Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Stratford.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Sabrina spent 25 years traveling the globe building partnerships as a Global Business Development Manager for software companies including Microsoft and IBM. Building team consensus and success is part of her professional DNA. Her corporate presentations expanded to stage performances in Improv, stand-up comedy, and local theater. In 2021 her attention to the atrocities of modern slavery consumed her focus, and she left the IT world to become the first domestic Project Manager to fight human trafficking with the non-profit Love Justice International. She went to Anchorage, Alaska to fight sex trafficking, boots-on-the-ground and became the Property Manager for the transitional housing at Anchorage’s women’s emergency shelter, The Downtown Hope Center. This experience put her toe-to-toe with traffickers and introduced her to victims and survivors. She trained to be a Transit Monitor at Ted Stevens International Airport and managed a team of 16 volunteers to join the fight. The Alaska Department of Public Safety brought her on to the Sex Offender Registration Unit, where she provided advanced paraprofessional support reviewing the criminal backgrounds of sex offenders working with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies in Alaska and nationwide. Today, she is a volunteer for the Human Trafficking Hotline, a TEDx Speaker, and a full-time human trafficking abolitionist empowering people in the fight against human trafficking.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anything worth pursuing rarely comes easy! The first challenge was the decision to leave behind a successful career in I.T. and go to work for little or no income. It was a big step of faith. The real challenges came in navigating government entities to take on the fight against sex traffickers and then to stand face-to-face with traffickers and interrupt their business. One of the reasons sex trafficking has exploded is because a trafficker can only sell a bag of drugs one time. A person can be sold several times a day for years. Mess with someone’s money and there will be obstacles.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Today I spend my time researching human trafficking to stay ahead of the trends. I worked with artificial intelligence in the software world and it’s no surprise that traffickers are using the latest technologies to groom victims and run their business. By understanding how technology is being used we can stay ahead of their efforts and even use these tools to make an impact. It lights me up to inform audiences about the methods of traffickers and how we can keep our families safe. I do that by presenting at conferences, helping corporations plan for responsibility, and by discussing the latest trends on a podcast.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking is only sustainable if you come at it with the mind of a servant leader. “What’s in it for me?” reeks, and people will run away. Treating people like we were taught to leave campgrounds back in the days of Girl Scouts is a great operating procedure. Leave people better than when you found them!
Pricing:
- call for consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sabrinastratford.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrinastratford/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabrinalovesjustice
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinastratford/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SabrinaStrat
- Youtube: https://x.com/SabrinaStrat
- Other: https://x.com/okboomertalks
Image Credits
mark541.com (OK Boomer photo)
