In a significant step forward, the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking announces the formation of the Leadership Council for Cuyahoga County’s Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, a major milestone in advancing our community’s shared mission to prevent and end human trafficking.
“This Leadership Council reflects the evolution of our community’s response to human trafficking from isolated efforts to unified action rooted in prevention, equity, and survivor leadership. When we align strategy across systems and center those with lived experience, we build the infrastructure needed to stop exploitation before it starts. This is how we change what’s possible not just for survivors, but for our entire community,” said Kirsti Mouncey, President & CEO, Collaborative to End Human Trafficking.
This Council brings together visionary leaders from across sectors—public health, government, law enforcement and nonprofit—each committed to aligning our strategies, amplifying survivor voice, and building a more coordinated response to human trafficking in our community. Their charge is clear: to serve as the coalition’s strategic decision-making body, ensuring our work is community-powered, survivor-centered, and rooted in equity.
The Collaborative to End Human Trafficking has been grounded in the belief that we do not do this work alone. Since our founding, we have helped grow a coalition of more than 75 organizations committed to increasing our region’s capacity to respond to human trafficking. This Leadership Council continues that legacy ensuring our efforts are not isolated but unified.
We are honored to introduce the inaugural members:
Tenisha Gant-Watson, President & CEO, Jordan Community Resource Center
Phyllis Harris, Executive Director, LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Jennifer Johnson, Executive Director, Canopy Child Advocacy Center
Harry Kamdar, CEO, Asian Services in Action
Jeffrey Lox, President & CEO, Wingspan Care Group
Nicole McKinney-Johnson, President & CEO, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
Dr. Martina Moore, President & CEO, Moore Counseling & Mediation Services
Kirsti Mouncey, President & CEO, Collaborative to End Human Trafficking
Sheriff Harold A. Pretel, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department
Sabrina Roberts, Senior Advisor, Partnerships and Engagement, Cuyahoga County Executive’s Office
Joseph Savarise, President & CEO, Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association
Dawnya Underwood, Executive Director, The Centers’ H.O.P.E. Campus™
This Council exists because human trafficking does not live in silos and neither should our solutions. Their leadership will help us move upstream, ask harder questions, and design responses that meet the realities of who is most impacted and why.
Together, we will keep pushing forward. Because every individual deserves to live free from exploitation and every system must work together to make that vision real.
The Collaborative to End Human Trafficking strengthens our community’s capacity to prevent and respond to human trafficking. We bring people, data, and strategy together to build the infrastructure needed to stop trafficking before it starts and to ensure survivors are supported with dignity and respect. As a trusted entity, we convene and facilitate Greater Cleveland’s Coordinated Response to Human Trafficking, uniting more than 75 partners in a shared system wide response rooted in trauma-informed practice, survivor leadership, and systems change.
For more information, please visit www.collabtoendht.org.
Media Contact:
Margaret Thresher, Director of Advocacy & Communication, Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, email: mthresher@collabtoendht.org, cell: (216) 212-1782
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Last modified: June 26, 2025