Hosted Presentations
Leadership Workshop
Topic: Combating Human Trafficking
Presenter: Robin van Denderen (Stay With Me Organization)
Date and Location: October 2025, Orlando, FL
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Combating Trafficking in Persons
Key Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Tomas J. Lares, Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira
Date and Location: July 2025, Orlando, FL
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Project for Mexico
Presenter: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: November 2024, Orlando, FL
Open Meeting
Topic: Discover How You Can Collaborate with the UCF Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Center
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd and Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira
Date and Location: November 2024, Orlando, FL
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Human Trafficking Education in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Tomas J. Lares, Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira
Date and Location: July 2024, Orlando, FL
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Project for Comoros and Madagascar
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: May 2024, Orlando, FL
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Project for United Nations Women Tajikistan Program Office
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: May 2024, Orlando, FL
Rosen College Spring 2024 Leadership Development Workshop Series
Topic: Student Panel Discussion: Human Trafficking in Mega-Events with It’s A Penalty and Knights of the RELM.
Presenters: Jan Edwards, Sydney Weisman, Danny Neddo, Ezri Damschoder, Annastazia Allgire, James Costa
Date and Location: May 2024, Orlando, FL Watch it here.
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Project for Guinea-Bissau.
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: December 2023, Orlando, FL
Rosen College Fall 2023 Leadership Development Workshop Series
Topic: Student Panel Discussion: Human Trafficking Through Grooming, Sugaring, and AI.
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: October 2023, Orlando, FL
World Orlando, with the World Affairs Council of Central Florida and the International Visitor Leadership Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of State
Topic: Combating Trafficking in Persons: A Project for the Near East & North Africa
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: December 2023, Orlando, FL
Rosen College Spring 2023 Leadership Development Workshop Series
Topic: Human Trafficking in Central Florida, a Panel Discussion with Law Enforcement, Educators, and Advocates
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Jordan Rodriguez as a retired Seminole County High School Principal, Jan Edwards with Paving the Way Foundation, Caroline with Homeland Security Investigations, Sergeant Bradley Bakeman with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation
Date and Location: October 2023, Orlando, FL Watch it here.
Invited Presentations
Central Florida Human Trafficking Task Force Outreach Committee
Topic: Hospitality and Human Trafficking: What we need to know
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, William Zambelli
Date and Location: November 2025, Webinar
Challenging Borders: Slave Labor and Human Trafficking in the Global Contex hosted by the Clínica de Trabalho Escravo e Tráfico de Pessoas (CTETP) of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil
Topic: Educação, Indústria e Tráfico Humano
Keynote Presenters: Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira
Date and Location: October 2025, Webinar
Juvenile Sex Trafficking (JuST) Training Conference
Topic: Digital Natives in the Anti-Trafficking Movement: From DMs to Danger, Gen Z Exposes Trafficking Tactics
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira, Madelyn Hutchinson, Ashley Zarwanitzer
Date and Location: October 2025, Orlando, FL
Follow Money Fight Slavery 2025 Virtual Summit
Topic: Room for Change: Ending Exploitation in the Hotel Industry
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Georgine Muntz, Gina Parisi
Date and Location: October 2025, Webinar
Human Trafficking Symposium: Fight for Child Online Safety hosted by Congressman Mike Haridopolos
Topic: Human Trafficking and the Transportation Industry
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Tomas J. Lares
Date and Location: October 2025, Cocoa, FL
Core Competencies Framework hosted by ECPAT International
Topic: Human Trafficking Education in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: April 2025, Webinar
Hotel Equities Hotel General Managers and Leadership Teams Training
Topic: Human Trafficking Awareness Webinar
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: January 2025, Virtual.
Women in Tourism, Facing Challenges Creating Solutions, hosted by the Tourism Institute
Topic: Human Trafficking Education in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: December 2024, Webinar
Florida Joint Task Force Meeting
Topic: UCF’s Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Presentation
Presenter: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: November 2024, Orlando, FL
2024 Human Trafficking Summit. hosted by the Florida Office of the Attorney General and the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking
Topic: Mitigating the Scale, Reach, and Impact on Human Trafficking at Major Events: A North American Perspective
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd and Dr. Alan Fyall
Date and Location: November 2024, Virtual.
We Are SAM (Student Abolitionist Movement) Conference
Topic: “Dangers of grooming, sugaring, and artificial intelligence” with the Knights of the RELM Student Organization Panel
Presenters: Sydney Weisman, Annastazia Allgire, Gabriela Bonilla, Liv Wastier, Sydney Gross, William Zambelli, and Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira
Date and Location: November 2024, Orlando, FL
International Congress on Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Child Sexual Violence
Topic: Human Trafficking Education in the Hospitality Industry
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd and Mayara Martines Ramalho de Oliveira
Date and Location: November 2024, Orlando, FL
Central Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, Community Outreach Committee
Topic: Expert Panel Discussion: Behind the Screens: Illuminating Awareness, Empowering Youth Leaders.
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: April 2024, Orlando, FL
16th Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day and Film Festival
Topic: Human Trafficking in Hospitality and Tourism Specific to Mega-events and the Sports Industry
Panel Moderator: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: January 2024, Orlando, FL
Rosen College Teaching Colloquium
Topic: Mitigating the Scale, Reach, and Impact of Human Trafficking at Major Events: A North American Perspective
Keynote Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, and Tomas T. Lares
Date and Location: January 2024, Orlando, FL
Florida Annual Joint Forum on Human Trafficking
Topic: Introduction to the Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Sydney Weisman, Danny Neddo, Annastazia Allgire, James Costa, Jamie Davis
Date and Location: November 2023, Orlando, FL
Central Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, Community Outreach Committee
Topic: Protecting Young People from Online Predators
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Dr. Jeff Goltz, Dr. Marianne Thomas, Ezekiel “Zeke” Mckine, Mikala Klein
Date and Location: April 2023, Orlando, FL Watch it here.
Trainings
Hotel Equities, Hotel General Managers and Leadership Teams Training.
Topic: Human Trafficking Awareness Webinar
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd
Date and Location: January 2025, Virtual
Orlando Kidz Zone Training
Topic: Children, Youth and Families Division Youth Leaders Training
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd and Tomas J. Lares
Date and Location: September 2024, Orlando, FL
Workshop hosted by the UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery, United Abolitionists, and G6 Hospitality to discuss human trafficking in the lodging industry.
Topic: Guest Services Anti-Trafficking Workshop
Presenters: Dr. Jessica Wickey Byrd, Tomas J. Lares, Sean Walker, and Kim Figeroa
Date and Location: September 2024, Orlando, FL