Holly Gibbs is the system director for the Human Trafficking Response Program, CommonSpirit Health. In her role, Ms. Gibbs supports the voiceless and unheard, advocating against all forms of human trafficking and child exploitation. The CommonSpirit Human Trafficking (HT) Response Program ensures that providers and staff are educated to identify patients and families who may be impacted by human trafficking or other types of abuse, neglect, and violence, and equipped to provide trauma-informed care and services to affected patients.

Ms. Gibbs also led the development of the PEARR (Provide privacy, Educate, Ask, Respect and Respond) Tool, and produced a series of education sessions in partnership with the Hospitals Against Violence initiative.

In 2019, she received the Sister Concilia Moran Award at the Catholic Health Assembly for her leadership in innovative health care models for victims of labor and sex trafficking.

A survivor of child sex trafficking and advocate against all forms of human trafficking and exploitation, she has testified before Congress and consulted for numerous organizations. She is asked on a regular basis to provide testimony and input to law enforcement officials, legislators, social service providers, human trafficking task forces and journalists.

Ms. Gibbs serves on the Advisory Board for the McCain Institute for International Leadership, which works to counter human trafficking as part of its Humanitarian Action initiative.

In 2014, Ms. Gibbs authored an academic book, “Walking Prey: How America’s Youth are Vulnerable to Sex Slavery.”

Laura Krausa is the System Director of Advocacy Programs for CommonSpirit Health. In her role, oversees the organization’s Violence and Human Trafficking Prevention and Response Program, specifically guiding prevention efforts that include community-based violence prevention programs, public policy, and broad education and awareness initiatives. She is also responsible for the organization’s shareholder advocacy program, engaging the corporate sector as an institutional investor on issues relating to environmental justice, health justice and social justice.

Ms. Krausa has extensive experience in violence prevention and is a co-author of CommonSpirit Health’s Violence Prevention Resource Guide, a manual for creating and implementing violence prevention initiatives at the community level. She acts as a consulting partner to CommonSpirit communities engaging in violence prevention and has overseen over $25 million in grant-funded programs.

She regularly presents in educational forums on the topics of human trafficking and community-based violence prevention to organizations such as the American Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association and Jones Day International Law Firm. She is a published author on human trafficking for Health Progress, and a co-drafter of a successful proposal to implement an ICD-10 code for human.

Ms. Krausa has served as a forum member for the National Academies of Sciences Forum on Global Violence Prevention and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking. She currently serves as a director on the Board of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and is a member of the Board Nominating Committee.

She received her bachelor’s degree in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado and holds a master’s degree in nonprofit business management from Regis University, Denver.

Sr. Maria Orlandini OSF, is the director of advocacy for the Franciscan Action Network. Born in Italy, Sr. Maria joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity and after formation was sent to the North American Province in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for almost 25 years.

Sr. Maria has served in parish ministry, as Youth and Young Adults director, director of Faith Formation, Pastoral Associate and her community’s director of National/International Volunteer program.

As part of different committees, she has traveled for meetings and experiences in the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico as well as Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and Kenya. In these countries she believes she was privileged to get to know first- hand the poverty and injustices that keep people and countries poor, as well as the warmth of their welcome, the simplicity of their lives and the depth of their trust in God.

Sr. Maria holds a masters degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University, Chicago.

Jennifer Reyes Lay is executive director for the US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (USCSAHT), St. Louis. The USCSAHT is a collaborative, faith-based national network that offers education, supports access to survivor services, and engages in advocacy in an effort to eradicate modern-day slavery.

Ms. Reyes Lay has previously held positions with the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. While employed as the assistant director of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Office of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Ms. Reyes Lay was deeply involved in the congregation’s work against human trafficking. In 2015, she helped create a corporate stance against human trafficking for the congregation and led their engagement of the issue. She also served as the congregation’s liaison to the USCSAHT, and in 2017 was the USCSAHT representative in Bogota, Colombia.

She has also had roles as administrator of the Office of the Presiding Bishop with the Ecumenical Catholic Communion and executive director for the Catholic Action Network.

Ms. Reyes Lay holds a bachelor of arts in Theology and International Studies with honors from St. Louis University, and a master of divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.