1st Annual Free the Captives' Houston Human Trafficking Conference
- Saturday, February 26, 2011
- 8:30am to 4:00pm
- Lazybrook Baptist Church, 1822 W. 18th Street, Houston, TX 77008
- Lunch will be provided by Kingsland Baptist Church
You are invited to a human trafficking conference in Houston aimed at educating and mobilizing the community. You will learn about local and global human trafficking and discover practical ways to combat this injustice.
Choose
from a variety of breakout
sessions with labor and sex trafficking survivors, the FBI, Children at
Risk, SMU, Redeemed Ministries/Not For Sale, YMCA of Greater Houston,
and many other non-profit and Christian groups. The conference will
include a panel of organizations focused on safe homes for trafficking
victims. The Free the Captives' conference is sponsored by Lazybrook
Baptist Church and Kingsland Baptist Church.
Topics will include:
- The Biblical Call to Action
- Survivor of Sex Trafficking Speaks Out
- The Link between Pornography and Sex Trafficking
- Economics of Human Trafficking
- Law Enforcement and Human Trafficking
- Mentoring Human Trafficking Victims
- Human Trafficking Legislative Update
- Safe Haven Panel
- Child Labor Trafficking Survivor's Viewpoint
- International Human Trafficking
- Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking
- How a Church can Mobilize as a Congregation
- How You can Make a Difference on Missions Trips
- What Services are Available to Victims
- Truckers against Trafficking
- Using Art to Create Awareness about Human Trafficking
Speakers' Biographies
Crystal Chandler, Assistant Criminal District Attorney, San Antonio, TX
Crystal Chandler is a career prosecutor. She serves an assistant criminal district attorney in San Antonio, Texas. Chandler graduated magna cum laude from Incarnate Word College in 1994 where she obtained a BA in Politics with a focus in International Relations. She went on to obtain her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1997. Chandler joined the Bexar County Criminal District Attorney’s Office in August of 1999. She spent five years prosecuting in the Family Justice Division combating the physical and sexual abuse of children, sex crimes against adults, and family violence ranging from felony assault to capital murder. In the Criminal Trial Division, she served as a first chair prosecutor for the 399th District Court supervising junior lawyers and prosecuting violent crimes and high profile cases. Chandler currently works in the Appellate Division where she researches and provides written responses to an array of legal claims.
Crystal Chandler is a founding member and current board member of Chapter 61 Ministries, a non-profit engaged in the fight against human trafficking. Their major initiative “Truckers Against Trafficking” is a nationwide campaign dedicated to educating and raising awareness of human trafficking within the trucking industry. Chandler and her husband, Scott Zimmerer, recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary and have two young sons, ages 6 and 7.
Omar C. Garcia, Minister of Missions, Kingsland Baptist Church, Katy, TX
Omar C. Garcia is the Minister of Missions at Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, Texas. Omar graduated from Pan American University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has served as a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources since 1995. He maintains BibleTeachingNotes.com, a website for teachers and students of the Bible, and GoBeyondBlog.com where he writes about his work among the nations. Omar enjoys leading the people of Kingsland to make meaningful connections with others from Katy to the ends of the earth. He mobilizes more than 3000 Kingsland volunteers annually to participate in local and international missions initiatives. Over the past two years, Omar has led the people of Kingsland to support the work of aftercare homes for sex-trafficking victims and girls rescued from the commercial sex trade in Central America, Africa, South Asia, as well as in Houston. Read more about Kingsland’s justice initiatives at KingslandJustice.com.
Steven Goff, Project Director, Houston Rescue and Restore, Houston, TX
Steven Goff graduated with a B.S in Psychology from Sam Houston State University. He has traveled to Japan, Thailand, Aruba, Costa Rica, and Colombia participating in various Anti Human Trafficking organizations. In 2005, Steven founded a small nonprofit organization that conducted direct outreach to populations vulnerable to Human Trafficking in the Houston area. After returning to school to obtain a Masters degree, Steven began volunteering with the Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition and eventually played a key role in its growth. He currently is the Project Director of Houston Rescue and Restore and is working on his Masters degree in Counseling.
Dr. Tomi Lee “T.L.” Grover, Director, TraffickStop, Fort Worth, TX
Tomi Lee “T.L.” Grover serves as an educator and abolitionist with TraffickStop, an anti-trafficking initiative to educate, advocate and engage people on the issues of human trafficking. This initiative was birthed from her eight years of work with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. She actively pursues educating others about the atrocities of exploitation and engages their response in a variety of avenues. Writing is a part of her calling and she currently is working on a devotional guide for today’s abolitionist and a book for the church to understand missions, development pertaining to human trafficking and its response.
T.L. holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work and Ministry-Based Evangelism, and a Master of Arts in Christian Education, from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She serves as an adjunct professor for Dallas Baptist University and has as well for Howard Payne University. Additionally, she serves a teaching fellow for the B.H. Carroll Theological Institute. Historically, T.L. had a twelve year career as a certified tele-communications operator, and was certified as a law enforcement officer, as well as a law enforcement instructor and holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Florida.
Mariam Kagaso, Child Labor Trafficking Survivor, Dallas, TX
Originally from Africa, Mariam was brought into the United States under false pretenses where she was forced to work in a home. Although having been brought up a devout Muslim, she miraculously found truth in Jesus Christ and by her faith was able to escape the bondage of human trafficking. Today, she continues to share her testimony as a way to, not only bring awareness to the new human rights movement that is taking place all over the world, but also bring to light the truth of Jesus Christ. To date, Mariam has had numerous speaking engagements at local churches, Mosaic Family Services and interviews at radio stations, such as 89.7 Power FM and KDKR 91.3 FM. Currently, Mariam is pursuing a degree in Mass Communications after which she desires to seek a Masters of Theology to become a evangelist, preaching the Word to those with ears to hear.
Chong Kim, Human Trafficking Survivor, Dallas, TX
Chong Kim is an Asian-American survivor of human trafficking/child sex exploitation originally from Dallas, TX. Since 2001, Miss Kim, has been volunteering her time as a legal advocate in the state of Minnesota, as well as promoting human and civil rights. Miss Kim has been working incessantly to establish a non-profit organization, while at the same time volunteering in diverse capacities. As an accomplished public speaker, she uses her personal story to enlighten NGOs and political officials with the goal of strengthening the advocacy system that reaches out to victims of trafficking. In 2006, she received an award from the National Campaign for Tolerance, where her name has been memorialized on the Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery, Alabama which testifies of her commitment to maintain a public stand against hate, injustice and intolerance.
Ted Law, Director, Vox Culture, Houston, TX
Ted Law is the Lead Pastor of a church called Access in Houston, TX. He is also the founder and director of Vox Culture, a nonprofit combining the voices of artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs to speak for those who are not heard. Vox Culture has been involved in the fight against human trafficking by working with Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition to produce their Awareness Bus Tour and Art Show. For more information, check out the following websites: accesslive.org and voxculture.org.
Christina Mackenzie, Director, ALERT Ministries, Dallas, TX
In 2008, Christina Mackenzie followed God’s prompting to minister to women and girls who are being exploited on a daily basis in strip clubs and brothels in the Dallas area. In 2010, Christina became the Director of ALERT Ministries, an organization committed to helping sexually exploited women and girls. Through her ministry, she learned that these girls and women are longing to hear what their worth is in Christ and are blown away by Christian women fearlessly loving them by coming to visit them in the brothels, strip clubs and juvenile detention to tell them they are loved and cared about by the Church.
The common thread among girls in juvenile detention centers is sexual abuse and running away from home. These factors put them at high risk to becoming victims of domestic sex trafficking. Many girls in juvenile detention have already become victims of this horrific crime. Christina knew that a step in the right direction in helping these girls was to bring the love of Jesus to girls in juvenile detention. Every week, ALERT Ministries brings in life skills classes and the love of Jesus to juvie girls. They discuss and wrestle with topics such as significance in Christ, dating violence, drug abuse, healthy relationships, conflict resolution and more.
Dennis Mark, Executive Director, Redeemed Ministries, Houston, TX
Dennis Mark is currently the Executive Director of Redeemed Ministries, a faith based non-profit organization dedicated to the liberation of those trapped and exploited within the commercial sex industry and/or by human trafficking for sexual exploitation or forced labor. Dennis participated in the United Nations – Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking (UN.GIFT) conference in Vienna, Austria in 2008. He has worked with state legislators on drafting legislation and testified before Senate and House committees in Austin to support new anti-human trafficking legislation. He also serves at the Chief Investigator for the Not For Sale Campaign and is a content instructor at the Not For Sale Investigator Academy where 180 domestic and international investigators have been trained. He has supervised documentation sex trafficking cases in Texas and cases of human trafficking involving child soldiers in Northern Uganda.
Dennis also serves as a representative for Redeemed Ministries and Not For Sale Campaign on a working group for the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force. Dennis also serves as the Director of the Not For Sale Campaign’s Justice League, a program designed to give law enforcement a networking program to share ideas for training and techniques for investigating and prosecuting cases of human trafficking. Dennis was requested to represent Not For Sale Campaign on the California Peace Officers Standards and Training Human Trafficking Tele-course Committee to develop new materials for training patrol level officers on all the aspects of human trafficking from a patrol perspective.
Robert W. Peters, President, Morality in Media, Inc., New York City, NY
Robert W. Peters is president of Morality in Media, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in New York City in 1962 to combat obscenity and uphold standards of decency in the media. Mr. Peters has drafted state and local obscenity and related laws and testified before state and local legislative bodies. He has prepared official Comments to the FCC on the subjects of broadcast indecency and the TV ratings and testified at a public hearing of the FCC on the subject of TV violence. Mr. Peters has also authored amicus curiae briefs for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court in support of federal Laws regulating indecent material on broadcast and cable TV and by means of telephone ("dial-a-porn") and computer.
Mr. Peters has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Pornography Victims Compensation Act, and in 1992 Congress enacted legislation, patterned in part after a proposal submitted by Mr. Peters, to address the problem of indecent programming on cable TV leased access channels. In June 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 1992 law. In 2003, the U.S. Senate enacted Senate Concurrent Resolution 77, which Mr. Peters proposed and drafted. Resolution 77 expresses the will of Congress that the Federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced throughout the United States.
Mr. Peters was born in LaSalle, Illinois in 1949 and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1971. While at Dartmouth, he co-captained Dartmouth's 1970 undefeated football team and also spent a semester teaching at a Catholic elementary and high school that served Clarksdale, Mississippi’s black community. He graduated from New York University School of Law in 1975 and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1976.
Constance Rossiter, Director, YMCA Trafficked Persons Assistance Program, Houston, TX
Constance Rossiter, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Social Worker, is the Program Director for the Trafficked Persons Assistance Program (TPAP) at YMCA International Services where she is responsible for program oversight. Constance has extensive experience working with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other at-risk populations with a special interest in trauma and cultural diversity. She is a member of the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force, the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance, and Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition. As a result of her work with the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA), YMCA International Services received the 2009 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for services to victims of human trafficking. In November 2010, the program also received an award from the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Greater Houston for its work in improving the mental health and wellness of the victims it serves.
Jennifer Solak, Staff Attorney, Children at Risk, Houston, TX
Jennifer Solak received her J.D. from Tulane Law School in 2005 and her B.A. from Louisiana State University in 2000. Since 2008, Jennifer has researched, published, and presented on various issues affecting children. During Texas’ 81st Legislative Session, she advocated at the Texas Capitol to strengthen existing human trafficking and juvenile justice legislation and pass new legislation. Prior to joining CHILDREN AT RISK, she clerked for the Honorable Mary Milloy on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and worked as an associate with the Kullman Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is licensed to practice law in both Texas and Louisiana.
Alfred T. Tribble, Special Agent, FBI, Houston, TX
Special Agent (SA) Alfred T. Tribble, Jr., a 19-year veteran with the FBI, is currently assigned to the Houston Division. SA Tribble’s area of expertise is in white collar crime investigations, specifically civil rights cases. In June 2007, SA Tribble completed an 18-month assignment as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Integrity in Government/Civil Rights Section at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. SA Tribble had administrative oversight for all Color of Law and FACE Act Subprogram Investigations occurring within the central and northeast regions of the US.
SA Tribble has a broad range of investigative experience and has worked Human Trafficking, Hate Crimes, Financial Institution Fraud, Drug Trafficking, Gang, Color of Law and Counterterrorism investigations. SA Tribble is a certified FBI-Instructor and has provided training on leadership and diversity issues to more than 300 FBI-senior managers and supervisors. SA Tribble also provides training and guidance to local law enforcement agencies on use of excessive force and other police misconduct. SA Tribble also served as FBI-Houston’s Special Agent Recruiter, Media Spokesperson and Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator. SA Tribble is a former Hostage Negotiator and FBI-SWAT Team Sniper. SA Tribble has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration from Towson University, Towson, Maryland.
Elizabeth M. Wheaton, Ph.D., Economics Lecturer, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
Elizabeth M. Wheaton is the founder and president of Equip the Saints, a nonprofit consulting organization with the mission to strengthen nonprofit organizations worldwide. She led Equip the Saints’ first international trip to Kenya during June 2010. Elizabeth does research in the areas of child labor and the economics of human rights, including the economics of human trafficking. She is an Economics Lecturer at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA and her M.S. in International Business and Trade from Grambling State University in Grambling, LA.
Chris Crump, Worship Band, Houston, TX
This band hails from Houston, Texas, where everything comes “bigger.” For this band, that means the fans, the contagious rock beat, soul-stirring lyrics, on-stage passion, and their singular heart for worshiping an immeasurable God. They are four regular guys who have come together to create one gigantic noise for the Lord.
The members of the band come from different walks of life, having played in separate secular bands before being drawn together by God to create and play music for Him. In 2006, the band began playing for a nearby college Bible study, perfecting their music and their message before their peers. Over the next several years, they continued to play at more and more college campuses, camps, and clubs. With a growing fan base and a couple of ultra-supportive youth ministers, the band’s popularity grew until eventually they were invited to play at “Youth Explosion” in Deer Park, Texas. With this momentum and a feeling that God had big plans for them, the band entered one of their songs in a GMA songwriting competition and won 2nd place. In 2008, Chris Crump released their first album, “Shades of Blue.” Its tunes resonate with overtones of blues, rock, and funk and emerge as a truly exceptional songwriting achievement.
