Kevin Barnes

NFL Player, Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions

Kevin Barnes is a multifaceted leader whose career spans professional sports, creative arts, and entrepreneurship. As a retired player for the Washington Commanders, Barnes' dedication and discipline on the field has carried over into his post-athletic career, where he channels his passion into advocacy and business innovation. 

An accomplished artist and visionary entrepreneur, he uses his creativity to inspire and uplift, blending artistry with purpose-driven initiatives. He is also a committed advocate who focuses on addressing systemic issues, including human trafficking and fostering impactful change. Barnes has a Bachelor of Arts in social psychology from the University of Maryland. 

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. 

Barbara Buckley, Esq.

Executive Director, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada 

Barbara Buckley is executive director of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, a nonprofit dedicated to righting wrongs and changing lives for those who cannot afford an attorney. The Legal Aid Center focus on representing survivors of violent crime, the elderly at risk of exploitation, and families trapped in cycles of abuse. She has spent her legal career with the Legal Aid Center, beginning as a staff attorney in 1989.

Buckley has created many programs including many innovative and award-winning programs such as the Legal Aid Center's Resiliency & Justice Center, which serves every survivor of violent crime in the community, including human trafficking survivors. She is leading an effort to construct an Advocacy & Justice Complex to house Legal Aid Center's programs serving survivors of crime and an operations center to assist Clark County in helping victims when a tragedy strikes. 

While working for Legal Aid Center, Buckley was elected to the Nevada Assembly from 1995 to 2010. She served as speaker of the Nevada State Assembly, the first woman in the state's history to hold this position. She also served as majority leader of the Nevada State Assembly, also the first woman to serve in this role. 

Buckley has received many awards and honors since being elected as a state legislator in 1994, including the Most Effective Legislator in the Assembly for six years in a row, from 1999 to 2006.

She earned her J.D. degree summa cum laude from the University of Arizona School of Law and her B.A. with honors from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 

Lori Cohen

Chief Executive Officer, Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT)

Lori Cohen joined Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT) as CEO in November 2019 after representing survivors of international and domestic human trafficking and creating a program that offered them comprehensive care. There she developed educational training for law enforcement, judges, social workers, and health care providers to help identify human trafficking and advocated for legislative change to support victims. These experiences informed her work at PACT where she elevates survivor voices and promotes private sector engagement, education, and advocacy. 

Cohen served on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking Training and Awareness Subcommittee and helped draft the Department of Transportation's Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking's 2024 Report.

She has taught at Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School and is currently teaching a course at Yale on artificial intelligence, and anti-human trafficking, and the Ukrainian refugee crisis. 

Cohen has a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Yale University and a J.D. from Yale Law School. 

Donna H. Edwards

Former First Lady, Louisiana, and Founder, National Coalition for the Prevention of Human Sex Trafficking

As a wife, mother, grandmother, and teacher, Donna H. Edwards, former First Lady of Louisiana is a passionate advocate for children, families, and educators. She raises awareness about critical issues and connects communities with essential resources and support, responsibilities she takes to heart. Prayer serves as her constant source of hope and grounding. 

Edwards earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi before marrying her high school sweetheart, John Bel Edwards. His military service led them from their small hometown of Amite, Louisiana, to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. There she pursued a career in business while they began their family. Living on base, she developed close bonds with fellow military spouses and actively supported families preparing for their loved ones' deployments. 

Children have always been central to Edward's volunteer efforts. She helped plan and construct a local playground through the junior auxiliary, actively participated in youth ministry, became a charter member of her church's Catholic Daughters of the Americas chapter, and engaged with parent-teacher organizations as a classroom mom. Driven to impact even more children, she earned her teaching certification and taught music education for over eight years in the Tangipahoa Parish public school system. 

In 2022, Edwards co-founded the National Coalition for the Prevention of Human Sex Trafficking (NCPHST) alongside other first spouses across the U.S. Through this initiative, she strives to raise awareness among first spouses, highlight the need for greater support, and strengthen the fight against this heinous crime. She continues this vital work with an advisory board that includes eight current and two former First Spouses. 

Heather Fischer

Senior Adviser of Social Impact & Human Rights, Thomson Reuters

Heather C. Fischer, senior adviser of social impact and human rights at Thomson Reuters, spearheads initiatives to integrate business and human rights accountability and sustainability into corporate strategy. She leads efforts to help Thomson Reuters leverage its proprietary data, technology, and subject-matter expertise in counseling corporate and government customers on supply chain transparency and due diligence reporting. 

Previously, Fischer served at the White House, the U.S. State Department, and the McCain Institute where she shaped policies and programs that addressed global challenges such as human trafficking and international human rights. 

Fischer is the recipient of the prestigious Eisenhower USA Fellowship and Strategy and Statecraft Fellowship at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

She holds a B.S. in psychology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and is a candidate in the Executive Master's in International Relations (EMIR) program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and CSIS in Washington, D.C. Fischer is also a graduate of the McKinsey Academy Executive Leadership Program. 

Kiersten Flint

Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility & Internal Communications, Caesars Entertainment, Inc.

Kiersten Flint, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility and internal communications at Caesars Entertainment, leads company-wide efforts in internal communications and corporate social responsibility, including diversity, equity, and inclusion, environmental, social, and governance initiatives, sustainability, and philanthropy.

Her work includes implementing comprehensive internal communications strategies that elevate the Caesars Entertainment's employer value proposition, improve team member acquisition and retention, and increase team member engagement. 

She previously served as senior vice president of Talent Development, Culture & Diversity where she oversaw the development of the company's Extraordinary Leadership program, championed personal growth through the introduction of the Leading the Empire quarterly publication, and shepherded the rollout of Empire Wire, the company's internal website. 

Flint has been recognized for her contributions with multiple awards, including the Gold Addy Awards for her work in advertising and communications. 

She holds a bachelor's degree in advertising from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, and is the chair of the Ball State University Miller College of Business Hospitality Advisory Board and a member on the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication's Alumni Society Board of Directors. 

Eric Golebiewski

Vice President of Corporate Security, Caesars Entertainment, Inc. 

Eric Golebiewski, vice president of Corporate Security at Caesars Entertainment, develops security strategies and implements initiatives to provide a safe environment for Caesars Entertainment employees and its customers while protecting the resort's assets at over 50 locations throughout the U.S.

Previously, Golebiewski worked for Burns International Security Services in Buffalo, New York, where he was detailed to security management at M&T Bank Corporation. Golebiewski's duties entailed analyzing the physical security measures for newly acquired facilities and drafting security plans for company-sponsored events. 

He is a member and co-chair of the Nevada Resorts Association Coalition for Combating Human Trafficking. Golebiewski also is a member of several security organizations, including ASIS International Las Vegas Chapter, Las Vegas Security Chiefs Association, ZONE Las Vegas, and chair of the board of trustees at Crime Stoppers of Nevada, Inc.

He is the lead security representative for Caesars Entertainment at the Domestic Security Alliance Council, a strategic partnership between the U.S. government and U.S. private industry that enhances communication and promotes the timely and effective exchange of security and intelligence information between the federal government and the private sector. 

Dana Hoyes

U.S. Campaign Director, It's a Penalty

Dana Hoyes, U.S. campaign director for It's a Penalty, leads partnerships and educational Super Bowl campaigns to prevent abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. She is currently working on her third Super Bowl campaign with the organization, leveraging one of the world's largest sporting events to drive awareness and advocacy. 

Previously, Hoyes spent nearly a decade in Washington, D.C., designing and administering U.S. State Department-funded international exchange and cultural programs. Her experience includes managing cultural programs for the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai and executing the International Sports Programming Initiative and the Digital Communication Network's programming. 

Hoyes holds a master's degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University and a bachelor's degree in international relations from Penn State University. 

Stefan J. Marculewicz

Shareholder and Co-Chair, Business and Human Rights Practice Group, Littler Mendelson P.C.

Stefan J. Marculewicz is shareholder and co-chair of the business and human rights practice group at Littler Mendelson P.C. 

Marculewicz, a recognized authority on international labor standards, serves as co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s International Law Subcommittee and chair of the U.S. Chamber’s Task Force to Eradicate Human Trafficking.

He advises multinational corporations on issues involving employer efforts to address and respond to international labor standards and helps corporations respond to efforts by labor unions and non-governmental organizations to discredit them through global campaigns. 

His work includes developing global labor relations strategies, advancing supply chain management systems, establishing corporate codes of social responsibility and human rights policies, and negotiating international framework agreements with Global Union Federations. 

He has represented employers before the ILO and OECD National Contact Points. 

Marculewicz received his B.A. from Lawrence University in Wisconsin and his J.D. from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

Eliza McCoy

Vice President of Programs & Impact, American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation

Eliza McCoy, vice president of programs and impact 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.
 

Thomas Ruck

Senior Engagement Manager, Blue Campaign, Center for Countering Human Trafficking, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Thomas Ruck, senior engagement manager 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).

Dr. Halleh Seddighzadeh

Human Trafficking Expert Adviser

Dr. Halleh Seddighzadeh is a globally recognized counter-trafficking expert and forensic traumatologist with a career spanning over two decades in the fields of anti-trafficking and human rights in the public and private sectors.

As a clinician, she specialized in the psychological treatment of torture, complex traumatic stress, and dissociative conditions. With a focus on victims of coercive, predatory trauma - including survivors of sex and labor trafficking, war refugees, terrorism, genocide, gender-based violence, and youth who are vulnerable to indoctrination by violent extremist groups or cults - Dr. Halleh has taken a holistic evidence-based approach to healing. 

This approach also governs her work as a consultant and adviser to corporations, government agencies, law enforcement, tribal governments, medical practitioners, and social service providers that face the complex challenges of addressing and preventing human rights violations and providing treatment for survivors. 

Dr. Halleh collaborates with the corporate sector crafting cross-culturally informed, bespoke anti-trafficking programs addressing both sex and labor trafficking, with a specialization in the hospitality and gaming sectors. Among her projects is the ongoing development of a groundbreaking counter-trafficking program for Caesars Entertainment. 

Mollie Thorsen Andrews 

U.S. Director of Advocacy and Corporate Engagement, A21

Mollie Thorsen Andrews, U.S. director of advocacy and corporate engagement at A21, hosts the annual D.C. Walk For Freedom, which mobilizes thousands of people throughout Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of human trafficking. She also leads A21's Can You See Me? campaign in the U.S., which was awarded the Department of Transportation's Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award and has reached over 1 billion people across the U.S. in 2022. 

She is a co-owner and COO of The Little Burros, a manufacturing company that creates innovative garden tools. It was named a top garden tool by Popular Mechanics, Newsday, International Business Times, and Sunset magazine, among others, and was awarded the Bronze in International Design Awards. The Little Burros was featured on an episode of ABC's "Shark Tank." In honor of her late sister Becca's advocacy, The Little Burros donates a portion of all sales to A21 to fight human trafficking. 

Thorsen Andrews holds a bachelor's degree in art history, criticism, and conservation from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia.