Prior Keynote Speakers:

Courtney Litvak - Survivor Leader

Being a survivor herself as she was exploited and trafficked at her own high school, Ms. Litvak and the NTZ team and wonderful allies help to develop and pass legislation to protect youth and students in every school district in Texas and across the country. Ms. Litvak has testified at the Texas Capitol, and No Trafficking Zone with the grace of God, and other leaders passed SB-1831 in 2021 and HB-3553 and HB-3554 in 2023.

Denise Mears - Project Protect Our Children

The nation’s first nonprofit to organize middle and high school student clubs that Engage, Educate, and Empower the very youth traffickers target. Our free training and education materials provide students, educators, parents, and employers what they need to prevent child trafficking before it happens.

Rhonda Kuykendall - Survivor Leader, Texas Human Trafficking Survivor Leader Council

Rhonda is a survivor leader with a bachelor’s in social work and a member of the Texas Human Trafficking Survivor Leader Council. She is the Anti-Child Trafficking Consultant for Texas CASA, implementing protocols statewide, and chairs the Fort Bend County DA’s Human Trafficking Community Awareness Team. Rhonda serves on the boards of Child Advocates of Fort Bend and RedM the Movement. She received the 2023 Paul H. Chapman National Award from the Foundation for the Improvement of Justice, the 2015 U.S. Congressional Medal for legislative work protecting children from sexual assault, and the Social Work Student of the Year award at the University of Houston–Downtown. She is currently pursuing her master’s in social work at the University of Houston with an emphasis in Political Social Work.

Sophie Jones - Human Trafficking Survivor

Raised in Utah, Sophie is a survivor of human trafficking whose life took a devastating turn after moving to Portland, Oregon. Groomed and trafficked across the United States, she endured years of abuse before divine intervention allowed her to break free and return home. With the support of her family and anti-trafficking organizations, she began the journey of healing. Today, she is dedicated to raising awareness, spreading hope, and proving there is life beyond the label of “trafficked.”

Sydney Zuiker - Director, Safe Community Institute at Crime Stoppers of Houston

Sydney is the Director of the Safe Community Institute at Crime Stoppers of Houston and Executive Producer of The Balanced Voice podcast. Appointed in 2023 by the Texas Governor to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, she holds a BSW from The University of Texas at Austin and an MS in Legal and Forensic Psychology from UC Irvine.

Dr. Nissi Hamilton - CEO Nissi's Network Inc., Anti-Human Trafficking Activist, Community Leader

Dr. Nissi Hamilton is a mother of 8, global humanitarian, survivor of human trafficking, and the CEO and Executive Director of Nissi’s Network Inc., where she has provided over $1 million in resources to support victims. Trafficked at 15 from foster care, she later championed Senate Bill 315, raising the minimum age for employment in sexually oriented businesses from 18 to 21. Her advocacy has earned her national recognition, including the Paul H. Chapman Award, the Protect Her Award, and three Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Taylor Woodruff - Street Grace

Street Grace is a faith-based nonprofit organization that is eradicating the sexual exploitation of children through prevention, protection, policy, and pursuit.

Joe Madison - Executive Director of Demand Disruption

Demand Disruption fights the demand for sex trafficking by eliminating buyer motivation and reducing access to the exploited.