Alezandra Russell is a Latina activist who founded Urban Light after witnessing the exploitation of boys in Thailand. An advocate for vulnerable young males, she provides culturally-tailored support through the Urban Light Drop-in Center. Her work earned the Mother Teresa Humanitarian Award and recognition by Telemundo as an “Unstoppable Woman.”
Read MoreChris Ngugi is a research assistant for Andrews University, St. Louis University, and the up! Collective, with a project focus on minoritized populations. Ngugi is an advocate and director of “The Rainbow in the Room” community workshops, pursuing a career in International Humanitarian Law, focusing on transient vulnerable populations.
Read MoreNatasha Smith is an assistant professor at East Carolina University School of Social Work and a Developing Scholar member of the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars. She is also a clinical social worker with an extensive history serving dual-status minors, aiming to improve effective service provision for MSE/T clients.
Read MoreMelissa Perrien is a current Human Trafficking Patient Navigator at Coastal Family Health Center in Mississippi. She provides essential intake, case management, and coordination of services for adult and child victims of human trafficking within the continuum of care.
Read MoreTara Burns is a sex worker, trafficking survivor, and writer/researcher who received her Interdisciplinary Masters in Social Justice from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has lobbied successfully to change Alaska’s prostitution and sex trafficking laws as a board member of the Community United for Safety and Protection.
Read MoreMarla Sutherland (she/her) works at the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking based in Denver. She has held a range of leadership and service-oriented roles, including housing counselor, property manager, and the first-ever Homeless Management Information System Database Administrator in Northern Colorado.
Read MoreDr. Annjanette Alejano-Steele (she/her/siya) is the co-founder of the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking and professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her health psychology expertise has focused on reproductive health equity and community responses to human trafficking. She has supported over 70 survivors of human trafficking to attend college.
Read MoreJaden Kaye Empuerto is a Bachelor of Social Work graduate who serves as the Survivor and Advocacy Officer at My Refuge House in the Philippines. Her role encompasses both clinical and preventive efforts, advocating for and monitoring reintegrated trafficking survivors and empowering communities to combat human trafficking.
Read MoreKimberly Navarro, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology graduate, served as a Family and Community Development Officer at MRH for two years and currently acts as the organization’s Scholarship Coordinator. In her previous role, she worked with families of trafficking and abuse survivors, guiding them toward stabilization and restoration.
Read MoreJedaia Rose Doñoz is the Therapeutic Aftercare and Advocacy Manager of My Refuge House, an NGO that provides residential services to trafficking and abuse survivors. She currently leads MRH’s Clinical program in giving trauma-informed interventions to survivor-participants, and spearheads its advocacy program, iSpeak, in providing free seminars on violence-related issues.
Read MoreRose Ann Ababa is the Director of Program Operations at My Refuge House (MRH), where she has dedicated 14 years to helping trafficking and abuse survivors. She co-founded iSpeak, MRH’s advocacy program providing free community training on violence-related issues. Her work earned her the “Changing the World Award” from Leadership Worth Following in 2017.
Read MoreSonali Jha is a PhD candidate at Ohio University’s School of Media Arts and Studies. Her research explores media interventions in combating human trafficking, focusing on framing, agnotology, and community-based action research. She has published on trafficking and migration, analyzing media’s role in shaping awareness, policy, and social change.
Read MoreArmand King has over 20 years of firsthand experience in urban domestic sex trafficking and gang involvement. Armand has developed groundbreaking programs for survivors, justice-impacted individuals, and at-risk youth. He has consulted with organizations globally and served on numerous boards addressing trafficking and victim advocacy.
Read MorePursuing her MSW, Lexus Wright-Ball specializes in human trafficking rehabilitation services. She coordinates the Youth Experiences Survey and works with local youth programs to bring resources and support to unsheltered young adults. Her work bridges research and real-life impact, grounded in both personal experience with unsheltered-ness and ongoing professional development.
Read MoreDr. Celia Williamson has been engaged in anti-anti-trafficking work for over 30+ years. She founded the first anti-trafficking program in Ohio in 1993 and directly worked with victims in Toledo, Ohio for several years. Dr. Williamson possesses two doctorate degrees, one in social work and an honorary doctorate in social justice. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice institute at The University of Toledo.
Read MoreSarah Warner is a three-time delegate to the United Nations NGO Commission On The Status of Women. Sarah has advanced state, federal, and international policy and programming. She has a background in international humanitarian law, human rights law, and policy, and expertise in human trafficking, conflict, civil rights, and gender-based violence.
Read MoreStella Jendrzejewski is a mental health care provider and researcher whose work is dedicated to counteracting stigma and promoting competent, affirming practice with marginalized individuals and communities. Stella’s areas of focus include sex work and trafficking, queer and trans issues, and ameliorating health disparities in marginalized populations.
Read MoreDr. Jill McCracken is a Professor of English and Women's and Gender Studies at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on sex work, trafficking in the sex industry, violence against women, and incarceration of women using ethnography and participatory action research methods to inform policy and reduce violence.
Read MoreKaitlyn Ranasinghe is the Program Manager at BridgeNorth. She completed her MA focusing on anti-trafficking efforts in Canada. She has worked in the anti-trafficking field for 8 years, supporting adults and youth impacted by sex trafficking/ exploitation, conducting research, providing education and training, and leading program development and evaluation initiatives.
Read MoreCamille Beausejour is a Case Manager at BridgeNorth. With a background in Sociology, Camille has worked in the anti-trafficking field for five years and works with youth vulnerable to/experiencing sex trafficking/ exploitation. As a survivor of sex trafficking, Camille draws on her own lived experience to inform the work she does.
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