Michael Adams

Secretary of State

Kentucky

Michael G. Adams, Kentucky’s 86th secretary of state, was inaugurated in 2020. Adams used emergency powers to conduct safe and secure elections that became a model for other states during the COVID-19 pandemic, and his work in making it easy to vote and hard to cheat has earned praise throughout the U.S. and across party lines.

Having expanded voter access while tightening election integrity, Adams in 2021 presented the Kentucky Legislature with the most ambitious election reform plan since 1891, and it passed both chambers with near unanimous support. In 2023, Adams sought reelection, carrying 118 of 120 counties.

Previously, he clerked for chief U.S. District Judge John Heyburn, worked on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) 2002 reelection campaign, served as deputy general counsel to then-Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher (R-KY), and was counsel to the U.S. deputy attorney general in the second Bush administration.

In 2024, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation presented him with the JFK Profile in Courage Award, which recognizes public servants who have risked their careers by putting the public interest ahead of their own political standing.

Adams graduated from the University of Louisville in its third class of McConnell Scholars and attended Harvard Law School.

Sara Armstrong

Vice President and Managing Director, Federation Relations and Grassroots Advocacy,

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Sara Armstrong, vice president and managing director of the Federation Relations and Coalition Partnerships Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, manages the relationships with state and local chambers and national trade associations across the country. She also oversees the Chamber’s coalition efforts in support of its policy and legislative priorities.

Previously, Armstrong was chief of staff at the Republican National Committee (RNC) after leading the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2017 as chief executive officer. Before that, she was vice president of the 2016 Republican National Convention. Armstrong served at the RNC as chief operating officer for the 2014 election cycle and as deputy chief of staff during the 2012 presidential election cycle. She is a former RNC director of member services.

Armstrong was a special assistant to President George W. Bush and deputy chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She also worked in the Bush administration as director of the White House Visitors Office where she managed a variety of events. She served in the Bush administration from 2002 to 2009.

Armstrong sits on the boards of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, the National Association of State Chambers, and the Public Affairs Council.

She received both her B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of South Carolina.

Hugo Bernard

Head of Business Development,

CFL Canada Business Development LLC,

Counter Forced Labor Technologies

Hugo Bernard is head of business development for Counter Forced Labor Technologies in Canada, where he helps Canadian companies understand forced labor and human trafficking legislation and serves as a strategic partner. There he facilitates growth and fosters partnerships that align with the organization’s mission.

He is also a professional golfer who played nine years with the Canadian National Team. He earned a spot on the PGA Tour after winning the Canadian Men’s Amateur Championship in 2016, which qualified him for a spot at the RBC Canadian Open.

Bernard’s expertise in both business development and sports underscores his commitment to excellence and ethical practices.

He attended Saint Leo University where he studied business administration and management and completed a technical program in business administration and management from Cégep André-Laurendeau.

Michael Billet

Senior Director, Policy Research, Employment Policy Division, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Michael Billet, senior director of policy research at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, keeps members and internal Chamber policy staff up to date on pending labor and immigration legislation, as well as federal regulatory and subregulatory activities. He also serves as the program director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Task Force to Eradicate Human Trafficking. 

Previously, Billet worked as the public policy assistant at the National Business Group on Health where he provided administrative and logistical support for the annual Business Health Agenda conference, conducted research, and wrote policy materials. This included drafting testimony, letters to Congress and the administration, briefings for Hill visits, and other public policy activities. 

Earlier in his career, he analyzed public opinion research at the American Enterprise Institute and worked at the Congressional Management Foundation and for former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA).

Billet has a bachelor's degree in English and political science form Muhlenberg College and a master's degree in governmental studies from the Johns Hopkins University. 

Brandi N. Bynum

Unit Chief, Outreach and Engagement,

Center for Countering Human Trafficking,

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Brandi N. Bynum is the unit chief at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking’s Outreach and Engagement Unit, overseeing the Blue Campaign and the partnership and engagement sections in Washington, D.C. Bynum brings 14 years of experience in education, training, and outreach to the role, and her leadership has driven DHS’ Blue Campaign to translate its resources into multiple languages to connect with a diverse range of vulnerable communities.

Earlier, Bynum served as a program analyst at the Recruitment Policy and Outreach Office at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. There she worked with the Pathways Programs for Students & Recent Graduates to reach students interested in careers with the federal government and as the League of United Latin American Citizens lead. Before that, she worked with the   U.S. Department of State as a human resources specialist in Charleston, South Carolina.

Bynum has completed two Executive Leadership programs—the Presidential Management Council Rotational Program and Excellence in Government.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Ashleigh S. Chapman

President and CEO

Justice U™

Ashleigh S. Chapman is a human rights lawyer and social entrepreneur. She has invested 25+ years building collective impact solutions, partnerships, and programs to end human trafficking and support vulnerable populations. 

Chapman is the founder of Altus™, AFRJ®, Justice U™, the Freedom Council™, and Engage Together®, where she develops and advocates for solutions to strengthen anti-trafficking efforts across the U. S. and on every continent except Antarctica. She also serves on boards and advisory capacities for youth in and aging out of foster care, refugees and migrants, and community-based upward mobility programs.

She was highlighted by Welum's Women Who Inspire and Authority Magazine's Social Impact Heroes, received Qlik’s Global Transformation Award, and named one of USA Today's Women of the Year.
Chapman graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. from Tennessee Technological University and magna cum laude with a  Juris Doctorate from Regent University School of Law, where she received the faculty’s Most Outstanding Graduate award. She was recognized as Alumna of the Year in 2024 from Regent University.

Harry T. Chavis, Jr.

Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation,

New York Field Office

Harry T. Chavis, Jr. is the acting special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) New York Field Office in New York, New York, covering New York State—from the five Boroughs and Long Island to the New York-Canadian border. The CI serves the American public by investigating potential criminal violations of the IRC and related financial crimes to foster confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law.

Chavis is responsible for planning, directing, and evaluating the activities of CI employees located throughout the state of New York. He brings over 23 years of experience in law enforcement, where he worked and managed CI cases involving income tax evasion, employment tax and refund fraud, cybercrime, narcotics-related financial crimes, terrorism financing, abusive tax schemes, the Bank Secrecy Act, and money laundering violations.

As acting special agent in charge, Chavis leads CI special agents and professional staff to ensure delivery of CI’s mission through investigations and prosecutions of tax and financial crime

A Virginia native, Chavis holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Radford University in Radford, Virginia.

Narit Gessler Dahan

Deputy Director

Survivor Alliance

Narit Gessler Dahan is the deputy director of Survivor Alliance, an organization dedicated to uniting and empowering survivors of human trafficking to be leaders in the anti-trafficking field.

In her role, she facilitates transformational change efforts focused on survivor leadership, organizational development, and collaborative movement-building.

Gessler is a mission-driven advocate for human rights with over 15 years of experience in nonprofit administration, program design, and project management. Prior to Survivor Alliance, she served as the senior partnership manager at United Way Worldwide’s Center to Combat Human Trafficking, where she led the design and implementation of global anti-trafficking initiatives. Previously, she assumed the role of the director of development at Free the Slaves.

Gessler holds dual master’s degrees from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in international policy studies (specializing in human rights, norms, and justice) and business  administration for international management.

Cindy Dyer

Chief Program Officer

McCain Institute

Ambassador Cindy Dyer (Ret.) is a human rights expert and lawyer with more than 30 years of experience working at the local, national, and international levels. Ambassador Dyer is the chief program officer at the McCain Institute, where she leads the design and delivery of its Human Rights & Freedom, Democracy, and Leadership programs.

Previously, she served as the ambassador-at-large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State. There she led the U.S. global engagement to combat human trafficking and support anti-trafficking efforts across the U.S. government. Before that, she served on the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military at the U.S. Department of Defense.

Earlier, Dyer was vice president for Human Rights at Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international organization advancing women’s leadership. Prior to that, she was appointed director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice. There she acted as the liaison between the department and federal, state, tribal, and international governments on violence against women matters. 

Dyer began her career at the local level as a specialized domestic and sexual violence prosecutor in Dallas, Texas, where she prosecuted high-profile, complex cases. She helped create the Dallas County’s specialized Family Violence Court in 1995 and the county’s specialized Protective Order Court in 1999, which were the first of their kind in Texas. 

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and her J.D. from Baylor Law School.

Alex Greco

Senior Director, Manufacturing & Value Chains,

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Alex Greco is a broad-based business executive with experience in strategic government relations, stakeholder relations, public policy, leadership, and communication.

As senior director of Manufacturing and Value Chains at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Greco helps the organization focus on robust value chains across multiple sectors, such as mechatronics, aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing. He is responsible for championing the needs of Canadian manufacturers in Ottawa as well as advocating for sensible reforms to forced labor policy.

Greco is past president of the Public Affairs Association of Canada Ontario Chapter and a former public member on the College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario’s board of directors.

He holds an Honours of Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science and criminology and a Masters of Arts degree in political science from the University of Toronto.

James Gyenes

Director of Americas Public Policy

Prior to joining the RBA, James served with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs, where he led stakeholder engagement and policy work on labor rights, trade, and supply chain due diligence. He has also worked for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and spent time internationally in Austria as an English teacher and in Senegal as an agriculture volunteer with the Peace Corps. James has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in political science from Kenyon College.

Mike Harley

Managing Director, Cybersecurity & Business Intelligence,

The Next Solutions Group

Mike Harley, managing director of cybersecurity & business intelligence at The Next Solutions Group, provides companies with strategic advice to address cybersecurity risks. The firm provides consulting services in crisis and issues management, media relations, corporate communications and cybersecurity, government and public affairs, investigations, cybersecurity, executive engagement, and corporate partnerships. 

Harley has 20+ years of combined senior military intelligence and corporate C-suite experience. He worked at the National Security Agency and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force in the United States Special Operations Command, where he served as a linguist, electronic warfare subject matter expert, and a survival, evasion, resistance, and escape instructor.

He has been recognized twice as airman of the year by the U.S. Air Force and awarded the Bronze Star to accompany his 12 deployments spanning South America, Africa, and Eurasia. He supported Japan’s government efforts for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games to counter sex trafficking.

He holds master’s degrees from the National Defense University and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterrey, as well as multiple language certificates from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

Nate Herman

Senior Vice President, Policy,

American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)

Nate Herman oversees the American Apparel & Footwear Association’s (AAFA) Policy Department, managing the association’s lobbying, policy, and regulatory affairs. He leads AAFA’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, formulates and implements CSR policy, and represents AAFA and the industry on CSR issues before governments, NGOs, and other stakeholders.

Herman also develops all apparel and footwear industry data and statistics as AAFA’s resident economist. Prior to joining AAFA in 2001, he worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration where he helped U.S. firms enter the global market.

Herman received a Master of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in international Relations and economics from the University of Delaware.

Markee Johnson

Head of Advancement

A21

Markee Johnson, head of U.S. Advancement at A21, leads efforts to cultivate strategic partnerships that enable operational success for frontline teams combating human trafficking and empowering survivor-informed solutions. Since 2016, she has played a key role in expanding A21’s reach through large-scale awareness campaigns, corporate engagement, and community-based initiatives.

Her ability to galvanize employees and leadership around purpose-driven causes has positioned her as a compelling voice at the intersection of business and social responsibility.

Previously, Johnson spent over a decade in sales leadership and enablement roles in a Fortune 100 company, where she was a trailblazer in their global inclusion efforts.

She serves on the board of directors for the Longhorn Fellowship of Christian Athletes at the University of Texas at Austin and as a board member for Connect Community in Stamford, Connecticut.

Johnson has a marketing, sales, leadership, and international entrepreneurship certificate from University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business.to helping individuals and institutions flourish.

Dr. Kari Johnstone

Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Human Trafficking,

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Dr. Kari Johnstone, special representative and coordinator for combating human trafficking at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), represents the OSCE at the political level on trafficking issues. She supports OSCE participating states to strengthen their anti-trafficking policy and operational frameworks and coordinates OSCE’s efforts to fight trafficking.

Johnstone previously worked as a senior official, acting director, and principal deputy director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) at the U.S. Department of State. There she advised senior officials on policy and programming approaches to combat human trafficking globally and protect victims. She also oversaw production of the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

Earlier in her career, Johnstone served as acting deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia and International Religious Freedom in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and as director for Russia and Central Asia of the National Security Council at the White House.

She received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in political science.

Alicia Kozak

Customer Administrative Sales Specialist,

State and Local Government, Public Safety,

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

Internet Abduction Survivor

Alicia Kozak is an internationally acclaimed and sought-after motivational speaker and the survivor of the first widely reported internet-related child abduction. At 13 years old, she was groomed online, lured from her home, and held captive in a basement dungeon by an internet predator. Following her rescue by the FBI, Kozak transformed her experience into a lifelong mission to protect children, prevent exploitation, and stop predatory crime.

She is the namesake of Alicia’s Law, bipartisan legislation that equips law enforcement with vital resources to locate and rescue children from internet-facilitated abuse. Enacted in more than a dozen states, Alicia’s Law has empowered law enforcement with the tools and funding needed to track down predators and rescue children from online exploitation.

A passionate advocate for legislative and systemic change, Kozak has testified before Congress in support of the Protect Our Children Act, helping advance the national response to online child exploitation. She has also partnered with Airline Ambassadors International to train airport personnel on how to recognize and report signs of human trafficking.

Kozak has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, Fox & Friends, and Investigation Discovery, among others. Her story and advocacy work were featured as the cover story of People magazine in September 2022.

She is the author of The Internet Safety Guidebook: Protecting Kids in the Digital Age, a resource that offers real-world strategies to keep children safe across social media, gaming platforms, messaging apps, and more.

Kozak has a  MA in forensic pychology from The Chicago School.

 

She also works with the ADAM™ Program https://risk.lexisnexis.com/adam to help locate missing children.

 

To learn more or connect with Alicia, visit www.AliciaKozak.com.

Rochelle Keyhan

CEO

Collective Liberty

Rochelle Keyhan is the founder and CEO of Collective Liberty, a national nonprofit leveraging data, intelligence, and training to disrupt human trafficking networks across the U.S. 

An attorney and former human trafficking prosecutor, she has trained over 12,000 law enforcement professionals nationwide, equipping agencies with actionable, offender-focused strategies to strengthen investigations and prosecutions. Keyhan advises state and federal lawmakers on policy solutions and regularly speaks at national forums, including those hosted by financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, and international anti-trafficking coalitions.

Her work bridges the gap between the public and private sectors to protect vulnerable communities, hold traffickers accountable, and drive systems-level change.

Keyhan graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has a J.D. from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.

Kevin Malone

Senior Adviser on Human Trafficking

U.S. Department on Health and Human Services

Kevin Malone, once named Major League Baseball’s “The Best General Manager in the Game” by USA Today, serves as a senior adviser on human trafficking at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He brings decades of experience in leadership, organizational development, and coalition building to the department’s nationwide efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking. 

Malone spent 17 years in Major League Baseball, holding executive roles with the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He also played in the minor leagues for the Cleveland Indians, now the Cleveland Guardians. After leaving professional sports, he turned his focus to combating human trafficking. 

He founded Protect the P.A.T.H. (People Against Trafficking Humans) and kidsNOTforSale.org  and co-founded the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT). These organizations further public awareness, promote prevention strategies, and provide support for survivors. In 2018, the USIAHT opened one of America’s only safe homes for boys who experience trafficking.

Malone was appointed by President Trump in 2019 to the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking in the U.S. He later led anti-human trafficking operations around Super Bowl LVI in partnership with the NFL and the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission. In 2023, he published Scouting the Enemy, a personal and strategic look at child sex trafficking in the U.S.  

He has a degree in justice administration from the University of Louisville and studied theology at the Tennessee Temple Theological Seminary.

Charity Morsey

Research Analyst

Counter Forced Labor Technologies

Charity Morsey, research analyst at Counter Forced Labor Technologies, is a national security expert, professor, diplomat, and author.

Morsey served as the first special assistant on international affairs for the Science and Technology Directorate at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and as a senior policy adviser on nuclear nonproliferation at the U.S. Department of Energy during the George W. Bush administration. Before that, she worked as an analyst in the California governor’s Office of Homeland Security. In these positions, Morsey provided expertise on counterterrorism, bioterrorism, critical infrastructure protection, and counter human trafficking.

She is an appointed committee member for the Emergency Disaster Preparedness Committee in her hometown of Laguna Beach, California, and a motivational speaker at a local women’s and children’s shelter.

Morsey has a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs and a master’s degree in public policy from Pepperdine University.

Dave Myers

Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Development,

Counter Forced Labor Technologies

Dave Myers, senior vice president of Strategic Planning & Business Development at Counter Forced Labor Technologies, leads strategic planning, business development, partnerships, and international relationships.

He previously worked at Palantir Technologies, where he spent time in Software as a Services (SaaS) sales. Earlier, he held positions in the financial services sector at Sanford Bernstein, specializing in equity research sales and at J.P. Morgan, specializing in private banking. Also, his career includes stints conducting equity and debt underwriting and health care and tech-focused private equity investing. 

Myers served in the United States Marine Corps as an intelligence and infantry officer, deploying to Iraq twice. 

Myers earned a B.A. from Bucknell University and an M.B.A. from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

John Nehme

President & CEO

Allies Against Slavery

John Nehme is president & CEO of Allies Against Slavery, an organization dedicated to providing communities with the necessary data to identify and prevent human trafficking. Allies Against Slavery has supported hundreds of trafficking survivors; passed a slave-free city resolution in Austin, Texas; and grown the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking.

In 2018, the organization developed Lighthouse, a software platform to identify victims and visualize data. This tool is used by over 200 organizations and more than 2,000 field professionals across Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

Nehme served on a research team with the University of Texas to publish the first statewide prevalence study of human trafficking and serves as an expert witness in sex trafficking cases. 

He has a B.S. degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Political Economy from the University of Sydney in Australia.

David Niccolini

Partner and Shareholder

Evidencity, Inc.

David Niccolini is a serial entrepreneur in the enterprise risk management space. With over 25 years of professional experience, his work has spanned six continents, and his expertise is sought after by multinational corporations, high-net-worth family offices, and senior executives from business, non-governmental organizations, and the U.S. government.

His companies have achieved Inc. 5000 (3x), Entrepreneur360™, and Best Security Solution by both Private Asset Management (2x) and the Family Wealth Report.

Through his two most recent ventures, Evidencity and Hotel Shield, Niccolini has become a passionate advocate to fight human trafficking around the globe through venture backed, for-profit models.

Evidencity, a data technology and research company, works to increase supply chain transparency to help eliminate forced labor from the global economy. Hotel Shield empowers the hospitality vertical to combat human trafficking.

Niccolini graduated from Duke University.

Thomas Ruck

Senior Adviser, Blue Campaign,

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Thomas Ruck, senior adviser at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign, leads engagement with the private sector to raise awareness of human trafficking.

Previously, Ruck worked at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs where he first served as director of the Fayetteville National Cemetery before being appointed director of the Los Angeles National Cemetery. In 2019, he brought to fruition the first National Cemetery Administration’s Urban Initiative Columbarium Project.

While at the Los Angeles National Cemetery, Ruck created and jointly produced with local affiliate ABC7 Memorial Day television programs in 2020 and 2021 honoring the veterans of Southern California.

Earlier in his career, he spent over 20 years in national accounts sales, marketing, and management in the clinical laboratory field.

Ruck is the author of Sacred Ground; A Tribute to America’s Veterans, which reached No. 5 on Amazon’s bestsellers list and garnered 5 book awards. Royalties from book sales are donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund for children of veterans who either lost a parent or their parent was severely injured while wearing the uniform of our country.

He is a visiting fellow at the Freedom Alliance Foundation, a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, and a member of the Newport Beach, California Post 291, Sons of the American Legion.

Ruck holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Missouri in Columbia (Mizzou).

Rev. Protopresbyter Dr. Peter J. Spiro

Director, FREEDOM National Ministry,

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Rev. Dr. Fr. Peter J. Spiro (Padre) is a Greek Orthodox priest of 27 years and has worked in law enforcement agencies for over 15 years as an auxiliary deputy sheriff, chaplain, and chief chaplain for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). He is recognized as a trainer for TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit and is director of the TBI PROTECT program, a human trafficking awareness educational program for faith-based organizations in Tennessee.   

The Chapel of Saint Barbara, which Father Spiro leads, has been deemed the Shrine for Human Freedom by The Holy Eparchial Synod (all Greek Orthodox bishops in the U.S.).

Spiro is the founder, vice president, and director of the ARISTEVI Foundation, which offers human trafficking survivors educational and vocational financial support, religious and spiritual guidance, free salon services, free clothing, and apartment furnishing services. He also directs the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese FREEDOM Ministry, where he trains clergy and parishes on human trafficking.

Spiro represents the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese with other governmental, NGOs, and faith-based organizations and was appointed by Patriarch Bartholomew to the Patriarchal Task Force on Modern Day Slavery.   

Andrea Sorensen

Founder and CEO

Viiision

Andrea Sorensen is the founder and CEO of Viiision, a mobile platform that redefines access and inclusivity, making it simple to deliver information and access in the hardest-to-reach moments and in multiple languages.   

She is featured in the documentary” ICONS,” a film about women trailblazers who are reshaping the technology sector, and is a two-time nominee as Founder of the Year with Women in Cloud and Microsoft. She also took part in the first Women in Technology International Trade Mission to Europe in 2022.

Sorenson brings over 20 years of experience in process engineering, product design, and program/project management across various sectors. 

She has a master’s degree in organizational communication from Boise State University.

Josh Thomas

Chief Communications Officer

Flock Safety

Josh Thomas is chief communications officer at Flock Safety where he leads State Government Affairs, Municipal Community Affairs, Policy and Research, and Public Relations. He joined Flock in 2018 with a belief that technology, when designed within a principled framework, could be a force for good.

His teams prepare hundreds of law enforcement agencies—from California to Texas to Rhode Island to Indiana—to gain authorization to use public safety tech; institute dozens of policies, ordinances, and state laws to establish safe and effective regulatory frameworks for operating public safety tech; and drive tens of thousands of earned media coverages.

Previously, Thomas served as vice president of marketing at Flock Safety, which he took from pre-seed to Series D financing. Earlier, he worked in product marketing and communications at various companies, including Alcoa, Boingo Experience, and Experience LLC.

He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in English literature.

Shelly M. Wagers, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Criminology,

University of South Florida

Dr. Shelly M. Wagers is Wagers is an associate professor of criminology and director of the BRIGHT Project (Bridging Resources and Information Gaps in Human Trafficking) at the University of South Florida (USF). The BRIGHT Project is an interactive digital platform that connects human trafficking service providers with victims to provide individualized need-based resources. The project originated from a needs assessment conducted for the USF Trafficking In Persons Risk to Resilience Lab (TIP Lab) to improve survivor services.

As associate director of the TIP Lab, Wagers consults with local and statewide violence task forces; conducts trainings for advocates, law enforcement, criminal law attorneys, and judges; and prepares technical reports for state agencies on implementing evidence-based practices.

Wagers has over 25 years of experience working in the field of interpersonal violence as an advocate, a law enforcement officer, a research analyst and scholar. Her research includes examining the relationship between power, control, and violence, along with developing evidence-based practices for policies and programs addressing interpersonal violence and human trafficking. She created and developed the theory of Internal Power®, which measures internal mechanisms and their impact on using coercive control and violence.

Her research has been published in numerous top peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Victims and Offenders, and the Journal of Social and Interpersonal Relationships.

She earned her bachelor of science degree in public health education from the University of North Carolina Greensboro and holds a Master of Arts and Ph.D. degree in criminology from the University of South Florida.

Lt. Col. James D. Wiley, USMC (Ret.)

Chief Operating Officer

Counter Forced Labor Technologies

Lt. Col. James D. Wiley, USMC (Ret.), is chief operating officer of Counter Forced Labor Technologies, a global compliance and technology company that provides corporations with the technology, training, assessment, research, and supply chain transparency required to combat human trafficking. 

Wiley is a seasoned intelligence officer with real-world experience in Human Intelligence and Signals Intelligence collections and analysis and holds the nation's highest level of security clearance. His background as a lieutenant colonel in Special Operations Command, the U.S. Marine Corps., and a sworn law enforcement officer qualifies him for investigation, location, and acquisition of trafficked individuals and the identification of human trafficking networks.

While working for U.S. Special Operations Command Central (USSOCOM), he developed the Counterterrorism Engagement Program and was instrumental in standing up the Crisis Response Element for U.S. Central Command. At USSOCOM, he established active and reserve units that supported intelligence and operational requirements. 

Wiley worked with U.S. Special Operations Command Science and Technology and served as an adviser to Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. There he supported the creation of data visualization, the development of new reporting tools, the formation of alliances, and the implementation of programs that counter human trafficking. 

In addition, he served as an operator, instructor, and team lead for numerous high-level Surveillance Operations and Protective Services Detail operations for presidents, heads of state, and private parties around the world. 

Earlier in his career, Wiley was vice president of Reliant Global Solutions, where he directed the organization’s counter human trafficking program. 

He has received a succession of awards and commendations from the United States Marine Corps, Special Operations Command; law enforcement; and the Intelligence Service.Bottom of Form