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Marlene serves as Special Operations’ Marin County Champion, and Special Projects Program Manager.
Marlene also serves on the Board of the Marin County Coalition to End Human Trafficking and is a member of their Law Enforcement Committee. She has served on the Education and Public Awareness Committee, presenting educational programs to local colleges, local transit personnel, hotels and community groups, churches, and other groups on the signs of trafficking.
Marlene is also the Founder and Executive Director of SpeakSAFE: Save Adolescents from Exploitation that aims to fund and implement a collaborative approach to provide preventative education on human trafficking and exploitation of youth in the Bay Area.
As the Marin County PROTECT Liaison and Trained Licensee, Marlene, in partnership with the Marin County Office of Education, trains teachers and all school staff on Human Trafficking and Exploitation prevention education so that they may educate their students on this vital topic.
Marlene’s background as a Court Reporter in San Francisco Superior Court, Criminal Division, working in extremely high-profile cases, is a foundational component of her focus on the rights of victims as well as the prevention of victimization.
Sheryn has served as the Executive Director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Mendocino and Lake Counties for 22 years. Sheryn also serves as a Regional Coordinator for the North Coast Child Abuse Prevention Coalition working with Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties and the State Office of Child Abuse Prevention. She also sits on the Critical Incident Citizen review panel with the State of California focusing on reducing child abuse deaths in the State of California. Sheryn is a member of both the Mendocino County Policy Council for Children and Youth as well as Lake County’s Children’s Council.
A Santa Clara County resident of over 55 years, Katie is a mother of three, a licensed attorney in the State of California, and a passionate advocate of marginalized children and the victims/survivors of human trafficking. As a Special Operations County Champion, Katie works to build an efficient, sustainable and scalable organization by raising local awareness of trafficking and forming strategic collaborations with local leaders, law enforcement, social services and local NGO’s with similar missions. Katie received her BA from Villanova University and her JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
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Liz brings nearly 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, having co-founded and operated a successful skateboarding business with her brother, a professional skateboarder, certified Olympic trainer, and coach. Together, they have secured major sponsorships, including partnerships with brands like Vans, and have expanded their business across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Mexico. This entrepreneurial spirit complements Liz’s more than 20 years of expertise in executive management, nonprofit development, fundraising, budget forecasting, and board engagement.
Liz is deeply involved with St. Columba Parish in Oakland. She serves as a Eucharistic minister and a member of the health cabinet, contributes to spiritual and wellness initiatives, and founded the parish’s fundraising committee. Her dedication to both her career and her parish underscores her passion for fostering meaningful, lasting change in the lives of those she serves.
Cari Guittard has served in global cyber security, counterterrorism, and political military roles for the US Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Post 9/11, Guittard worked for advertising legend and Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Charlotte Beers, and then Secretary of State Colin Powell.
After leaving the Department of State, Guittard served as Executive Director of Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA), where Guittard built and directed a global initiative to help businesses drive their social impact. Ms Guittard currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for purposewerx, a management consultancy focused on scaling social impact, where she leads Corporate Diplomacy, Crisis Management and Tri-Sector Engagement for one of their consultancies, ChangeX.
Guittard currently also serves as a Professor of Practice with Hult International Business School teaching graduate courses in Leadership, Corporate Diplomacy, Crisis Management, and Gender Intelligence. Ms Guittard has appeared in numerous media outlets including the BBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and Fox News. She has a degree in Government & Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Scott Vermeer is an experienced law enforcement officer and public safety executive. His investigative expertise includes crimes against children including recognition for cases including juvenile victims of homicides, kidnapping for ransom and sexual assault and exploitation.
He served as the Police Chief in Menlo Park, CA and later as the Police Chief and Assistant City Manager for Public Safety for the City of Mountain View, CA. The Director of the FBI has recognized him for his work in combatting international terrorism and Scott is also the recipient of the United States Secret Service Director’s Honor Award. He has been deeply committed to issues related to children at risk for many years.
He was the President of the Mountain View Police Activities League. He was awarded the John W. Gardner Building Community award by the Los Altos Community Foundation and the Champion for Youth award by the Mountain View/Los Altos Challenge Team. He and his wife served as an emergency foster care family for the County of Santa Clara. He holds both a bachelors and masters degree from Saint Mary’s College of California and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Victoire is a passionate advocate for children and education, dedicating her time and resources to projects, schools and initiatives that support young people’s safety, learning and flourishing. She was born in Argentina, had a long career in fashion industry and settled in San Francisco 30 years ago to start a family and raise her three children. As a devoted mother, she brings the same care and dedication that she gives to her home life into communities far and wide, striving to create opportunities for children to thrive. Victoire is dedicated to making a meaningful impact blending her role as a parent with her commitment to building a brighter future for the next generation.
Sharmin Bock is a 30 year veteran prosecutor, and a nationally recognized expert in human trafficking, with a long and successful track record for rescuing commercially sexually exploited children and holding traffickers accountable.
In 2005, Bock helped create the first of its kind in the country Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, dedicated to prosecuting traffickers and rescuing victims.
Bock currently serves as HEAT Unit Team Leader, and oversees the HEAT Response for the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Bock was recognized for her achievement as the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Fay Stender Award, given by the California Women Lawyers, to the woman attorney in the State of California “who has demonstrated her commitment to under-represented or disadvantaged people…serves as a role model for women attorneys and has demonstrated the ability to affect change, using her zest, humanity, personal courage, and forceful presence to serve others.” In March 2010, the California State Legislature honored Bock as Woman of the Year.
Bock has educated and influenced state and federal law enforcement, advocates, policy makers, and funders, across the country, about the crime and impact of child sex trafficking. Legislators in Georgia and Hawaii, as well as in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, have invited Bock to testify to help improve laws nationwide. Most recently, and with far reaching consequence, Bock co-authored Proposition 35, an initiative on California’s November 2012 Ballot, which passed by a landslide margin and gave California the toughest anti-human trafficking law in the country.
Steve Wagstaffe has served as San Mateo County’s District Attorney since 2011. Steve was hired as a Deputy District Attorney in 1977 and has been with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for over 40 years. Steve is the immediate past president of the California District Attorneys Association and continues to serve on its Board of Directors.
Steve grew up in Menlo Park and has been a lifelong resident of San Mateo County. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana in 1974 and his Law Degree at the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1977.
Silvia volunteers as the Events Manager for the Special Operations | Finding Kids team, assisting with organizing high-impact events. She has over a decade of experience in the Events & Hospitality industry. Silvia graduated from Menlo College with a BA in Communications and Media Studies in 2007 and has since honed her skills in event planning and coordination.
Silvia’s journey in advocacy began when she served on the volunteer host committee for the Super Bowl in San Francisco where she first encountered the issue of sex trafficking in the U.S. During this experience, she received training on identifying trafficking victims and distributed toiletry kits containing hidden emergency contact information for victims. This pivotal experience fueled her passion for making a difference in combating human trafficking and exploitation. Since then, Silvia has collaborated with leaders in the hospitality industry and local law enforcement to improve standard operating procedures (SOPs) for staff encountering trafficked individuals within hotels and event venues. She remains committed to raising awareness about sex trafficking and is proud to be part of a team striving to create positive change.
linkedin.com/in/silviawagnereventsmanager/
Elizabeth Briese-Ludwig volunteers as Finding Kids’ Internal Auditor to independently review financial activity and processes. She works alongside staff to ensure financial reporting accuracy and assist with process improvements. Ms. Briese-Ludwig’s experience spans more than 30 years, beginning as an accountant at a public accounting firm, auditor at two federal agencies, and internal auditor at a local government and nonprofit organizations. Her background includes accounting and business administration degrees and a Certified Internal Auditor designation. She is passionate about financial integrity and transparency. Ms. Briese-Ludwig also volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) appointed by a judge to represent a child’s best interests in court to secure a safe and permanent home.
Her internal auditing role allows Ms. Briese-Ludwig to support Finding Kids’ vision of safety for children.
Anita Chen is Finding Kids’ Strategic Impact Officer, leading fundraising efforts among faith-based communities and family foundations in the Bay Area.
Anita brings over a decade of experience from educational technology and business, having received her MBA from San Jose State University and her Ph.D. in Instructional Design and Technology from Liberty University.
Anita is passionate about creating innovative and transformative solutions to safeguard children online. Her role at Finding Kids blends her passion for advocacy, education, and dignity restoration for survivors.
Before Finding Kids, Anita began an education consulting business from her home garage. Her teaching has impacted students around the world with a focus on confident and clear communication. In 2023, Anita was gripped by the issue of child sex trafficking. She subsequently shifted her life’s work from educating children to protecting them. She sees her education of donors as an extension of her work, blending her academic knowledge, teaching background, and penchant for communication. Outside of work, Anita enjoys hiking, investing, and philanthropy.
Isabelle leads the team behind Finding Kids. In 2011, she left her corporate career to work full-time for organizations focused on child protection, namely International Justice Mission, Geneva Global and Opportunity International. Isabelle has been on the Board of a local pregnancy resource center and has volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate).
Isabelle’s twenty-year corporate career began in Africa in 1992 and spanned three continents and multiple industries including Unilever, Credit Suisse and DHL Worldwide Express where she was named in the “Top 10 most High Potential in Management”. Isabelle is a former Chartered Management Accountant with degrees in accounting and finance from the University of Natal, Durban. She has earned certificates in Executive Leadership from INSEAD in Singapore, and in Philanthropy from the Harvard Business School Executive Education program.
