One year ago, I took on the opportunity of a lifetime as Our Rescue’s new CEO. I accepted this pivotal role with one goal: to transform the organization as a leading partner in the mission to end sex trafficking and child exploitation.
I said ‘yes’ because I saw so much possibility in our people and mission. It was a calling I could not ignore.
I chose this path after spending more than a dozen years in the airline, travel and hospitality sectors – which can be the frontlines for human trafficking awareness building and prevention efforts. This work became a red thread throughout every step of my career, leading me here.
- I began my career as a journalist, driven by a desire to uplift voices of vulnerable populations – to bring forward stories of hope and inspiration.
- I worked on Capitol Hill for a U.S. Senator from North Dakota, a “prairie populist” who collaborated across party lines to find common sense solutions.
- Seeing the power of purpose in public service, I proudly served on the White House Interagency Task Force to Combat Trafficking in Persons. There, I saw public and private sector leaders working together to combat these insidious crimes and accepted an award from the White House recognizing Marilyn Carlson Nelson and the extraordinary human trafficking prevention work in Carlson’s hotels, restaurants and travel companies.
- I raised $34 million as CEO of a transformative biotech company focused on finding lifesaving cures for human diseases and protective traits for animals.
- And before joining Our Rescue, I founded and led my own medtech company, Xena Therapies, on a mission to do well by doing good: deploying innovative therapies and supporting breast cancer survivors, women in menopause and people living with MS.
This mission is the culmination of my experiences. At Our Rescue, we are shining a light in the darkness of human trafficking through education, advocacy and prevention. We support our law enforcement partners in this critical crime-fighting work. We empower survivors on their healing journey and share their stories of hope and resiliency.
A YEAR IN REVIEW
One year in, we are making our mark, and there’s so much more to do. In 2024, we worked in 27 countries, all 50 states, and:
- Partnered with law enforcement on 195 rescue missions.
- Helped rescue and support 1,052 survivors.
- Supported 1,969 arrests.
- Funded and deployed 24 new Electronic Storage Device (ESD) K9s trained to sniff out child sexual abuse material .
In less than a year, we’ve transformed our organization to become a force multiplier for good in the U.S. and around the world. With the support of a new board of directors and new leadership team, we are now on a pathway to become the preferred partner in the fight to protect our kids.
“We’ve made tremendous strides over the past year as an organization,” Sean Vassilaros, Board Chair, told me recently. “With this new leadership team in place, 2025 is the year where we will accelerate our impact in the fight to end human trafficking and child exploitation.”
While we work around the world, we also are in the fight here at home and making our border communities safer. One great example is the support we provide in Laredo, Texas.
“Our Rescue’s donation has been instrumental in working our major crime cases, not only within our department, but with other state and federal cases as well. Thank you for your mission and providing law enforcement the much needed tools to combat all major offenses including child exploitation and human trafficking.” – Laredo Police Department
Mission Focus: Survivor-Centered
In the past, Our Rescue was known globally for funding arrests and rescues. Since I arrived, empowering survivors has become the focus of our mission.
Just months into this role, I embarked on an arrest-and-rescue mission in Hua Hin, Thailand, about three hours outside Bangkok. Our Rescue supported the first coordinated operation that brought together Thailand Royal Police’s Anti-trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD), the Department of Provincial Authority (DOPA) and the Department of Special Investigations (DSI), which is like our FBI on a case.
This joint operation resulted in the arrest of a female karaoke bar owner who was trafficking minors on a backroom mattress. I was there on the scene as our Survivor Care Team brought three young girls to safety at one of the shelters we support.
I visited that shelter days later and witnessed the support, from providing a safe, stable place to heal to supporting survivor-made goods for sale, vocational skills and computer training. My eyes were opened to the power of the possible and how even the smallest donations can have an outsized impact.
From Thailand to Ecuador, the survivor stories of hope and possibility are constant. In Ecuador, we help rescue at least one survivor per week. There, in a small home outside Quito, I met a teenage survivor. Two years earlier, we helped rescue her from family members responsible for sex trafficking her. When Our Rescue’s caseworker first met her, she didn’t talk. She was depressed and her drawings were dark, filled with suicidal thoughts.
Slowly, she began to reclaim her life and her voice. With intensive therapy and ongoing support, her caseworker, Joselyn, helped her find an outlet for her trauma through art. When I met her, she showed me her beautiful drawings – where she herself is beautiful – and now dreams of a future in entertainment.
This Ecuadorian teenager represents a story of hope, healing and joy. For 2025, we are bringing more of those stories to life as we plan to build our first US-based survivor care shelter in Minnesota. It’s one of many ways we shine light into the darkness. The only way we can end human trafficking and child exploitation is by joining forces together.
We will not stop until we put an end to these crimes.
We will not stop until we rescue every woman, man and child in danger.
We will not stop until we empower every survivor to find a pathway to hope, healing and prosperity.
We cannot do this alone. Together, we will fight for the one and for the many, until everyone is safe.
– Tammy Lee, CEO Our Rescue