ASIS SFBA Chapter Meeting: A conversation around Labor Trafficking

Speakers: Vanessa Russell & Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat

Click here for the event recording

The San Francisco ASIS Chapter brings up important conversations around Trafficking.  This month, we will be focusing on Labor Trafficking.  Join us on February 17 from 10-11 am, as we partner with Love Never Fails, where their CEO Vanessa Russell will deliver an impactful and informative webinar with co-presenter Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat, Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San Jose State University and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute.

You will learn what Labor Trafficking is, how to identify it, and how to report it.  As security professionals, it is important for us to know how to identify Labor Trafficking and how to be an advocate for those who are affected.  

ABOUT Vanessa Russell

CEO, Love Never Fails

Vanessa Russell has developed children in the area of dance, teaching hundreds, ages 3-25, lyrical, flags, hip hop, mime, since 2000. In 2010 one of her 15 year old dance students was sold into human trafficking. Although she was eventually located and is now being restored, Vanessa encountered many others who, like her student, were US-born women, men, and children trapped in modern-day slavery.

Her response was to launch Love Never Fails, a non-profit dedicated to the restoration, education, and protection of those involved or at risk of becoming involved in domestic human trafficking. Love Never Fails has educated thousands of children and community members on the issue of human trafficking opened four homes that provide long-term safe housing and restorative services for over 176+ women, men, youth, and children impacted by human trafficking, and launched an IT Academy connecting under-served community members with financially sustainable careers. Vanessa believes that the issue of human trafficking can be solved through love expressed in prayer, safe housing, mentoring, job training, outreach, and education.

Vanessa also worked 23 years in the IT industry leading technology and sales organizations. She retired from Cisco Systems in January 2019 to lead Love Never Fails full-time. Her professional hope is to inspire and motivate people to develop business and themselves.  She and her husband, Pastor Timothy Russell, are blessed to have seven children and four grandchildren.

Vanessa graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.S. in Information Systems Management. She is a sought-out keynote speaker, a Professor of Computer Science and Information Systems for Peralta Colleges, a Vistage Worldwide Professional Speaker, and published author of the Fight For Love workbook. Vanessa sits on the Contra Costa County Family Justice Center Board ( Board of Directors – Family Justice Center (cocofamilyjustice.org) )  Thrivent Financial Pacific Sierra Board ( About Thrivent Financial | Thrivent Member Network). She co-leads Oakland's Violence Prevention Coalition Gender-Based Violence Committee (Our Work (oaklandvpc.org). 

ABOUT Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat

Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San Jose State University and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute

Dr. Kezban Yagci Sokat is an Assistant Professor of Business Analytics at San Jose State University and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute. Her research focuses on using decision analytics and management science to alleviate human suffering in the areas of human trafficking, humanitarian/non-profit logistics, and public health.

In collaboration with local, national, and international efforts, Dr. Yagci Sokat leads various multi-disciplinary projects to combat human trafficking. Her efforts to combat human trafficking have been supported and recognized by government and organizations such as the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and San Jose State University. She received the IBM Public Impact Award for her work on human trafficking in global supply chains.

Dr. Yagci Sokat has served on various multi-disciplinary committees to aid local and national collaborative efforts as a recognized researcher. She is the chair of the Forced Labor Working Group and a member of the Analytics Working Group for the National Outreach Survey for Transportation under the USDOT Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award. She has served on the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force Labor Trafficking Subcommittee, Los Angeles Labor Trafficking Subcommittee, and South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking.

Dr. Yagci Sokat received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University. She completed master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) and Health Systems Engineering (MSHS) from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Fulbright scholarship.