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 Story
Lyn Leeburg sent her four daughters, Kirsta Melton, Kylla Lanier, Kendis Paris and Karin Larsen the book “Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade–and How We Can Fight It” by David Batstone and urged them to read it. Horrified by what they learned, they resolved to find an innovative way to disrupt human trafficking networks and support the recovery of victims.
From Lyn’s childhood days at her family motel in El Paso, Texas, she knew truck drivers to be dependable people of good character. Beyond that, she knew the extraordinary reach of the industry, as millions of truck drivers traverse the roadways daily. As traffickers use the same roadways and gas stations as everyone else, truck drivers are uniquely positioned to recognize and report this heinous crime.
In 2009, Lyn, her daughters, and a family friend, Crystal Chandler, founded TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking). While initially started as an initiative of Chapter 61 Ministries, TAT’s founders quickly discerned the impact the trucking industry could have in the fight against human trafficking, as both the industry and the anti-trafficking movement embraced its theory-of-change. Incorporated as its own 501(c)(3) organization in 2011, Kendis became its first full-time employee and executive director. Lyn continued as TAT’s director of communications and Kylla became TAT’s deputy director.
Fifteen years since its founding, TAT has grown from an idea seeded by a small team of volunteers to an organization that has trained over 1.7 million people on human trafficking. As a result, TAT-trained professionals have made thousands of calls to law enforcement and helped in the recovery of hundreds of victims. TAT’s work has expanded beyond the trucking industry to include the bus and energy industries, as well as law enforcement and government agencies. TAT’s impact continues to increase exponentially, as its industry and law enforcement partners carry the TAT message forward and work alongside TAT to raise awareness about human trafficking within their communities and networks.
To learn more about what TAT does, watch this video.
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.