Who We Are
Established in 2009, TAT started with a simple yet powerful belief: that every truck driver can be a crucial ally in the fight against human trafficking.
Since then, TAT has grown to encompass a greater portion of the transportation industry, forming deep alliances to maximize collective effort through programs that include innovative training, partnerships with law enforcement and advocacy efforts. Using targeted systems change as our model, we’ve raised awareness about trafficking, who it targets and its signs, and equipped individuals to take action whenever their lives intersect with it and its victims.
At TAT, we’re driven by the belief that together, we can make a difference. Our focus on collaboration, education and action fuels our mission to end human trafficking and restore dignity to survivors. Join us as we work to dismantle trafficking networks and bring perpetrators to justice.
Our Mission
TAT stands committed to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of key industries and agencies to combat human trafficking.
Our Team
Our team members are the heart and soul of our organization, tirelessly working to achieve our mission in ways that affect lasting and impactful change in the fight against human trafficking. Each individual brings a unique set of skills, experiences and unwavering commitment to our cause. Get to know the passionate individuals who drive our efforts forward and join us in making a difference in the fight against modern-day slavery.
Executive Director
Public Sector Engagement
Kylla Lanier
Deputy Director,
Senior Director of Public Sector Engagement
Maggie Dawson
Public Sector Engagement Specialist
Dylan Wecht
Public Sector Engagement Specialist
Liz Williamson
Training Specialist/Survivor Leader
Hilary Benanzer
Data Analyst
Programs & Strategic Initiatives
Annie Sovcik
Senior Director of Programs & Strategic Initiatives
Sara Sefried
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Lexi Higgins
Director of Industry Engagement
(Transit, Motorcoach, School Transportation)
Kelley Alsobrook
Training Specialist/Survivor Leader
Louis Greek
Training Specialist
Industry Training & Outreach
Senior Director of Industry Training & Outreach
Heather Fry
Director of Industry Training
Molly Griffiths
Corporate Engagement Manager
Chris Moreno
Industry Training Program Specialist
Brandy Belton
Freedom Drivers Project Director
Micah Larsen
Freedom Drivers Project Specialist
Amanda Haggerty
Data Administration Specialist
Operations
Lyn Leeburg
Communications Director
Darrah Thomas
Communications Manager
Susan Dold
Director of Finance and HR
Arianne Singleton
Administrative Specialist
TAT’s Board of Directors is a source of encouragement, strength, wisdom, experience, business acumen and a gateway to the industries and organizations they represent. The Board of Directors serves to promote the mission of TAT and is the policy-making body for the organization.
Scott Perry
Chair
Suddath Global Logistics
Gareth Aiken
Director
FedEx Ground
Don Blake
Director
Inland Kenworth US, Inc.
Debi Boffa
Director
TravelCenters of America
Joe Boyle
Director
UPS Corporate Transportation
Linda Burtwistle
Director
Executive Chair of Coach USA
Josh Holland
Director
Bridgestone
Sara Rajtik
Director
American Trucking Associations
Chief Tommie J. Reese, Sr.
Director
Alabama Attorney General’s Office
Antoine Sadler
Director
Walmart Transportation
Stephanie Wicky
Director
Ryder
Esther Goetsch
Executive Director
TAT
Gary Clark
Board Member Emeritus
Bridgestone
Bruce DD MacRae
Board Member Emeritus
UPS
The TAT Advisory Committee is comprised of members who come from diverse backgrounds, professional spheres, and experiences in fighting human trafficking. They provide thought leadership, lived experience expertise, business leadership, resource activation and consultation to TAT’s leadership and team.
Doug Estrada
Chair
Walmart
Elisabeth Barna
EAB Strategies
Kristin M. Beck
Holcim U.S.
Joy Friedman
The Missing Peace
Kellylynn McLaughlin
Professional Driver
FMCSA Women of Trucking Advisory Board Member
Candice Shaw
Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre
Harneet Sihota
Kam-Way Transportation, Inc.
Whilna Stewart Franklin
UPS Canada
Arian Taylor
Ballard Inc.
Our Journey
2009
The Beginning
TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking) is founded as an initiative of Chapter 61 Ministries by Lyn Leeburg, her four daughters, Kirsta, Kylla, Kendis and Karin, and a family friend, Crystal Chandler.
2009
First Truck Show
TAT attends the Big Rig Truck Show to reach the trucking industry where they gather, helping them realize the important role they could play in fighting human trafficking.
2010
Early Champions
Ryder becomes TAT’s first major trucking partner and facilitates an introduction to Bridgestone. These two industry leaders open doors for TAT to state trucking associations throughout the U.S.
2011
It’s Official!
TAT is incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Kendis Paris becomes TAT’s first executive director and establishes a board of directors with representatives from the trucking industry.
2012
Building Public-Private Partnerships
TAT hosts its first Coalition Build in Orange County, CA in partnership with the FBI and the California Trucking Association.
2012
Recognized for Innovation
TAT wins the Global Centurion Norma Hotaling Award for Innovative Demand Reduction.
2013
Saving Lives
TAT names its first annual Harriet Tubman Award winner: Tracy Mullins, a general manager of the Petro Stopping Center in Spokane, WA, for her actions which helped prevent human trafficking from taking place.
2013
Training Video
TAT produces its first industry-specific human trafficking training video, which it distributes to the trucking industry free of charge, becoming the basis of its industry training model.
2013
Model Creation
TAT works with the Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division to create the Iowa MVE model.
2013
Recognized for Impact
The United Nations lists TAT as one of the 100 best anti-human trafficking practices in the world.
2014
On the Move
TAT debuts its mobile exhibit, the Freedom Drivers Project, at the Great American Trucking Show (GATS) in Dallas, TX.
2016
Training Law Enforcement
TAT facilitates its first law enforcement training with Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.
2016
Reaching the Next Generation
Ohio becomes the first state in the nation to include TAT training as part of the entry-level CDL curriculum.
2017
Creative Approaches
Kenworth Truck builds and auctions off the first Everyday Heroes Truck to raise funds to support TAT’s work.
2018
Force Multipliers
TAT begins partnering with manufacturers and shipping companies to reach their carriers.
2019
New Frontiers
TAT expands to Canada as the country establishes its own national human trafficking hotline.
2019
TAT Champion Awards
TAT creates three annual awards to honor the outstanding efforts of its partners who have significantly furthered our mission.
2020
Training Milestone
TAT registers over 1,000,000 people as trained.
2022
New Leadership
TAT’s Founding Executive Director, Kendis Paris, steps down and the board of directors appoints long-time TAT employee, Esther Goetsch, as TAT’s new executive director.
2024
Fifteen Years
TAT updates its logo and mission statement to more accurately communicate its current scope, goals and impact.
