Presenters. Ken Lawson:

Transcription

1 Presenters Ken Lawson: Ken Lawson has 24 years of law enforcement experience. He conducted sexual assault and kidnapping investigations for 16 years. In 2003, Officer Lawson was introduced to human trafficking and was moved by its devastating impact on society to raise consciousness about this crime. He has made it a professional priority to educate criminal justice and social service professionals about human trafficking and develop appropriate responses to human trafficking in Ohio. He has taught for the Ohio Department of Public Safety Office of Criminal Justice Services, Ohio Crime Prevention Association, and Ohio Child Welfare Training Program in regional and statewide courses on human trafficking. In addition, Officer Lawson has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities around the state for undergraduate and graduate level courses. He has also spoken to foreign civilian and military officials at the request of U.S. governmental agencies about human trafficking. Officer Lawson has consulted on sexual assault and human trafficking issues for the Violence Against Women Project sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He has also consulted and participated in numerous projects, including RAND Corporation s study on human trafficking in Ohio supported by a Justice Assistance Byrne Memorial Grant. He is an approved consultant for the Department of Justice Office of Victims of Crime s Training and Technical Assistance Center. Officer Lawson was instrumental in launching the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition. Trisha Smouse: Trisha Smouse, MSW, LSW, is the Anti-Human Trafficking Program Manager for The Salvation Army in Central Ohio. She is responsible for program oversight and clinical supervision for The Salvation Army s anti-trafficking programs, including 24/7 emergency response for victims of trafficking, long term comprehensive case management to help survivors rebuild their lives, street outreach to sexually exploited women and girls and The Well, a drop in center for sexually exploited women. Prior to working with The Salvation Army, Ms Smouse worked with victims of sex trafficking in Thailand. She conducted research on Ohio s capacity to provide services to trafficked persons in conjunction with the Ohio Trafficking in Persons Study Commission. Ms. Smouse is a member of the commission and serves on the Research and the Victim Services committees.

2 Michelle Hannan: Michelle Hannan, MSW, LISW-S is the Director of Professional and Community Services for The Salvation Army in Central Ohio. She is responsible for The Army s professional development, workforce development, basic needs, and anti-human trafficking services in Central Ohio. In 2007, Michelle was instrumental in working with community leaders to form the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition, a network of over 70 organizations and over 200 individuals working together to combat human trafficking in Central Ohio. The Salvation Army was invited to serve as the Coalition Manager for the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition and continues in this leadership capacity today. Michelle coordinates the Coalition s efforts in the areas of emergency response and social services for trafficked persons, public awareness, social services, legislation and law enforcement. Michelle is responsible for the development and implementation of The Salvation Army s victim services for trafficked persons in Central Ohio, including a 24/7 antitrafficking hotline, comprehensive case management for trafficked persons, street outreach and a drop in center for sexually exploited women. Michelle has lectured extensively on human trafficking. She is a member of The Salvation Army s National and Eastern Anti-Trafficking Councils and the Ohio Human Trafficking Study Commission, serving as Chair of the Victim Services Committee. Dr. Jeffrey Barrows: Dr. Barrows is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist who while working with the Christian Medical Association, was asked by the U.S. State Department to research the health consequences of Human Trafficking. From , he compiled and submitted an annual report to the Director of the State Department s -Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking of Persons. This research resulted in the article Human Trafficking and the Healthcare Professional published in the May 2008 Southern Medical Journal. Since 2005 his work to combat HT has included teaching other healthcare professionals to recognize the signs of abuse of it s victims. He produced the first on-line CME program regarding HT specifically directed for healthcare workers. In 2006 he completed a consultation on the healthcare needs of trafficking victims in Sierra Leone and Liberia for the U. S. State Department. In 2008, he also completed a Masters in Bioethics from Trinity University in Chicago. He currently serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Gracehaven, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of domestic sex trafficking of minors in Ohio and developing a shelter in Central Ohio for adolescent girls who have been victims of HT. He also serves as the Director of the Christian Trafficking Shelter Association, a subsidiary of Abolition International, a developing association of trafficking shelters across the U.S.

3 Brent Currence: Brent Currence retired in 2003 as a Sergeant from Ohio State Highway Patrol. During his career, he served at the Lancaster and Granville Patrol Posts. He was also a certified Police Instructor and has taught at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy and other Academies for 7 years. Mr. Currence also served three years with the Telecommunications Section as the Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) Security Officer where he conducted computer investigations and provided training to LEADS users. Mr. Currence is now the Director for Ohio s Missing Persons Unit with the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine s Office and is responsible for overseeing its operations as the central repository to coordinate and improve the information on missing persons. The Missing Persons Unit also assists local law enforcement by providing investigative tools, investigative assistance and issuing alerts to help locate and recover missing persons. He also represents the Ohio Attorney General s Office on the Ohio AMBER Alert Steering Committee and serves as the Chair for the Inter-State Enforcement Agencies to Recover Children (I-SEARCH), The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children s Financial Coalition Against Child Porn workgroup and Counting Missing Children workgroup, the NAMUS Workgroup, and serves on the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Human Trafficking Coalition, the Ohio Attorney General s Trafficking In Persons Study Commission and the Central Ohio Child Abduction Response Team. Stephanie Rapp: Stephanie Rapp serves as the Anti-Human Trafficking Specialist at The Salvation Army. Her primary responsibility is to coordinate public awareness events and campaigns to educate the community on human trafficking, including planning the annual Unlocking The Chains Conference. Additionally, Stephanie developed the curriculum for The Salvation Army drop-in center called The Well, designed for women who have been sexually exploited or trafficked. She also provides group therapy for women at the center. Stephanie recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a Masters in Social Work and a Masters of Arts in Public Policy & Management. She is an active member of the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition and serves as the Chair of the Demand Reduction Committee. Stephanie is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, where she is the current chair of the Political Action Candidate Endorsement Committee and was the MSW State Representative for

4 Aaron Dennis: Detective Aaron Dennis is a 12 year veteran of the Columbus Police Department and is currently assigned to the Vice Unit where he exclusively investigates Human Trafficking cases. Det. Dennis also has experience conducting investigations involving liquor, gambling, prostitution and narcotics offenses. Det. Dennis has completed extensive training in the field of Human Trafficking and participates in a Central Ohio Human Trafficking working group that includes ICE/Homeland Security Investigations, Ohio Highway Patrol and the FBI. He is also a member of the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition (CORRC) that assists victims of Human Trafficking. Det. Dennis is the Central Ohio point of contact for tips received from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline and the CORRC Human Trafficking hotline. Currently Det. Dennis is completing training to be a certified cellular phone examiner. Theresa Flores: Ms. Flores is a human trafficking survivor, author and victim advocate. Ms. Flores has been a licensed Social Worker for over twenty years. She received her Master s in Counseling Education from University of Dayton and a Bachelor s of Social Work from Ball State University. She is the spokes woman and Director of Education & Training for Gracehaven House, a ten-bed long-term faith based care and rehabilitation home for young girls under the age of 18 who have been victimized by human trafficking. Ms. Flores was appointed to the Ohio Attorney General s Commission on the Study of Human Trafficking in 2009 and has testified before the Ohio House and Senate in supports of Human Trafficking Legislation. Her efforts were a major part of the success of SB235 being passed into law by Governor Strickland on Dec. 23 rd, She is a much sought after international speaker and lectures on many aspects of Human Trafficking from both a personal perspective as well as a professional expert. She has trained children services workers, judges, probations officers, guest lectures at universities across the US and speaks with middle and high school students nationwide. Ms. Flores is featured by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Museum in a traveling exhibit entitled, Invisible Slavery and has published two books, The Sacred Bath and just released, The Slave Across the Street. The audio version of her latest book has also been recently nominated for The 2011 Audie Award, being in the top 5 of all memoirs and biographies. Her story has been seen on The Today Show & MSNBC: Sex Slaves-The Teen Trade. Ms Flores was awarded the honor of Columbus' Women You Should Know, ' The 2009 Soroptimist "Women Making A Difference" award and the 2010 Ruby Award.

5 Andrea Kinzig: Andrea Kinzig is a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, currently assigned to the Dayton Resident Agency of the Cincinnati Field Office. SA Kinzig works a number of criminal violations, including human trafficking, crimes against children, fraud, public corruption, and organized crime. She has received specialized training in the area of human trafficking and child prostitution and has provided various lectures on these topics to service organizations and educational institutions in the Dayton area. SA Kinzig participates in the newly created Miami Valley Rescue and Restore Coalition. Rev. Penny Stacy: Rev. Penny Stacy is a human trafficking survivor who is currently employed with Mount Carmel Hospital Chaplaincy Services. Megan Crawford: Megan Crawford is the Outreach Caseworker for Gracehaven.