James dold, DIRECTOR

James Dold is the Founder & CEO of Human Rights for Kids (HRFK) a D.C.-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the human rights of children in the U.S. and around the world. Under James’ leadership HRFK has successfully authored or co-authored Amicus Briefs in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, on human rights issues impacting children. HRFK’s advocacy has led to the introduction of more than two dozen child rights bills in Congress and states across the U.S. Read full bio.

gina reiss, Board Chair

Gina Reiss is an entrepreneurial, executive leader who has dedicated her career to an intersectional approach to social justice and human rights: advocating for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in the US, combating sex trafficking in the brothels of Cambodia, keeping girls educated and safe from child marriage in Jijiga refugee camps of Ethiopia, and empowering communities to prevent child labor in the Ghana’s fisheries. Gina has raised over $35 million for nonprofits and has managed diverse teams in the US, Southeast Asia and East Africa. Fast Company selected Ms. Reiss among their 2012 “League of Extraordinary Women.” Read full bio.

Shayna horwitz, secretary

Shayna Horwitz is the former development and communications director for the Human Trafficking Legal Center. Prior to joining the Human Trafficking Legal Center, Horwitz worked as a media relations and marketing specialist for Meridian International Center, a diplomatic and global leadership institution that strengthens U.S. engagement with the world. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Survivor Alliance and Hillel at Virginia Tech.

Horwitz was previously associate director for development at Northwestern Hillel in Chicago. Prior to that role, she lived in Beijing, China, for two years working for Operation Smile and the Institute for the International Education for Students (IES Abroad). She received her bachelor’s degree in nonprofit management with a minor in international studies from Virginia Tech, and a master’s degree in global communication from the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.

monika parikh

Monika Parikh is the Founder of Partnerships for Trauma Recovery, a San Francisco Bay Area-based 501(c)3 dedicated to healing trauma among international survivors of human rights abuses. Her professional career includes on-the-ground human rights program development in South Asia, West Africa and Latin America, and psychosocial programs for refugees and immigrants in the United States. As the Director of Partnerships for Free the Slaves, Ms. Parikh designed and led the development of the organization's global partnerships program. She has conducted policy research and advocacy on issues including U.S. foreign policy, modern slavery and multinational financial institution accountability, for organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the Center for International Policy and Humanity United. She has worked in management consulting and investment banking in New York City. She holds an MA from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, an MA from the Wright Institute, and a BA in finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, her work focuses on supporting human rights and social justice movements that value the lived and direct experience of survivors, advocates and community members, and their individual and collective wellbeing. She also seeks to promote the wellbeing of family, friends and rockstar advocates engaged in the good work, through her unwavering commitment to collective joyful experiences and cathartic laughter.

Anxhela Bruci

Anxhela is a social justice mission-driven advocate, committed to economic empowerment and personal development. She has founded a socio-economic empowerment model named EmpowerFULL, which aims to help survivors of human trafficking navigate labour market challenges through personal development and access to job tools. She holds a Master's degree in Global Crime and Justice from the University of York, United Kingdom, and an MSc in Administration of Social Services.

Anxhela is a former consultant of Survivor Alliance. During her role, she was involved in the leadership academy and supported the drafting process of the first-ever Action Plan for Survivor Leadership. Anxhela was recently awarded the Gender & Human Rights Global Ambassador honour from the Federation of International Gender and Human Rights and was a Fellow at the Vital Voices Visionaries 2023 Programme.

When she is not working, she enjoys long cycling routes exploring nature, writing poetry, and designing colourful graphics.

Kristen Leanderson Abrams

Kristen Leanderson Abrams serves as the McCain Institute’s Chief Program Officer, leading the design and delivery of the McCain Institute's Human Rights & Freedom, Democracy, and Leadership programs. In this role, Abrams drives the execution of the McCain Institute’s strategy to create a world that is free, safe, and just for all people.

Abrams has more than two decades of international human rights program management and policy experience. In previous leadership roles at the McCain Institute, Abrams directed the Combatting Human Trafficking Program, deploying strategic initiatives to secure justice for victims, build the capacity of trafficking response networks, and leverage data and technology to inform trafficking interventions.

Before joining the McCain Institute, she provided guidance to non-profits working to end exploitation and promote human rights through a consultancy she founded and ran. She also served as the acting director of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST).

Earlier in her career, Abrams led international pro bono programs at DLA Piper. In that capacity, she developed and implemented interdisciplinary rule of law, economic development, access to justice, and women’s rights projects in the United States and throughout Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. While at DLA Piper, Abrams also provided counsel on matters of public international law, political law, and corporate social responsibility.

Abrams began her career as a legislative aide in the U.S. House of Representatives. She earned a juris doctor degree cum laude from The George Washington University Law School and a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University.