SURVIVOR CONSULTANTS
Survivor Consultants
(2023 to Present)
Aja Houle
Aja Houle is a human trafficking survivor, mother of four, and advocate. She graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College and is currently a Public Affairs candidate at the Goldman School of Public Policy at University of California, Berkeley. On her journey, she came to realize the importance of spreading awareness about combating trafficking. She also came to acknowledge how valuable survivor empowerment is. Because trafficking policies do not currently reflect fair & just policy that survivors deserve, Aja has made Public Affairs an area of focus in her life. She is dedicating her life to preventative & reparative efforts for all forms of trafficking.
Mercy Gray
Ms. Mercy Gray of the Bulaceño and Kapampangan peoples from the Philippine Islands is a second generation sex worker. Groomed with narcotic restraints and trafficked for sex at the age of 14, she survived in the commercial sex trade for ten years. She is a survivor of much violence: Colonization, Domestic Violence, Assault, Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Gang Based Violence, Human Trafficking, and as an indigenous transgender woman living in America.
Currently she serves as Chief Matriarch and founder of 501(c)3 SWATCH - Trans Palace. Diligently working to build representation and healing for transgender survivors and sex workers. Proud Bachelors of Arts in Indigenous Studies graduate from the Native Pathways Program of the Evergreen State College. Consultant with the Department of Homeland Security, National Human Trafficking Technical Assistance Center, and on the Shared Hope International JuST Council. Previously, with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as an Advocate for Vulnerable Populations (Human Trafficking, Elder Abuse, and Hate Crimes), Programs Manager for New Avenues for Youth Q Center, Programs Director of Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative. She has built & led direct services from the ground up, fundraising 550K in one year, responding to MMIP at the intersections of trafficking, and built identification and response protocols for tribal nations across Turtle Island. She has also served on the City of Seattle Human Rights Commission and in an advisory role to the Washington Supreme Courts Gender and Justice Commission. Her commitment to public service is only surpassed by the arches of her smile.
Rebekah Layton
Rebekah holds a Master of Art in Restorative Justice from Vermont Law and Graduate School where she focused on alternative forms of healing and justice for survivors of violence and decriminalizing trauma. Rebekah is a subject matter expert with lived experience in human trafficking, interpersonal, domestic and gender-based violence with over a decade of experience in the field. Rebekah has worked in direct services, victim advocacy, areas of research in the field, training and technical assistance and public policy. She holds a governor appointed seat on a statewide human trafficking council where she has advised on criminal justice reform, record relief, legislation, and public policy, as well as survivor engagement policies and best practices. She is an adjunct faculty in the field of social justice and a longtime consultant, advocate, educator, and activist in anti-violence movements.