Jess Torres 

Director of Programs / Lived Experience & Subject Matter Expert 

Jess Torres (they/them) is a Trans Indigenous writer, educator and organizer dedicated to community building, direct action and policy work for the marginalized and criminalized. Jess has fifteen years of advocacy experience in the anti-trafficking movement, serving in the following leadership roles: Rising Worldwide Director of Programs, Artisan Relations and In-House Production Team Manager at The Little Market, the Survivor Leadership Program Coordinator at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), PACT Regional Coordinator a program of the Children & Family Policy Institute of CA, and a former Community Liaison for the NYC Mayor’s Office to End Gender-Based Violence.

Using an anti-oppression framework and a social justice lens, Jess serves as a guest lecturer in academic spaces, a keynote speaker, and as an independent trainer and consultant. They have won several awards and their work is recognized by the City of Los Angeles and the State of CA. They have also written and co-authored various human rights and public health-based state and federal legislation, reports, essays, articles, curricula, poetry, and more. Jess collaborates with various agencies and US-based/International nonprofits to build diverse anti-trafficking and harm reduction initiatives and programs, in addition to facilitating workshops at various conferences and symposia, including work with The Women’s Foundation of CA, The ACLU, and The United Nations.