Human Trafficking Summit
Schedule
Thu Jan 30 2025 at 09:00 am to 11:30 am
UTC-05:00Location
Selby Auditorium | Sarasota, FL
About this Event
Sex trafficking thrives in silence. Hear what speakers from the Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, USF and Selah Freedom are doing to combat this darkness. By attending this conference, you can be a part of the solution.
This is a FREE ticketed event, although we encourage you to consider becoming an Advocate, Guardian, or Defender sponsor. (More info below)
Confirmed Panel: (There will be Q & A)
- Breanna Cole (Human Trafficking Survivor and Outreach Advocate, Selah Freedom)
- Joshua Cornelius (Impact Films International LLC)
- Nicole Dolack (Outreach Coordinator and TYLA Turn Your Life Around Court Representative, Selah Freedom)
- Nicholas G. Ingegno (Department of Homeland Security)
- Captain Demetri Konstantopoulos (Sarasota Police Department)
- Laurie Swink (Co-Founder and Consulting Program Director, Selah Freedom)
- Shelly Wagers (The BRIGHT Network, University of South Florida)
Breanna Cole
Breanna Cole is a dedicated human trafficking victim advocate and survivor leader, using her lived experience to guide and support other survivors in their healing journey. As the outreach team lead with Selah Freedom and a case worker for the TYLA court diversion program, Breanna plays a pivotal role in advocating for survivors. She also facilitates groups in the Sarasota County J*il and collaborates with local law enforcement in anti-trafficking operations. Employed with Selah Freedom since February 2019, Breanna is passionate about raising awareness of human trafficking in the United States.
Joshua Cornelius
Joshua Cornelius is a passionate filmmaker and producer based in South Florida with over six years of experience in video production and storytelling. An Army veteran and a graduate of Full Sail University, Joshua specializes in creating compelling documentaries and narratives that inspire and inform. Dedicated to his craft, he continues to produce impactful stories while freelancing as a Director of Photography and exploring new creative ventures. Join us at this event to view his compelling 15 minute film on a young woman who escaped sex trafficking.
Nicole Dolack
Nicole is a graduate from University of New Haven with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Investigative Services, Minor in Psychology, and certification in Victim Services Administration. She then furthered her education with a Master’s in National Security. Nicole is designated as a Victim Services Practitioner through the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute with the AGO. Nicole has been employed with Selah Freedom since July 2019, currently serving as one of the outreach coordinators. Nicole is the Coordinator over the Turn Your Life Around (TYLA) Court diversion program in Sarasota and Manatee. Through Selah Freedom outreach, she supervises Sarasota/Manatee County J*il groups and facilitates curriculum on life skills for human trafficking survivors in the community. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa teaching Human Trafficking.
Nicholas G. Ingegno
Nick Ingegno is currently the Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office in Tallahassee, FL. In addition to the Tallahassee office, Mr. Ingegno oversees three Resident Agent in Charge offices, including Panama City, Pensacola, and Gainesville. Mr. Ingegno’s area of responsibility (AOR) includes 19 counties in North and Western Florida.
Prior to being selected as the ASAC of HSI Tallahassee, Mr. Ingegno served as the Supervisory Special Agent for the Violent Crimes and Public Safety Group at HSI Washington D.C. Mr. Ingegno oversaw a team of eight Special Agents, one Criminal Analyst, and one Investigative Assistant, specializing in transnational criminal organization (TCO) investigations. For three years Mr. Ingegno worked at HSI Headquarters in Washington D.C. serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for International Operations. There Mr. Ingegno served as the strategic and trusted advisor to the Assistant Director and Deputy Assistant Director, as they lead a division of over 500 personnel located in Washington D.C. and 80 international offices located in 53 countries.
Mr. Ingegno began his career working at the HSI Douglas office on the border of Arizona and Mexico. After spending over five years working narcotic investigations into TCOs operating in Mexico and on the southwest border, Mr. Ingegno transferred to the HSI Long Island, NY office specializing in transnational criminal gangs, primarily MS-13.
Demetri Konstantopoulos
Captain Demetri Konstantopoulos has over 30 years of dedicated public service as a law enforcement professional. He has served in many capacities, including Task Force Officer with the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, Street Crimes Officer, Narcotics Detective, Street Crimes Sergeant, SWAT (Team Leader), Shift Commander, Commander of the Office of Internal Affairs and Complaints Section, Commander of the Patrol Division, and Commander of the Support Services Division.
While serving as a Street Crimes Sergeant, Captain Konstantopoulos experienced personal and professional transformation while spearheading a prostitution diversion program called Turn Your Life Around (TYLA) that signaled a paradigm shift in law enforcement’s response to victims of sexual exploitation. For this initiative, Demetri coauthored the TYLA training manual, trained numerous law enforcement agencies throughout Florida, and presented the program to the National Center of Sexual Exploitation in Washington, D.C.
Captain Konstantopoulos earned his Bachelor of Applied Science in Homeland Security from the State College of Florida and a Masters in Public Safety from Liberty University. He is also a graduate of the 73rd session of the University of Louisville’s Southern Police Institute’s Command Officer Development Course and the 77th session of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. Konstantopoulos is also a graduate of Leadership Sarasota – Class of 2022 and the FBI National Academy, session 289.
Laurie Swink, Co-Founder of Selah Freedom and Director of Consulting
Laurie’s experience is 30+ years in teaching and education. In 2011, Laurie’s heart was moved to establish a residential home for survivors. She realized survivors coming out of trafficking were at the beginning of their journey and needed a safe place with wrap-around services, thus began Selah Freedom.
Currently, she is providing consulting and resources for organizations that want successful programming in their communities. She has a BA in Special Education and provides educational support to the survivors in the residential program. Laurie considers her work with the survivors to be a privilege and an honor.
(Shelly Wagers bio will be added soon)
Where is it happening?
Selby Auditorium, 8350 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, United StatesUSD 0.00 to USD 2675.00