Nancy Hardcastle is a public speaking coach specializing in the anti-trafficking movement. She helps speakers create presentations that engage, persuade, and drive change. Nancy holds a BA in Speech Communication and an MA in Teaching English as a Second Language. She has been featured on Celia Williamson’s podcast “Emancipation Nation”.
Read MoreClaire Openshaw is an Assistant Professor. She has worked with individuals in outpatient, intensive outpatient, and inpatient settings conducting individual, couple, family, and group therapy services. Claire has presented nationally and internationally in the areas of ethics, sexual misconduct, human rights, trafficking, addiction, and youth suicide.
Read MoreMaryann O'Malloy has worked in the field of behavioral health for over 30 years. She has experience working directly with survivors of human trafficking and sex workers in clinical settings. She also developed a curriculum for working with survivors of human trafficking that addressed their specific needs.
Read MoreRachel Johnson has worked in the field of mental health and substance use for 8 years. She has experience working directly with survivors of human trafficking and sex workers in clinical settings and focuses her research on the population, including clinical needs and responses effective within the population.
Read MoreLogan Knight is a doctoral student at the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University. As a survivor-researcher-advocate, she seeks to promote socially just, inclusive, and equitable research with survivors. Logan’s research interests include resilience and posttraumatic growth in survivors, and grassroots and community-based interventions for human trafficking.
Read MoreTonique serves as Breaking Free’s Housing Manager, and first became involved with Breaking Free as a survivor shortly after escaping “the life” from her trafficker. She has since engaged in many public speaking events, sharing her testimony with churches, universities, Medical Facilities, and survivors. She now facilitates the Sisters of Survival group.
Read MoreAs a survivor of the life, Terry focused on empowering the marginalized while obtaining her degree in Organizational Leadership from Bethel University in 2005. Due to her incredible gift of relating with those who have experienced exploitation, and her dedication to her position on the Board of Directors at Breaking Free, she was hired on as full-time executive director.
Read MoreLaura Jones is a PhD researcher with University of Dundee, and Dundee Violence Against Women Partnership looking at the impact of formal and informal social relationships on women’s exit from prostitution. She has an MSc in Social Research Methods (University of Dundee) and an MSc Psychology (Manchester Metropolitan University). Laura has practitioner experience supporting women in prostitution and in homelessness hostels.
Read MoreSasha Naiman is the Deputy Director of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center (OJPC). She oversees OJPC’s organizational operations and provides legal representation for incarcerated people and people living with criminal records, including survivors of human trafficking.
Read MoreJennifer Suchland is an Associate Professor at Ohio State University in the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with over a decade of experience researching and teaching on topics related to human trafficking, law, and intersectional and transnational feminisms.
Read MoreDr. Michael Prior is an Assistant Professor in The University of Toledo’s School of Social Work. He earned his Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Prior has over sixteen years of direct practice and administrative experience in the mental health field. His areas of study and personal interest center on spirituality, treatment of the effects of child abuse, and fighting racial inequality.
Read MoreJames Prager is a proud member of the Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition and an advocate for its goals. He has his master’s in social work. James also has a previous sex offense. Today, he utilizes his skills and experiences to mentor and pursue restorative justice principles to heal society.
Read MoreResham Sethi is a researcher with experience working with survivors of human trafficking in India and the US. Her work has focused on understanding the intersection of gender-based violence and human trafficking, how unequal social, economic, and political identities perpetuate trafficking, and the need for trauma-informed systems to address the issue.
Read MoreKaitlin Chakoian is a PhD Candidate at the Brandeis University studying gender-based violence and social policy. She’s managed a 3-year action research evaluation of a national training and technical assistance program for organizations that support human trafficking survivors. Kaitlin also has a decade of experience performing direct service around gender-based violence.
Read MoreMasayo Halpin is a retired Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As the Crimes Against Children Coordinator, she started an FBI task force to combat the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. She collaborated with her community partners using a multidisciplinary victim centered approach to work with underage victims.
Read MoreSandy Woo-Cater is a subject matter expert on human trafficking issues. She is a project lead for CommonSpirit Health’s Human Trafficking Response Program and strategizes community responses to trafficking. With nearly two decades of experience in anti-trafficking, her expertise is informed by her time as an academic researcher and on-the-ground practitioner.
Read MoreHolly Gibbs, Director of Violence and Human Trafficking Response at CommonSpirit Health, is a nationally recognized human trafficking survivor and expert in the field. She is a leading spokesperson on the issue of human trafficking and leads the development and implementation of innovative programs and tools, including the PEARR protocol.
Read MoreNicholas Riba is a Special Agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assigned to the Predatory Crimes Section. SA Riba investigates human and sex trafficking, internet crimes against children, predatory offenders, and provides training to state and local agencies. SA Riba has been in law enforcement for 20 years.
Read MoreKate LePage is a regional expert in Minnesota on commercial sexual exploitation. Within her role, she covers a region encompassing both rural and urban areas where she offers community and systems partners a point of contact for assistance including education, technical assistance, consultations, referrals, prevention curriculum, and offers direct services to victims/survivors.
Read MoreMs. Harshita is a Program Coordinator at Samvedna. She has a Master’s in Social Work in Women Centered Practice from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She has been working with the Bedia community since 2018.
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