Amplify Gala

Keynote Speaker: Rachel C. Thomas

Rachel C. Thomas, M. Ed is a graduate of UCLA, a presidential appointee to the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, and a personal survivor of human trafficking. She has extensive experience teaching, training, curriculum writing, public speaking and mentoring. As director of Sowers Education Group, she and a team work tirelessly to sow seeds of human trafficking awareness and survivor empowerment. Rachel has educated and inspired a wide range of audiences including teens, social service providers, churches, teachers, college students, and law enforcement. She is the lead author of the nation's most widely used sex trafficking intervention curriculum Ending The Game (Journal Of Women and Criminal Justice, 2021) as well as The Cool Aunt Series, a human trafficking prevention course for teens being used by numerous organizations, including the California Department of Social Services to reach 50,000 foster youth. Since 2012, Rachel and the Sowers Team have reached over 150,000 live audience members and millions more through numerous media outlets including CNN, HLN, The T.D. Jakes Show, The New York Times Upfront Magazine and ABC’s Newsmakers. Rachel was honored by Congressman Ed Royce of California’s 39th district and Los Angeles Supervisor Don Knabe for her leadership and trafficking prevention efforts.