Executive Director – Professor Claude d’Estree, M.T.S., J.D., is the Director of both the Human Trafficking Clinic (HTC) and the Center on Rights Development (CORD) at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies as well as the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Denver. He is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School where he studied comparative religion and was appointed as the first Buddhist Chaplain at Harvard University by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law where he focused on critical legal studies and prisoner’s rights. Before coming to the University of Denver he was at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC. In addition to his passion about human trafficking, forced labour and modern slavery, he also teaches on international humanitarian law of armed conflict (IHL/LOAC), and international law and human rights.
Associate Director – Abigail Wolfe, M.A. is a PsyD Candidate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Denver (DU) specializing in trauma therapy. She currently holds an M.A. in International Disaster Psychology from the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) at DU. She completed an international field placement in pursuit of her master’s degree in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, working with the survivors of sex trafficking in the Southeastern European context. She is currently Associate Director of the Human Trafficking Clinic (HTC) researching the psychological and physiological implications of trauma on the treatment of human trafficking survivors. Also an officer in the United States Air Force via the Health Professionals Scholarship Program (HPSP), Abigail will continue her post doctoral training in trauma psychology by working with members of the armed forces and their families in both combat and non-combat environments.
Project Manager & Budgets and Grants Coordinator – 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.
Outreach and Communications Coordinator – 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.
Research Manager – 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.
Journal Manager - 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.