minor sex trafficking at Cleveland State University.
Read MoreJessica Lowen is a University Michigan Anthropology PhD Candidate and Principal Investigator of MHTRS. With over three years of ethnographic fieldwork, Lowen attended rallies, trainings, and task force meetings, interviewed volunteers, law enforcement, and social service providers, and shadowed faith-based outreach at sites where sex is sold.
Read MoreJenn Amo is the author and Program Director of “Warning Lights” and a Youth Ambassador for Women At Risk- International. She is a highly popular speaker who has presented at conferences, schools and universities, churches, and many other organizations. “Jenn At War” passionately raises awareness, creates compassion, and takes you on an entertaining and memorable journey.
Read MoreMadeline Lohman is a Senior Researcher with The Advocates for Human Rights. She conducts research, education, and legislative advocacy on immigrant rights and human trafficking in Minnesota. She published a report on labor trafficking and exploitation in 2016 and continues combating human trafficking through training, protocol development, and further research.
Read MoreLaShanna Alfred is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and currently does contracted supervision work at a Behavioral Health agency in Toledo. She uses her personal and career experience to equip social service workers with maintaining self-care to prevent burnout. She is an Author of Behind Bars: A Chance to Change, Ladies Take your M.A.N Back, and Power of Perception: and Healing from the Inside Out.
Read MoreKris Napier has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. For the last four years, Kris has been the coordinator for the ProMedica Regional Metro Forensic Program and an active SANE for the last nine years. Kris is also a member of the Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition.
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