Victor Hsiao is a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He has a passion for global health and working with at-risk youth, leading him to conduct a Photovoice study examining the social determinants of health among Taiwanese teenage boys in foster care and juvenile justice.
Read MoreToshia was a participant in the F.R.E.E. program, received her certification as a yoga instructor, and founded Hogan Yoga @HoganYogaHealing. She is currently hosting online classes helping survivors overcome trauma through yoga.
Read MoreTerry Forliti is a survivor-leader. After 30 years of being in the life, she broke free from her life of abuse as a program participant at Breaking Free. She obtained her BA in Organizational Leadership in 2005. In 2016, Terry was appointed Executive Director of Breaking Free.
Read MoreTerence “Terry” Coonan is a professor of law and criminology at Florida State University (FSU) and the founding executive director of FSU’s Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, which has led work nationwide on human trafficking issues. Terry consults on human trafficking with the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement officials, and service providers nationwide.
Read MoreTashina Khabbaz is a doctoral student at Lehigh University in the Department of Educational Leadership. Khabbaz is the Educational Specialist for VAST (Valley Against Sex Trafficking) and has been part of their speakers’ bureau for four years. Her research interest targets sex trafficking awareness and prevention in the educational sector.
Read MoreSusan Kahan provides consultation and training for law enforcement, child protection agencies, disability agencies, and mental health professionals on disability-related topics including law enforcement and disability, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and trauma. Susan is a certified forensic interviewer and works as a clinical therapist at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Read MoreSteven Procopio is a consultant, trainer, and therapist for males with complex trauma. His area of work is with sexual victimization, with an expertise in commercial sexual victimization of boys, adolescent males, and young men. He is the founder of the first free standing project for CSEC males in the United States.
Read MoreSteve Mentrek is a Program Director at Bittersweet Farms. He completed his studies at Slippery Rock University and received his MA in Recreation Therapy and Leisure Administration from the University of Toledo. Steve has over 15 years of experience assisting individuals with DD.
Read MoreDr. S. Michele Cohen has 30 years of experience providing direct psychotherapy, program development, and advocacy for people across the lifespan who struggle with acute and complex trauma histories. She understands the multiple complexities related to recovering from the most extreme forms of torture must include joining clients in co-creating their therapeutic process.
Read MoreSinenhlanhla Zungu is a trained clinical psychologist and PhD candidate in social cognition at Lehigh University. Her research interests sit in the realm of moral psychology, primarily looking at how social identity markers influence how moral judgments are made about harm doers and victims/survivors of harm.
Read MoreShauna Harrison is a licensed independent social worker and has worked as a trauma therapist since 2009. She is trained in EMDR and specializes in trauma and addiction. She has been working with survivors of sex trafficking since 2017 and is consistently amazed by the strength and resilience of her clients.
Read MoreSarah Florman is the Trafficking Policy Coordinator at MNCASA. She provides training and technical assistance to organizations and multidisciplinary teams working to develop their system’s response to sexually exploited youth. Sarah has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota.
Read MoreSarah Demerath is a survivor of childhood trauma and sex trafficking. Throughout her life, Sarah has turned to art as an emotional outlet, coping mechanism, and as an avenue for self-expression and escape. Her experience has led her to become a peer-to-peer counselor and case manager at Convergence Resource Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Read MoreSanjamaya Tamang, a trafficking survivor, is living with HIV. Her determination towards anti-trafficking efforts motivated her to run her own agency, " Shanti Foundation”. Over the last four years, Sanjamaya has been working with the agency in a presidential capacity.
Read MoreSamantha Searls is a Program Manager at the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center in Cincinnati, Ohio addressing human trafficking through education and advocacy. Samantha chairs the Public Education and Awareness Committee of End Slavery Cincinnati's Coalition. Her education includes an MSW, Washington University in St. Louis and a BSW, University of Indianapolis.
Read MoreRosie Best is the founder and artistic director of Issue Box Theatre. She has a wide variety of experiences in working with youth and marginalized populations. She has worked with churches, community centers, schools, and arts programs to develop and deliver programs that inspire, educate, and create change using therapeutic art and theater-based interventions.
Read MoreDr. Rochelle Dalla is a Professor in the department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research addresses familial relationships and developmental trajectories of sex trafficking survivors in India and the USA. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Human Trafficking.
Read MoreRita Dhungel, a feminist participatory action researcher, has been significantly involved in anti-trafficking interventions for sex trafficking, locally and internationally, through transformative and emancipatory studies. Providing vulnerable and disenfranchised populations with opportunities to share their silenced voices for their liberations exhibit her determinations, passions, and ethical stance for social justice.
Read MoreRita was a participant in the F.R.E.E. program, received her Master’s in Social Work, and is providing services for survivors of human trafficking.
Read MoreRenee Kae Adams experienced being a victim of sex trafficking in her teenage years as a result of child abuse, running away, and being sent back to an orphanage. She has become vulnerable with herself and ripped off the band-aid. She is now ready to tell her story to the world, as a Thriver.
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