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. 

Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senator

(R-TN)

Marsha Blackburn is the senior U.S. senator for Tennessee and the first woman to represent the Volunteer State in the U.S. Senate. Blackburn serves on the deputy whip team and is a member of the Finance Committee; the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee; the Veterans’ Affairs Committee; and the Judiciary Committee.

She also serves as the ranking member on the Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security and on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.

Blackburn introduced the bipartisan SAVE Girls Act, which would provide states, local governments, and nonprofits with vital resources they need to train personnel, conduct rescues, and help save trafficking victims.

Blackburn has also led bipartisan legislation, the REPORT Act, to equip the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and law enforcement with the resources they need to adequately respond to online sexual exploitation. On May 7, 2024, the REPORT Act was signed into law, making a major step forward in the fight to protect children online.

Before being elected to the Senate, she represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Blackburn has a Bachelor of Science in home economics from Mississippi State University.

Charlie Blythe

Mobilization Director

A21

Charlie Blythe is an experienced nonprofit leader who has spent 13 years at A21, a global organization dedicated to combating human trafficking. She founded A21’s U.K.  operation and oversees the organization’s strategic development across Europe.

Blythe leads A21’s global engagement with key partners and stakeholders, developing collaborative initiatives that advance the organization’s mission and expand its impact.

With a background in community development and frontline social work, Blythe has extensive experience supporting individuals affected by violence, exploitation, and social exclusion. She holds a First-Class Honours degree in informal education, social and community development from YMCA George Williams College in London.

Christine Caine

Founder

A21

In 2008, Christine Caine and her husband, Nick, founded The A21 Campaign, a non-governmental organization that works to fight human trafficking. Since then, A21 has served over 2,000 survivors and reached over 6 billion people with its global public awareness campaign “Can You See Me?”

A21 is a recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for its work combating human trafficking among refugees; the Presidential Award for Excellence in Direct Survivor Services for its work providing direct services; and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Impact of the Year Award in Transportation for “Can You See Me?”

Caine is the best-selling author of more than a dozen books and studies and has a weekly podcast, where she speaks about faith and leadership.

She holds a master’s degree in evangelism and leadership from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

NickCaine

CEO and Co-Founder

A21

Nick Caine is the CEO and co-founder of A21, a global nonprofit organization that works to end human trafficking through prevention, intervention, and aftercare efforts in countries around the world. Since launching A21 in 2008, Caine has overseen its expansion into a multinational operation recognized for both its innovation and impact.

Under his leadership, A21 has received several significant international honors, including the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts in 2020. This award was presented to A21’s U.S. operations for outstanding contributions to anti-trafficking initiatives.

Caine is committed to strengthening frontline responses and building strategic partnerships with governments, nongovernmental organizations, and law enforcement to protect the vulnerable and pursue justice for survivors.

Alex Costello

Vice President, Government Relations

American Gaming Association

Alex Costello is vice president for government relations at the American Gaming Association (AGA), a national trade group representing the U.S. casino industry. There she advocates for the gaming industry’s priorities on Capitol Hill and with the administration. She also runs the member-based Anti-Money Laundering Working Group, the Payments Modernization Working Group, and the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Before joining AGA, Costello was the first-ever director of legislative affairs at the Center for Law and Social Policy, an anti-poverty nonprofit.

Earlier, she served in various roles for then-Sen.  John Kerry (D-MA), including as political director and as the primary liaison with the Massachusetts business community.

After leaving Congress, she worked at the U.S. Department of State, serving first as director of Senate affairs in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and then as chief of staff at the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, before going to the private sector.

Costello earned her B.A. in American government and politics from the University of Maryland and her master’s degree in public policy analysis from Catholic University.

Erin Donar

Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs 

National Beer Wholesalers Association

Erin Donar, vice president of communications and public affairs at the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), leads the association’s communications and public affairs team in its work advocating on behalf of America’s 3,000 independent beer and beverage distributors. 

Donar joined NBWA from H&R Block as director of government relations, public affairs, and policy. Previously, she served as head of communications for home lending at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. 

Her government experience includes roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury as deputy assistant secretary and spokesperson for public affairs, focusing on tax, economic, and budget issues. Before that, she served as press secretary for former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and supported the senator’s work as chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. Her experience in the House of Representatives includes communications with former Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI). 

Donar received a degree in political science from Yale University. 

Christian Elliott

Chief Impact Officer

A21

Christian Elliott is chief impact officer at A21, a leading international anti-trafficking organization operating across more than 20 countries. There he oversees global programs, operations, and public impact initiatives, including the Can You See Me? campaign.

Eliott spearheaded the development of Hidden and other global initiatives that engage audiences with A21’s message of freedom and prevention, and he played a central role in unifying A21’s global framework under one mission: Reach, Recover, and Restore.

He is a driving force behind the Global Freedom Summit, A21’s flagship annual event that unites activists, churches, and communities around the world in coordinated action against modern-day slavery.

He began A21’s operations in Southeast Asia in 2016, establishing the organization’s presence in Thailand and launching its first Child Advocacy Center after identifying a critical gap in the way child trafficking cases were handled.

Before joining A21’s executive leadership, Elliott’s background spanned film, media, and humanitarian storytelling where he helped craft narratives that connect audiences to.

Elizabeth Fay

Senior Director, Policy Advocacy

Verite

Elizabeth Fay is senior director of policy advocacy at Verité, a nonprofit organization advancing fair labor practices in global supply chains. There she advises governments, business, civil society coalitions, and multi- stakeholder initiatives on strengthening supply chain accountability and integrating human rights protections into sourcing and investment practices.

Fay has worked across sectors and regions—including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas—to align international business practices with policies that promote accountability, ethical sourcing, and long-term sustainability. 

Over her decades-long career, she spent 15 years with a leading multinational in the food and agriculture sector, embedding sustainable and responsible practices into global value chains.

She also served for a decade in the U.S. Senate as a legislative advisor, shaping labor rights and trade policy.  

Fay is co-chair of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), a U.S.-based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end human trafficking.

She received a Bachelor of Science in political science from Northeastern University.

Lynn Fitch

Attorney General of Mississippi

Lynn Fitch was sworn in as Mississippi’s 40th attorney general and the first-ever female attorney general in Mississippi on January 9, 2020, and was reelected to her second term in 2023. As the state’s chief law enforcement officer, Fitch established the State’s Cyber Fraud Task Force, made human trafficking investigations and prosecutions a priority with more than 50 multijurisdictional law enforcement operations in her first term, and launched the Fentanyl Strike Force.

She established the Empowerment Project agenda to address the challenges families face to upward mobility and stability, including broken foster care and adoption systems, safe haven laws, gaps in maternal care, and affordable and accessible quality child care.

 In 2022, Time magazine named Fitch to its list of the 100 most influential people in the world and Worth magazine named her to its Worthy 100 for her work protecting women and children.

She earned both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate at the University of Mississippi.

Dan Friel

Special Agent in Charge, East Criminal Investigation Unit

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

Dan Friel is the special agent in charge of the East Criminal Investigation Unit at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations (TBI) and special agent in charge of the statewide Human Trafficking Unit (HTU). The HTU is made up of nine special agents, an assistant special agent in charge, and two intelligence analysts.

Friel began his law enforcement career in 1996 as a corrections officer with the Cumberland County Tennessee Sheriff’s office, working his way up from a corrections officer to deputy and then a criminal investigator. As an investigator, he worked with TBI agents on various complex cases and later became a TBI agent.

Friel graduated from Mars Hill University in Marsh Hill, North Carolina, with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Denise Gitsham

Founder

Vitamin D Public Relations

Denise Grace Gitsham is the founder of Vitamin D Public Relations, a boutique communications firm based in Fairfield, California. With over 20 years of experience in public affairs, she and her team help clients leverage the power of law, policy, and media to establish their thought leadership, expand their market share, and move the needle on policy and public opinion. She also serves on local and national nonprofit boards focused on eradicating human trafficking.

Before starting her own public affairs consulting firm, she practiced law at K&L Gates; worked for a San Diego-based renewable energy company; and served as a presidential appointee at the White House and the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as a law clerk in the U.S. Senate.

In 2016, Gitsham ran for Congress, and as a first-time candidate, she earned the designation of a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) “Young Gun,” along with 43% of the vote in California’s then-52nd Congressional District.

In February 2024, Gitsham joined NewsNation as a political contributor. While on air, her focus is on elevating the tenor and tone of political dialogue to help restore civility and respect in and beyond the Beltway. Previously, she was a political commentator on various news outlets and wrote op-eds for national publications such as Politico.

Gitsham is the author of Politics for People Who Hate Politics: How to Engage Without Losing Your Friends or Selling Your Soul. She has a Bachelor of Arts in government and legal studies from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Steve Grocki

Chief, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section

U.S. Department of Justice 

Steven Grocki is chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), which is the office responsible for prosecuting federal child exploitation cases, including online child exploitation crimes, extraterritorial offenders, and child sex trafficking. Before being named chief, Grocki served as a trial attorney, assistant deputy chief, and deputy chief.

He also is the national coordinator for child exploitation interdiction and prevention. There he is responsible for developing and implementing department-wide and interagency national strategies, coordinating efforts throughout the department, and representing the department in interagency and external stakeholder engagements.

Grocki has investigated and prosecuted numerous nationally and internationally child exploitation cases, receiving the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award twice.

He began his legal career as a military prosecutor (Judge Advocate General, JAG) in the U.S Air Force in 1997. After departing active duty in June 2004, he continues to serve as a reserve officer.

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.

Barbara Langley

Senior Director for Innovation and Strategic Engagement

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

Barbara Langley serves as senior director for innovation and strategic engagement at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), where she focuses on expanding opportunities worldwide.

She leads CIPE’s strategy to cultivate a global network of democratic and market-oriented champions with shared values and interests of the U.S. through entrepreneurship, private sector job creation, and business-civic dialogue. Langley has conducted a variety of political strategy and organizational development programs throughout her career for business leaders and democratic political and civic activists.

Prior to joining CIPE, Langley served for nearly 20 years at the International Republican Institute (IRI), holding temporary and long-term postings in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jordan, Mongolia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Washington, D.C.

She also held senior management positions as executive director for IRI’s Arab Women’s Leadership Program, deputy director for the Institute’s Middle East and North Africa Division, and deputy director for IRI’s Women’s Democracy Network. During her IRI tenure, Langley observed national and local elections in 11 countries worldwide.

Langley also served in the administration of President George W. Bush as confidential assistant in the Office of the director of the U.S. Peace Corps.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian and international studies from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and completed the American University’s Campaign Management School.

Langley is an alumnus of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management (IOM) program.

Ashlee Lucas

Anti-Trafficking Specialist,

The Tebow Group

With a background in criminal intelligence, Ashlee Lucas has been recognized for her advocacy in advancing victim-centered, trauma-informed, and collaborative responses to human trafficking. 

She serves as the anti-trafficking specialist at The Tebow Group, supporting the Tim Tebow Foundation’s mission to serve vulnerable populations. Previously, Lucas worked at the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation as the statewide human trafficking coordinator. There she secured federal funding to establish the state’s Human Trafficking Special Victims Unit and chaired the Mississippi Human Trafficking Council.

Lucas began her anti-trafficking career with the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security, where she administered the Mississippi Governor’s Task Force on Human Trafficking, helping build the early infrastructure for statewide collaboration and victim services.

She has a B.S. in psychology from Mississippi State University.

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.

Kelly Metcalf

Manager, Human Rights

BSR

Kelly Metcalf is manager of human rights at BSR®, a sustainable business network and consultancy focused on creating a world in which all people can thrive on a healthy planet. Metcalf works with BSR member companies to develop sustainability strategies, assess human rights impacts, and engage rightsholders.

Her areas of expertise include modern-day slavery and anti-human trafficking and the rights of workers and communities in the energy transition. She works with companies across industries, including renewable energy and extractives and consumer products.

Previously, Metcalf was a consultant on various human rights projects, including issues of modern-day slavery and labor rights in global supply chains. She also worked extensively on women’s rights, including two years leading a women’s economic empowerment program in Surkhet, Nepal, and four years working with the United Nations Foundation on international reproductive health and rights.

She holds an MA in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University.

Eliza McCoy

Vice President of Awareness and Prevention Programs

American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation

Eliza McCoy, vice president of awareness and prevention programs at the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) Foundation, plays a critical role in bolstering and expanding the No Room For Trafficking Program—a national initiative that builds on the industry’s ongoing commitment and work to end human trafficking.

McCoy is the administrator for a survivors’ fund for human trafficking victims, which provides long-term support and economic stability for survivors and advances training and education to prevent human trafficking in the lodging industry.

Before joining the AHLA Foundation, McCoy served as an executive director at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. There she led the organization’s transformation of outreach, training, and prevention. McCoy also worked for the Center for Alexandria’s Children, helping expand awareness and support of community-based programs to prevent and respond to child abuse.

She began her career as an investigator with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after graduating from the Westchester County Police Academy.

McCoy holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from George Mason University.

Eliza McCoy, vice president of awareness and prevention programs at the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) Foundation, plays a critical role in bolstering and expanding the No Room For Trafficking Program—a national initiative that builds on the industry’s ongoing commitment and work to end human trafficking.

McCoy is the administrator for a survivors’ fund for human trafficking victims, which provides long-term support and economic stability for survivors and advances training and education to prevent human trafficking in the lodging industry.

Before joining the AHLA Foundation, McCoy served as an executive director at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. There she led the organization’s transformation of outreach, training, and prevention. McCoy also worked for the Center for Alexandria’s Children, helping expand awareness and support of community-based programs to prevent and respond to child abuse.

She began her career as an investigator with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office after graduating from the Westchester County Police Academy.

McCoy holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree from George Mason University.

Mary Flynn O'Neill

Executive Director and Finance Manager

America's Future Inc.

Mary Flynn O’Neill, executive director and finance manager of America’s Future, Inc., guides the nonprofit organization’s administration, operations, finances, and educational programming to fulfill its mission to preserve American values and ideals, protect the nation’s constitutional republic, promote strong American families, revitalize the role of faith in our society, and advance the virtues of free market capitalism.

She has decades of experience working in leadership positions in the nonprofit and private sectors to help organizations accomplish their goals. She was an executive with the Diocese of Providence for over 10 years as finance director for two Catholic Churches in Newport, Rhode Island. She also worked for the Preservation Society of Newport County and founded several startups.

O’Neill has extensive volunteer experience as an advocate for protecting children from harmful environments. She is certified in the rescue of trafficked and exploited victims through the Association for the Recovery of Children and serves as the Florida Republican Assembly Anti-Human Trafficking chair, adviser, and vice president.

O’Neill also oversees the Little Flower Advisory Board of Project Defend & Protect Our Children, established by America’s Future to eradicate the exploitation and trafficking of children.

In 2025, O’Neill was honored by the Federation of the Korean American Association with a Peace Medal Award and a Valor Award by MOM ARMY.

She holds a B.S. in environmental science and an M.B.A. with honors from the University of Phoenix.

Rich McCormick

U.S. House of Representatives (R-GA)

Dr. Rich McCormick is a decorated veteran and emergency room physician who has served Georgia’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023.

He serves on the House Armed Services, the Foreign Affairs, and the Science, Space, and Technology committees.

Mcormick has seen how human trafficking and sexual abuse have devastated not only families but entire communities, and he understands how vital public-private partnerships and nonprofits are in the fight against this heinous crime.

A firm believer in service before self, he joined the Marine Corps and became a helicopter pilot. During his two decades of service, McCormick deployed to combat zones in Afghanistan, Africa, and the Persian Gulf.

As a Marine, he flew helicopters, was airborne, and attached to Army and foreign forces, and he taught at Georgia Tech and Morehouse College in Atlanta as the Marine officer instructor. In the U.S. Navy, McCormick earned the rank of commander and served as department head for the Emergency Medicine Department in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University, a Master of Business Administration from National University in San Diego, California, and a medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine, where he was honored to serve as student body president.

He completed his residency in emergency medicine at Emory while training at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. Prior to joining Congress, McCormick served as an emergency room physician at Northside Hospital.

Cindy-Hyde Smith

U.S. Senate

(R-MS)

U.S.  Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is the first woman elected to represent Mississippi.  She won a six-year term in November 2020, following her appointment to fill the seat of former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.

Hyde-Smith serves on the Committee on Appropriations; the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry; the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; and the Committee on Rules and Administration.

In her role on the Appropriations Committee, Hyde-Smith has worked diligently to secure funding and resources for key priorities in Mississippi. Her efforts have centered around shipbuilding, defense, agriculture, rural health, small business, transportation infrastructure, flood control and disaster response, and other priority issues. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, she is a leading voice for American agriculture and rural communities. 

To address the impact of human trafficking, she co-sponsored the Stopping the Abuse, Victimization, and Exploitation of Girls (SAVE Girls) Act, End Child Trafficking Now Act, and Preventing the Recycling of Immigrants is Necessary for Trafficking Suspension (PRINTS) Act.

She is a graduate of Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Melissa Snow

Executive Director, Analytical Services Division, Child Sex Trafficking Programs,

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)

Melissa Snow is the executive director of child sex trafficking programs at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). There she oversees the Child Sex Trafficking Team, which provides vital analytical support to law enforcement on child sex trafficking reports.

Additionally, Snow is the architect of the Child Sex Trafficking Recovery Services Team, which offers specialized support to child welfare professionals when children go missing and trafficking concerns arise.

Before joining NCMEC, she served as the child victim program coordinator at the FBI, where she developed and managed critical programs to support child victims of trafficking and abuse.

Snow has a B.A. in sociology and political science from the University of Colorado Denver and an M.A. in global development and social justice from St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York.

Esteban Villarreal

Lived Experience Expert

Esteban Villarreal, a caseworker at A21, plays a critical role in providing direct support to survivors of all forms of human trafficking. With a focus on addressing the complex needs of each individual, Villarreal empowers survivors by guiding them toward recovery and independence.

As a lived experience expert, he brings invaluable insight into labor trafficking and the challenges faced by members of the foreign national community. His firsthand knowledge enriches his approach, ensuring that those he serves receive culturally competent and trauma-informed care that meets their unique needs.

Jeff Yesenki

Special Agent

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Jeff Yesensky has been a special agent with the FBI for over 20 years. He is currently assigned to FBI Baltimore where he conducts domestic and international investigations in the areas of child sexual abuse material, human trafficking, and international child sex tourism (CST) investigations.

Earlier, while assigned to FBI Headquarters, Yesensky served as the case agent on a large-scale international livestream child exploitation investigation in the Philippines known as Operation Swift Traveler.

In addition, he led international CST investigations in Cambodia, the Dominican Republic. the Philippines, Madagascar, Mexico, and Singapore.