The HRRC was established as a volunteer coalition in 2005 in response to the growing recognition and alarm over the prevalence of human trafficking in the Greater Houston Metropolitan region. Due to our rapidly growing organizational size and proliferation of protection/prevention projects, HRRC became a 501(c ) (3) in December of 2007.

MEET THE STAFF OF HRRC

Executive Director: Maria A. Trujillo, MA

Maria A. Trujillo serves as the Executive Director of the Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition Ms. Trujillo comes to HRRC from Washington, DC where she spent 4 years working as a Project Associate and Volunteer Recruiter for an international development non-profit named Health Volunteers Overseas.  While in DC, she obtained her Master’s degree from American University in International Communications.  Ms. Trujillo also has a BA in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College, located in Claremont, CA.  Ms. Trujillo has traveled to over 20 countries including significant time spent living in France, Israel and Japan.  Ms. Trujillo first learned about the issue of human trafficking in 1996 while working on a year-long research project on sweat shops and the use by major corporations of slave labor in developing countries.  She was further educated on human trafficking through her international affairs studies and gained a deeper understanding of the issue through her various travels overseas and seeing the problem firsthand.  While living in DC she took on a leadership role with the grassroots community group, DC Stop Modern Slavery, which also focuses on raising awareness in the community about human trafficking.  Ms. Trujillo is currently a member of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance, which is the local, Houston-area law enforcement task force on human trafficking.  She has also been appointed by the Attorney General of Texas to serve on the state-wide Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force. Ms. Trujillo has also participated in numerous local and national media interviews on the subject of human trafficking.

Director of Programs: Kendra Penry

Kendra Penry’s formal education in human trafficking is from the George Washington University where she received her Master’s Degree in International Affairs and Conflict Resolution. While in DC, she worked for the Mississippi Consortium for International Development as a Program Assistant. Ms. Penry designed and implemented projects for participants in the International Visitor Leadership Program of the US Department of State. These projects covered a range of topics including human rights, combating human trafficking, civil law, and environmental protection. Her interactions with international visitors dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and exposure to the myriad groups and organizations working here in the US motivated her to find a way to engage more fully in the issue. Prior to her time in DC, she received her BA in International Studies from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia where she focused her education on poverty and grassroots movements and was first exposed to the prevalence of human trafficking around the world. While a student, Ms. Penry took part in a human rights delegation to El Salvador to examine effective measures to promote human rights in a post-conflict country and saw first-hand the situations that can cause individuals to become victims of human trafficking. Upon returning to the United States, and wanting to better understand the issue, she explored domestic trafficking through a research project examining her home state, North Carolina. Because of her continual exposure to the pervasiveness of human trafficking both in the US and overseas, Ms. Penry actively sought a way to join the anti-human trafficking effort and joined Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition in 2010.

Project Manager: Misa Nguyen

Misa Nguyen serves as the Program Manager of the Health Care Training Program.  As Program Manager, Ms. Nguyen is primarily responsible for cultivating training opportunities and facilitating training with various health care systems such as community clinics, hospitals, health departments, etc.    She received her BA in Liberal Arts from the University of Texas at Austin with concentrations in Government and Asian Studies.  During her time at the University of Texas, Ms. Nguyen was exposed to the social injustice of human trafficking and participated in faith-based initiatives to spread awareness of this growing crime.  After graduating from college, she entered the nonprofit sector and started a Houston chapter of the international Coalition to Abolish Modern-day Slavery in Asia (CAMSA) to spread awareness and support the overseas efforts to combat labor trafficking in Asia.  Ms. Nguyen comes to HRRC from Boat People SOS-Houston, bringing her enthusiasm and passion to educate and empower others in the anti-human trafficking movement.

Training Associate: Dave Kalloor

Dave Kalloor joined Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition in Fall 2011 as a Training Associate for HRRC’s primary training programs, which include cultivating and facilitating training opportunities for health care professionals and other front-Line professionals that may encounter human trafficking victims.  Along with training efforts, Mr. Kalloor helps to build and execute HRRC’s public awareness campaigns.  Mr. Kalloor first learned about human trafficking as an undergraduate and helped organize an anti-human trafficking campaign with fellow students his senior year at the University of Texas-Austin.  He went on to also earn his Master of Science in Social Work from UT.   During his time in graduate school, Mr. Kalloor actively sought opportunities to challenge domestic and sexual violence, especially through his internship working with survivors at Safe Place.  Additionally, Mr. Kalloor was involved with community organizing efforts with Texans United for Families in Austin to support and enhance the human rights of our immigrant communities.   As a social worker, Mr. Kalloor comes to HRRC with a passion to advocate for the most vulnerable and oppressed of our society through empowerment, education, and direct action.  On his spare time, you can find him devouring a deep dish margarita pizza at Star Pizza off of US-59 and S. Shepherd.

Community Outreach Coordinator: Clare Ridzi

Clare Ridzi serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for HRRC.   Her role is to recruit volunteers, and direct them through an informative orientation in hopes that education will empower them with knowledge necessary to effectively spread awareness to their local communities.  She oversees volunteers in various outreach capacities designed to bring the human rights issue of modern day slavery to the forefront of Houston’s residents.  Ms. Ridzi is a Jesuit Volunteer employed by HRRC. She recently earned her B.A. in Psychology from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.  For two years she was a Resident Advisor, serving as a liaison to create positive student and administration relations.   She was actively involved in service trips both domestically and abroad. Throughout her undergraduate career, she was highly involved in African studies, which furthered her involvement in many activists groups on campus, some of which sought to spread awareness about the HIV/AIDs epidemic of eastern Africa, as well as the genocides of Darfur.