HTC currently has student Clinic Associates researching a variety of topics, including the demand side of sex-trafficking, the intersection of labor rights and trafficking, country-specific human rights violations, and rescue and restore projects.
Due to safety and effective research concerns some Clinic Associates’ names and bios are not posted on this site.
Schuyler Copple Klock is a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) candidate with a clinical focus on trauma, particularly sexual violence. Born and raised in Southeast Asia, she came to the U.S. to earn a B.A. in International and Multicultural Studies. Schuyler worked for the international relief and development NGO, World Vision, for over three years in Washington, D.C., supporting and managing relief projects in South Sudan and Mauritania. During her graduate studies in Colorado she has interned at a child advocacy center, Ralston House, and rape crisis center, Moving to End Sexual Assault. Schuyler is interested in exploring ways to increase the effectiveness of programs providing aftercare services to survivors of sex trafficking.
Hyshyama Hamin is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights with concentrations in International Law and Gender. She was born in Sri Lanka and raised in Nepal and earned her B.A. in Development Studies from Kathmandu University. While a student, Hyshyama worked at a national Nepalese NGO focused on combating gender-based violence, and completed a research fellowship on gender and transitional justice. After graduation, she then worked as Senior Program Officer at Women Defining Peace, a funding project in Sri Lanka that supported initiatives addressing gender-based violence, women, and peacebuilding. Hyshyama is also a Fulbright Scholar and Sie Fellow at Korbel.
Jen Nace is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Human Trafficking and Security. She graduated from Taylor University with a B.A. in International Studies concentrated in World Politics and Economics and minors in Political Science and Studio Art. Before coming to the Josef Korbel School, she spent a year interning with International Justice Mission in Nairobi, Kenya working with victims of police abuse of power and child sexual assault.
Kenneth Hood is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Human Trafficking and Latin America. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a B.A. in Spanish and a B.A. in Communications. Prior to moving to Denver, Kenneth served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, where he worked in youth education and empowerment. His research focuses on the treatment of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic.
Colin Lawrence is an MA candidate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Human Trafficking and Diplomacy. His undergraduate degree is in International Studies and Japanese, focusing on international relations and human rights in East Asia. After graduating from Hope College, he worked as an assistant language teacher in Kagoshima, Japan with the JET programme for three years, focusing on grassroots internationalization and English education. His current research focuses on criminal syndicates and their human trafficking operations in the Asia-Pacific. He has spent time in the Philippines working directly with anti-trafficking organizations to ratify ILO convention 189 for domestic workers rights. Having interned with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the US Department of State, he intends to join the foreign service in the future.
Alexandra Woods is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights. She earned her B.A. in Policital Science from UC Berkeley and wrote her honors thesis on human rights abuses of women and Bahá’ís in Iran. Following her undergraduate studies, Alex worked as Assistant Director of Development for City of Hope’s San Francisco Development office and then worked as a GIS technical consultant for the California Citizens Redistricting Commission in 2011. Her research focuses on the impact of the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act.
Jessica Kovarik is a MA Candidate in International Human Rights and a Certificate Candidate in Humanitarian Assistance. She has an interest in researching the vulnerabilities of persons being trafficked during crisis and the provision of psychosocial support for children who have been trafficked. Her undergraduate degree is in International Environmental Policy, and her studies and research were focused on the environmental and societal repercussions of the coffee and cacao industry. After graduation she was the Sustainability Coordinator for a Health and Beauty company based in Minneapolis. From 2010-2012, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama, living in an indigenous community, and working as the Coffee Coordinator in addition to the HIV, Gender & Development Coordinator. She is conducting independent research on the impact of human trafficking on the Native American youth population in the United States, and the incidence of child trafficking in Latin America.
Silvia Tamminen is a first-year M.A. Candidate for International Human Rights with a concentration in Migration and Refugee Issues. Originally from Finland, she moved to the U.S. to pursue her university education. She graduated from Georgia Southern University with a B.A. in International Studies. She has worked with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and within Refugee Resettlement. Her interest is how human trafficking affects refugees and migrants and her research has focused on the possibility of human trafficking taking place in refugee camps.
Callum Forster is an M.A. Candidate in International Studies. His undergraduate degree in International Relations is from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. His current research focuses on incidences of human trafficking and forced labor in fragile states.
Heather Randall is an M.A. Candidate in International Development as well as the certificate programs in Humanitarian Assistance and Global Health. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Latin American Studies at the University of Arkansas in 2012. As an undergraduate, she worked with a domestic violence shelter for women and learned more about the problem of human trafficking in her own community. Heather’s Clinic research focuses on child trafficking and health rehabilitation in the Ghana fishing industry.
Ryan Beck Turner is an M.A. Candidate in International Administration. He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from The Ohio State University. After finishing his undergraduate studies, Ryan spent two years in Pune, India coordinating an HIV prevention and awareness campaign called Wake Up Pune. While coordinating the Wake Up Pune campaign, Ryan worked closely with diverse communities including sex workers, injecting drug users, trafficking victims, students, and religious groups. Ryan is particularly interested in the ethics and philosophy of anti-trafficking and sex work.
Michele Soli is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Forced Labor & Human Trafficking and International Law and a regional focus on Latin America. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in International Relations and a B.A. in Spanish. During her undergraduate career she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile and before coming to Denver she spent a year teaching English in Granada, Spain. Her research for the Clinic focuses on the impact of immigration policy on the forced labor of undocumented immigrants in the United States, and particularly in Colorado.
Krasi Shapkarova is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights with a concentration in Human Trafficking. Originally from Bulgaria, Krasi moved to the U.S. to pursue a Psychology degree. While completing an M.A. in Clinical Psychology in Houston, TX, she became aware of the issue of human trafficking and decided to pursue further education, training, and experience in the field. She came to the University of Denver because of the available opportunity to receive relevant skills and knowledge while collaborating with fellow modern-day abolitionists. Her research focuses on female traffickers and recruiters. One predominant area of interest is the impact of gender on sentencing in human trafficking cases. In addition, she is interested in examining two groups of female perpetrators: women who have never been victims of trafficking but have participated as shrewd businesswomen and those who started as exploited victims and transitioned to a “higher position” by becoming recruiters.
Laurel Mazur is an M.A. Candidate pursuing degrees in Economics and Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration. She graduated in 2012 from the University of Denver with a B.A. in International Studies and Economics. Her research focuses on international macroeconomics and human trafficking in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Jessica Furmanski is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights with interests in human trafficking, children’s rights, and international security. Her undergraduate degree in Economics is from The University of the South where her studies included a focus in International Studies and Psychology. Following her work in finance, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica, working in the areas of youth education and empowerment. Jessica is specifically interested in how the rights of boys are overlooked due to the growing awareness and focus on women and girls’ rights. She plans to study the various ways in which boys are exploited and how these practices affect their personal future and positions within society.
Chrissy Hart is an M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso, working in the area of girls’ education and empowerment. Prior to moving to Denver, she lived in Washington, DC and worked as an Advocacy Assistant with the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights. Her research focuses on the work of international organizations, local and international non-governmental organizations, and local government in responding to the needs of youth and young adults formerly affiliated with the Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Uganda. She investigates, specifically, the capacities and coordination of these stakeholders in addressing the psychological and psychosocial needs of conflict-affected youth from the last years of the conflict to the present, post-conflict period.
Jody Haskin is an M.A. candidate in International Human Rights with a concentration in Human Trafficking and Policy. Her research addresses the current policy in Canada regarding human trafficking, including the implications it has on major transit hubs and on the United States/Canadian border. Jody’s interests in human rights policy stems from her social work background, as well as from her previous work as a legal assistant in a Chicago law firm.
Kimberly Hunt is an M.A. Candidate in International Development with concentrations in Human Trafficking, Humanitarian Assistance, and Non-profit Management. She has been actively combating human trafficking for seven years both overseas and in the United States. Cambodia was the location of her first internship with an anti-trafficking organization. While there she worked in the preliminary stages of development of a Child Helpline for all Cambodian children, volunteered in both recovery of trafficking survivors and in a prevention program helping Vietnamese children. Upon returning to the U.S., she was accepted as a fellow with Polaris Project, furthering her understanding of human trafficking in the U.S. For her research she is focusing on the HTC Taxonomy Project. She is working to explain the reasoning for it as well as the process of defining the terms of art within the Taxonomy.
David Shaw is an M.A. candidate in International Human Rights with a concentration in Human Rights and Development. He currently serves as journal manager, helping to coordinate the launch of the upcoming Journal on Human Trafficking, Forced Labor, and Slavery. As a second-year associate of the Human Trafficking Clinic he is researching the use of the term slavery in the anti-human trafficking movement from a historical perspective. He first became interested in the issues of human trafficking and forced labor while participating in humanitarian relief operations in Sumatra following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. David earned his BA in History and Modern Languages at Metropolitan State College of Denver and is a veteran of the US Navy.
Peter Lucas-Roberts is an M.A. candidate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Human Trafficking, and China Studies. He taught English in China for four years, an experience which instilled in him a desire to help alleviate injustice of all kinds. His research focuses on current efforts to rehabilitate victims of human trafficking in the United States and abroad. For his Clinic project, he is studying the national legislation and corresponding action of states that have ratified the U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially in Women and Children as they relate to the provision of victim services. In addition, he is fascinated by the tier ranking system of the annual U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Reports and is currently dabbling in the creation of a human trafficking index that can be used to critique the tier placements of particular states.
Fiona Shepherd will receive her M.A. Candidate in International Human Rights in June 2012, with concentrations in Human Trafficking and Project Management. Originally from Chicago where she worked in a residential detention center for undocumented immigrant and refugee youth, and having lived in both Spain and Brazil, she is relatively new to Denver, CO. She currently serves as Lead Coordinator of the University of Denver’s Americorps program and as Program Director for the US:Brazil Connect’s fellowship program. Her work with the Human Trafficking Clinic is in conjunction with members of the Adult Entertainment Industry and local anti-trafficking organizations to identify potential risk factors and vulnerabilities to human trafficking in the Adult Night Club Industry. Upon graduation she will continue this research before leaving for Eastern Europe with Peace Corps.
Erin Kesler is an M.A. Candidate in International Development with concentrations in Human Rights and Humanitarian Assistance. Her regional emphasis is Southeast Asia, although most of her previous experience lies within the realm of human rights in Africa. She has participated in humanitarian outreach and development trips throughout Africa, Central America and South America working primarily with education and sustainable development. Her research focuses on the HTC’s Taxonomy Project and will consist of creating a lexicon of key terms the HTC has already defined. In August 2012, Erin and her husband will leave to serve in the Dominican Republic with the Peace Corps.
Emily Braucher is a dual M.A. graduate in International & Intercultural Communication and Cultural Anthropology with concentrations in International Development, Intercultural Conflict Management, Participatory Action Research and Vulnerable Populations. Driven by possibilities of innovative approaches to the prevention of human trafficking, Emily’s thesis offered an analysis of vulnerability reduction techniques to human trafficking used by women who were displaced by armed conflict in Colombia. She currently resides in Boulder, CO.
Anya Cherneff is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights, with concentrations in International Development and Gender. Anya’s research examined the complexities of domestic demand for prostitution and how it relates the practice of sex trafficking. Survey data waas used to counter several popular myths about what drives male demand for commercial sex and recommendations for curbing demand were proposed. Anya is a founding member of HTC.
Amanda Gould is a dual degree M.A. graduate in International Development and Economics with concentrations in Statistics and Human Trafficking. Due to the incongruities in the statistics of human trafficking victims throughout the world used by international organizations, Amanda’s thesis explained the methodologies used to produce these numbers. The study also explained the short comings of such methodologies and potential solutions in the hope of fostering continued progression in the methods used. Though ultimately only estimates, these numbers greatly affect policy and research in this field creating a need for further examination and development of methodology for the progression of research in the human trafficking field. She currently works for Free the Slaves.
Sarabeth Harrelson is an M.A. graduate in International Development with concentrations in Humanitarian Assistance and Human Trafficking. She has participated in humanitarian outreach missions throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America working with medical, educational, and construction teams. A Colorado native, she decided to return to her home state to pursue a graduate degree after living in Nepal for a year teaching English and working in a rehabilitation center for trafficking victims. Interested in the intersection of faith and response to human-trafficking her research project examines Christian response and attitude in the Rocky Mountain Region. The project is based on an Awareness, Action, and Advocacy paradigm and hopes to provide a foundation for further collaboration between those who are active in the anti-trafficking movement.
Eric Helms is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Human Trafficking and Roma Rights. As a Community Development Volunteer with the Peace Corps in Bulgaria, he was exposed to the growing problem of human trafficking within eastern Europe’s Roma population. Upon spending three months partnering with the European Roma Rights Centre in Budapest, Hungary on a project examining human trafficking in Roma populations in five eastern and central European countries, Eric spent three months in south central Bulgaria doing field research in Roma communities. His research examines the efficacy of preventive measures by the government, international organizations and anti-trafficking non-governmental organizations in reaching at-risk Romani individuals.
Christopher Huey is an M.A. graduate in International Development with a concentration in International Human Rights. Chris was first introduced to the realities of trafficking issues while volunteering with United Students Against Sweatshops, where he worked with exploited workers in Mexico. Chris’ project was a needs assessment and evaluation of services for survivors of human trafficking within the United States. Legislation, such as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and various international treaties, has required that certain services be provided to survivors of trafficking. Chris’s paper compared what is required to what is actually being provided in the field and offered a path for improvement that considers best practices and needed changes. He is currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer to Peru.
Ellen Jorgenson is an M.A. graduate and Peace Corps Masters International student in International Development, with an emphasis in Educational Development and a certificate in Humanitarian Assistance. She has interests in how education can be used as a tool in better understanding contemporary slavery and human trafficking domestically and internationally. After learning more about the topic, she realized how little awareness existed amongst schools and teachers, particularly in its historical context and working with children in at-risk populations. She hopes her research serves as fresh look at education, implementing a well-rounded history curriculum and literature for students age K-12, and empowering educators to better understand how human trafficking and modern day slavery affects schools and the children they serve.
Mindy Mann is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with a concentration in International Law. Mindy first became aware of the pervasive danger of human trafficking as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bulgaria while working with at-risk, orphaned girls. She focused her research project on current cooperation processes between law enforcement and NGOs in CO around the issue of human trafficking. The study compiled the knowledge, expertise and experiences of law enforcement and NGOs in an attempt to recommend practices that may better address the issue of human trafficking in Colorado. Essentially, Mindy sought to learn from both groups about what they are doing to address human trafficking, what is working in regards to cooperation and what (if anything) needs to be improved.
Alex Monroe is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Program Management, Education, and Human Trafficking. As a Peace Corps Volunteer to the Philippines, Alex gained hands-on experience working in anti-trafficking advocacy and learned that education and awareness about human trafficking were urgent needs among Filipino youth. Taking from his experience in the Philippines, Alex’s research aimed to reveal the lack of proper knowledge of human trafficking among American students and sought to mend this shortcoming through the creation and implementation of a holistic anti-trafficking advocacy curriculum, AWARE: A Curriculum for Understanding Human Trafficking and Promoting Awareness, that not only informs and motivates students and teachers towards advocacy, but also meets Colorado state academic standards. Alex analyzed the impact of the Aware Curriculum through case studies of sixth grade classrooms in Denver using diagnostic/formative and summative assessments, classroom observation, and written assessments to gauge comprehension of key concepts and student thought processes surrounding anti-trafficking advocacy.
Jake Orr is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with a concentration in Human Rights and Security and received a B.A. in International Politics from San Diego State University. His research explored human trafficking trends in the People’s Republic of China; specifically how the government’s ‘one-child policy’ affects the trafficking and smuggling of infants and young children both within China and abroad. Jake currently resides in Washington, D.C.
Jonathan Page is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with concentrations in Latin American Economics and Human Trafficking. He is working to design and develop the first Ibero-American Conference to Address Human Trafficking, to convene in Barcelona, Spain. Prior to beginning graduate studies at the University of Denver, Jonathan worked as an intern at the International Rescue Committee assisting refugees in search of full time employment. Jonathan plans to take these experiences and continue his career in the field of human rights. Jonathan graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas State University with a B.A. in Spanish. He grew up in Dallas, Texas.
Tessa Powell is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights. She has her M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas and her B.A. in English from the University of Kentucky. Before coming to the University of Denver, Tessa worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. She has also served as a college library director. During her time as an associate, Tessa oversaw the Human Trafficking Practicum, the building of a human trafficking research database, the taxonomy project, and the development and launch of a new journal to address forced labour, human trafficking, and modern slavery. In addition to working for the Clinic, Tessa serves as the Legislative Coordinator for Amnesty International in Colorado. Her research focuses on Christian response to human trafficking and her goal is to engage more faith communities in anti-trafficking efforts.
Pema Richeson is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with a concentration in International Development and Human Trafficking. Pema was born in Darjeeling, India, grew up in Singapore and now calls Denver home. Her research examined various programs and organizations in place, which address the rehabilitation, restoration, return and empowerment of female survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery in India. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, Pema incorporated the fields of human rights, gender rights, public health and political economy, as they influence the study of and perpetuation of human trafficking and modern slavery on the Indian subcontinent. Pema conducted fieldwork in Kolkata and New Delhi, collecting data, and surveying various organizations and programs in place which serve the targeted female populations. Pema’s research culminated in a two-part Substantial Research Paper covering the Indian subcontinent. The first section emphasized the way in which psychosocial interventions are implemented for female survivors in West Bengal while the second part looked directly at policy including state and Government of India response to human trafficking and modern slavery. She currently resides in Denver.
Heather Simmons is an M.A. graduate in International Human Rights with a Certificate in Humanitarian Assistance. She received a B.A. in English and an M.Ed. in Community Counseling from the University of Oklahoma and practiced in the mental health field for several years. She has experience in fund raising and economic development, counseling with trauma survivors, participating in humanitarian assistance projects following Hurricane Katrina, and other organizational and development activities both in the United States and abroad. She is currently involved in research regarding international economic migration and its nexus with human trafficking.
Courtney Tudi is a dual degree graduate with a J.D. at Sturm College of Law and an M.A. in International Human Rights with Concentrations in International Development and Human Trafficking at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. She was raised in Arizona and spent time living in California and Japan. Her research focuses on the use of child labor in the soccer ball manufacturing industry in both Pakistan and India. Her writing has expanded to include not only an examination of the labor situation, but also how humanitarian aid is often offered to the detriment opposed to benefit of those being “helped.”