Dominique Chauvet-Staco is an experienced grant management professional with over twenty-five years of practice in both corporate and private philanthropy.

Dominique spent the last 14 years as senior program officer at the Pathy Family Foundation in Montreal where she developed giving strategies, managed program portfolios and established grant partnerships with dozens of national and international non-profit organizations.

Her relationships and work with local grassroots organizations both in Canada and abroad have fostered a profound interest and understanding of community-driven development for which she is a strong advocate.

Dominique also worked in the non-profit and international development sector in her native Haiti, where she managed corporate social responsibility programs at the Sogebak Group Foundation and community project grants with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. She holds degrees in International Relations and International Business Administration from the American University of Paris and a certificate from the Institute for the Study of International Development at McGill University. She lives in Montreal with her family.

Marcia Eugenio is a transformational labor and human rights advocate and supply chain expert with extensive experience leading global initiatives to reduce child and forced labor worldwide.

Most recently, Marcia was the director of the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) at the US Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB). She led a staff of 70, managed a high-value budget, and collaborated across US and international organizations to identify and research labor violations worldwide. She consistently delivered seminal reports and business tools, drove awareness, and created country-specific and regional initiatives to address child labor and forced labor and improve labor rights for workers around the world. Through long standing and meaningful support, advocacy, and strategic partnerships with numerous organizations and stakeholders, Marcia and her team significantly contributed to global reduction of child labor from 250 million to 160 million workers.

Marcia served for 8 years as a US Department of Labor Senior Executive Service (SES) Executive Resources Board member. She has been recognized for her contributions with many awards from U.S. Department of Labor and other organizations, including being inducted into the Child Labor Hall of Honor in 2024. She has also contributed to numerous publications, media, interactive web tools, and presentations.

In previous roles, Marcia served as an acting DOL/ILAB associate deputy undersecretary, an international relations officer, and as a program analyst, and a senior program officer for the International Labor Organization.

Marcia holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from The City College of New York. She completed the Sloan Junior and Senior Summer Program in Public Policy Analysis and Management at the University of Michigan and Harvard University, respectively. She also completed the International Career Advancement Program sponsored by the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and the Aspen Institute.

Lila Leno is the treasurer of the board of directors. Dr. Leno is a principal at Calibre CPA Group PLCC in Bethesda, Maryland. She has decades of auditing and accounting experience, including work with nonprofit organizations and government entities. She specializes in organizations that receive federal and state government funding and has performed numerous compliance audits in accordance with Government Auditing Standards, prepared 990s, and solved issues pertaining to tax exemption.

Dr. Leno earned a bachelor’s in accounting and finance from the University of Tirana in her home country of Albania, then continued her studies to earn a law degree and doctorate in fiscal policy. After moving to the United States, she graduated from Sonoma State University with a bachelor’s in accounting.

Before joining Calibre CPA Group, she served in various audit and accounting positions at Squire Lemkin, McGladry & Pullen, Goodman & Company, among other firms, as director of finance at CORE International, and as a fiscal and legal policy expert for the Albania ministry of finance.

Dr. Leno is a registered CPA in the state of Maryland and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

*Organizational affiliations are for ID purposes only.

Moninda Marube is a former professional runner and a founder of the Moninda Movement. The Moninda Movement is an anti-trafficking initiative that saw Moninda run 3700 miles from Maine to Santa Barbara, CA, to increase public awareness of human trafficking. Moninda is a labor trafficking survivor, a student, and an anti-trafficking activist currently involved in community initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion.

As part of his continued efforts to sensitize and educate the public on human trafficking, Moninda continues to honor invitations by churches, schools, communities, and organizations to share his story, experience, and proactive plan to engage in the fight against modern slavery. Moninda believes that in order for us to win the fight, there need to be sustained efforts towards civic engagement and education as part of a solution-focused approach to fighting the vice.

Moninda has worked as both a behavioral health professional and a case manager connecting those in need with various services, which include integration processes. He will complete his Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2023 at the University of Kentucky and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Education from the University of Maine.

Timothy Patrick McCarthy is the chair of the board of directors. An award-winning historian, educator, and human rights activist, he has taught at Harvard University since 1998. He currently holds a joint faculty appointment at the Graduate School of Education and Kennedy School of Government, where he is the Faculty Chair of the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. The adopted only son and grandson of public school teachers and faculty workers, Dr. McCarthy is also the Stanley Paterson Professor of American History and Academic Director emeritus in the Boston Clemente Course, a free college humanities course for lower income adults and co-recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal.

Twice named one of Harvard Crimson’s “Professors of the Year,” he is the recipient of many awards for his commitment to students, including the 2019 Manuel C. Carballo Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Kennedy School’s highest teaching honor, and the 2023 Evelynn M. Hammonds Award for Exceptional Service to BGLTQ+ Inclusion at Harvard. Dr. McCarthy has published five books and is a frequent media commentator whose work has been featured in Salon, Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, Pangyrus, The Nation, NPR, Al Jazeera, BBC, and several documentary films. In June 2019, he served as guest editor for The Nation’s historic “Reclaiming Stonewall 50” forum.

Inspired by the activism and organizing of his student years, he has devoted his life to public service and social justice. As founding director of Harvard’s Alternative Spring Break Church Rebuilding Program, he spent fifteen years organizing hundreds of students to help rebuild Black churches destroyed in racist arson attacks. A respected leader in the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. McCarthy was a founding member of Barack Obama’s National LGBT Leadership Council, gave expert testimony to the Pentagon Comprehensive Working Group on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” was a member of the first-ever LGBTQ delegation from the United States to Israel/Palestine, and was a 2023 honoree in “Portraits of Pride,” a public art installation that showcases “luminaries of the LGBTQ+ community in Massachusetts.” Dr. McCarthy is also a longtime advisory board member and creative collaborator with the Tony Award-winning American Repertory Theater.

Dr. McCarthy graduated with honors in History and Literature from Harvard College and earned his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in History from Columbia University.

*Organizational affiliations are for ID purposes only.

Karen Stauss is the Vice Chair of the board of directors. She serves as the Director of Strategic Engagement at  Transparentem, where she oversees the organization’s advocacy work with the private sector to eliminate labor and environmental abuses in global supply chains. From 2016 – 2023, she served as senior policy counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit (HTPU). In that role, she worked on legislative and executive branch policy proposals affecting the capacity of the unit and of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to prosecute trafficking and protect survivors, and supported building capacity among HTPU’s enforcement partners.

Ms. Stauss was also the director of programs for Free the Slaves from 2010 to 2016, where she was responsible for overseeing the organization’s policy advocacy work and its partnerships with community-based organizations in eight countries. She was managing attorney and policy counsel at Polaris Project, a national anti-trafficking organization, from 2006 to 2010. From 2003 to 2006, Ms. Stauss was an Africa researcher with Human Rights Watch, where she operated the field office in Democratic Republic of the Congo after holding a yearlong fellowship conducting human rights research in Nigeria. She investigated war crimes and other human rights abuses, conducted advocacy, and strengthened human rights group networks.

Ms. Stauss holds a bachelor’s from Duke University and her law degree from Columbia Law School. Karen is fluent in French and speaks basic Spanish and German. Karen has served as an adjunct professor for courses at Georgetown University and the George Washington University.

*Organizational affiliations are for ID purposes only.

Adrian Alexander is the Advocacy and Movement Building Country Manager for Free The Slaves based in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been privileged to serve as a volunteer with civil society organizations for the past 20 years. For 14 of those years, he has been involved in the fight against human trafficking. Through this work, Adrian is committed to helping shape a more compassionate, trauma-informed Caribbean.

Dame brings more than 18 years of community volunteering and civil society engagement fighting slavery, social injustice and racism to his work with Free the Slaves. He has experience working with national and international NGOs, public and private development agencies (U.S. Peace Corps, GRET (French NGO), World Vision, DAI, ILO) on community health and development, humanitarian aid, advocacy, training and capacity building, youth development and employment, child protection, faith and development, and entrepreneurship. Dame is fluent in Arabic, French and English. 

Cinthia Belbussi is a dedicated human rights advocate with more than two decades of experience throughout Latin America. Specializing in combating human trafficking and protecting and assisting its victims, she has led transformative initiatives that empower institutions and individuals to address this grave violation of fundamental rights and promote justice. Her work spans Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, where she has led programs for institutional strengthening, contributed to the development of public policies, designed protocols for action and established and managed shelters for survivors, as well as programs for the reintegration and protection of victim-witnesses.
Cinthia has given workshops, conferences and training programs for diverse audiences, including government agencies, judicial systems, and international and civil society organizations. She is also a university professor of human rights at the University of Palermo (Argentina). As an author, she has published work on human trafficking from a gender and human rights perspective, promoting frameworks that improve assistance, protection and institutional responses to survivors.
Cinthia is deeply committed to fostering a future in which dignity, equity and justice are not just ideals, but realities for all.

Cinthia Belbussi es una dedicada defensora de los derechos humanos con más de dos décadas de experiencia en toda América Latina. Especializada en la lucha contra la trata de personas y en la protección y asistencia a sus víctimas, ha liderado iniciativas transformadoras que empoderan a instituciones y personas para hacer frente a esta grave violación de los derechos fundamentales y promover la justicia. Su trabajo abarca Argentina, Bolivia, Perú, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala y México, donde ha liderado programas de fortalecimiento institucional, contribuido al desarrollo de políticas públicas, diseñado protocolos de actuación y establecido y gestionado refugios para sobrevivientes, así como programas de reinserción y protección de víctimas-testigos.

Cinthia ha impartido talleres, conferencias y programas de formación para diversos públicos, incluidos organismos gubernamentales, sistemas judiciales y organizaciones internacionales y de la sociedad civil. También es profesora universitaria de derechos humanos en la Universidad de Palermo (Argentina). Como autora, ha publicado trabajos sobre la trata de personas desde una perspectiva de género y de derechos humanos, promoviendo marcos que mejoran la asistencia, la protección y las respuestas institucionales a las supervivientes.

Cinthia está profundamente comprometida con el fomento de un futuro en el que la dignidad, la equidad y la justicia no sean sólo ideales, sino realidades para todos.

Marie Helene BOUCHARD holds the pivotal role of Head of Global Engagment, Policy and Advocacy at Free the Slaves, a globally recognized organization headquartered in Washington, DC, dedicated to eradicating human trafficking,
forced labor, modern slavery, and child labor worldwide.

In her capacity, Marie spearheads the development and execution of comprehensive engagement strategies with governments and key institutions both nationally and internationally. Her responsibilities include raising awareness, mobilizing support, engaging key actors and influencing policies aimed at combating modern slavery. She plays a crucial role in coordinating government mobilization efforts, representing the organization in high-level policy discussions, and establishing strategic partnerships with governmental entities and strategic networks and advocacy partners.

With over two decades of experience in government relations and strategic partnerships, Marie brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Her remarkable leadership skills, coupled with her multilingual communication abilities, enable her to navigate complex diplomatic landscapes effectively. Moreover, her unwavering commitment to integrity and confidentiality ensures the trust and confidence of stakeholders at all levels.

Marie’s academic background includes a degree in Public Relations, Communication, and Management, underscoring her solid foundation in relevant disciplines. Before assuming her current position, she executed several diplomatic duties for the Government of Gabon including the Embassy of Gabon in Belgium, where she honed her diplomatic acumen and administrative proficiency.

In summary, Marie Helene BOUCHARD’s dedication to advancing the fight against modern slavery, coupled with her extensive experience and expertise in government relations, makes her an invaluable asset to Free the Slaves and the
global effort to combat human trafficking and modern slavery.

Papa Fall is a statistician by training, holder of a Bachelor’s in Computer engineering, and is finishing a Master’s in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Papa has conducted numerous evaluations of early childhood protection programs. Prior to joining Free the Slaves, Papa Worked as a research consultant/data analyst for many NGO projects and program evaluations in Senegal. For instance, Papa has evaluated the midline and impact of the Her Choice program for the Amsterdam Institute of Social Science Research.

As a Data enthusiast, Papa has a keen interest in handling data and measuring in real-time KPIs using dashboards… He aims to apply Big Data and Artificial Intelligence technologies to improve and accurately measure Humanitarian Interventions.

Marta Furlan is the Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves. Her areas of expertise include human rights protection, armed groups, and civil conflicts. Marta holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of St Andrews (Handa Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence), where she wrote her dissertation on armed groups’ governance practices – and impact on civilians – in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. Marta has published extensively in leading academic journals, such as the Middle East Journal, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, and Civil Wars. She has also contributed chapters to three books on the topics of armed groups’ approach to International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and armed groups-civilians dynamics in conflict-affected areas. Prior to joining FTS, Marta worked as a research consultant for the NGO Geneva Call.

Bryon Lippincott is the Head of Communications and Digital Engagment for Free the Slaves.  He is passionate about helping people who are marginalized or vulnerable experience safe and abundant lives within healthy communities, as well as helping organizations represent the people who participate in their programs in ways that honor their dignity and respect their value as human beings.

Prior to working for Free the Slaves, Bryon ran a creative agency specializing in strategic communications and media production for NGOs in Asia. He has partnered with more than 100 organizations and individuals in 13 countries. In this role, he partnered with organizations working with child vulnerability, anti-trafficking, HIV/AIDS, refugees, agriculture, poverty alleviation/community development, and education.

Though Bryon was born and raised in Nebraska, USA, on a family farm, his love for culture and humanitarian causes brought him to Asia, where he has been living and working for more than ten years. He lived in China and Cambodia before moving to Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he lives now with his wife, two teenage children, and two cats.

Bryon holds an M.A. in Strategic Communication from California Baptist University.

Jackline Mwende is a pan-African feminist, human rights researcher and an expert in human trafficking, labor migration and gender issues with more than 10 years of experience in Africa, Europe, and North America. She has consulted for the African Union and the Government of Germany on the Africa-Europe Action Plan to Combat Trafficking of Persons Especially Women and Children in Africa. She also was involved in a campaign against sexual exploitation of children in detention centers while at the Center for Children Law and Policy  in Washington D.C., and a project with WITNESS in New York City.

In Kenya, she supported an International Labor Organization project on elimination of child labor, and a U.K. Department for International Development project promoting education and sports as alternative pathways to child marriages and sex exploitation in coastal Kenya.

Mwende has also worked for Equality in Tourism U.K. and consulted for Women Deliver. She is a recipient of both academic and professional awards, and a graduate in human rights law and policy.

Lauren Rice, a Development Coordinator, and aspiring polyglot, is on a mission to make a difference in the world. Raised in Belgium, she’s fluent in French, Dutch, and English, and is currently studying for her associate’s degree in STEM with a focus on computer science and mathematics. Lauren’s love for languages and cultures has inspired her to learn Russian, Korean, and Japanese. She’s also a dedicated advocate for charity and is passionate about helping others. A lifelong learner, she’s always eager to meet new people and expand her horizons.