Audrey Moore

Audrey has dedicated her life to shedding light on human trafficking and the injustices taking place in our world. After graduating from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science in Education, she moved to Belgium to work with international students and refugees throughout Western and Eastern Europe. While living in Europe, she learned of the horrors of human trafficking firsthand when a children’s home she had been volunteering at was exposed as a front for prostitution. At the time she was a charter board member for the organization, Make Way Partners, which helped to close down the home. In an effort to rescue vulnerable children before experiencing the trauma of trafficking, Audrey moved to Alabama in 2005 to support the foundation and expansion of LUV’s indigenously directed anti-trafficking network that today spans Sudan and South Sudan. In 2018, Audrey became CEO of Lift Up the Vulnerable and leads the mission of preventing trafficking and empowering changemakers. Contact: audrey@liftupthevulnerable.org

Eugenio Kirima

Eugenio has a business degree focusing on clearing, forwarding, warehousing, distribution, and shipping management. He worked for 17 years at Firestone Tire Company, gaining experience working and traveling in East and Central Africa. Since 2009, he has been serving the anti-trafficking network spanning Sudan and South Sudan and played a pivotal role early on in massive infrastructure development. Through his experience in the corporate world he negotiated for better terms of payment with suppliers and better tax relief methods on supplies and construction materials. He also devised a more efficient, secure, and reliable transport system which enabled the ministry to move materials across borders. In 2019, he became LUV’s Chief Program Officer and oversees operations, programs, and leadership development in Sudan, South Sudan, and Kenya. His entire family opens their hearts and home to care for those who require emergency medical care and rehabilitation at the Kenya Safe House. Contact: eugenio@liftupthevulnerable.org

Ida Kaastra Mutoigo

Ida joined LUV in 2024 and can be reached at: ida@liftupthevulnerable.org

Alex Hill

Ashton Wylie

Tara Herget

James Lual Atak

James is the founder and executive director of New Life Ministry (NLM) located along the border of Darfur. During the Sudanese Civil War, James’ village was attacked and he began a three-month trek by foot to Ethiopia with other Lost Boys. Violence in Ethiopia caused them to flee again toward Kenya. It was during this period that he was conscripted as a child soldier, carrying an AK-47 and leading other armed children. When he was eventually released, James lived in the refugee camps in Kenya where he attended school, and eventually earned the opportunity for a visa to the USA. Just as he was about to travel, he had an epiphany, and decided to return home to protect and support other survivors of the warfare in his country. In 2005, NLM became the founding member of the anti-trafficking network that today spans Sudan and South Sudan. In 2018, James was awarded the Tanenbaum Peacemaker in Action award for his years of dedication to transforming lives in warzones. James was also interviewed by the West Point Center for Oral History in 2019 on his experience as a child soldier.

Read more about NLM: Where We Work

Peter Lomago

Peter serves as the Executive Director of Hope For South Sudan (HFSS) located near the South Sudan and Ugandan border in Eastern Equitoria. Growing up in a warzone, Peter became interested early on in pursuing something greater than himself. Because educational infrastructure in his region had collapsed, when Peter was about nine years old, he left his village and walked alone for days and without food to the refugee camps in Uganda in pursuit of educational opportunities. Living as a refugee, Peter was focused on completing elementary and high school so he could be a part of growing a solution back at home. Later, he received a scholarship for a teacher training course with Emmanuel Christian College in South Sudan which led to a missionary training opportunity in Zambia. In 2013, he joined HFSS as a teacher, then deputy director, and, in 2017, Peter was promoted to serve as the executive director. Read more about HFSS: Where We Work

Ezekiel Ayub

Ezekiel is the Executive Director of Our Father’s Cleft (OFC) located in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Ezekiel was born in the Upper Nile state of South Sudan when his father was a student at Gideon Theological College. After completing his studies his father became a local church pastor and moved the family back to the Nuba Mountains until 1989 when war re-erupted and forced the family to move to Port Sudan. It was in Port Sudan that Ezekiel completed his primary and secondary education. Later, he received a scholarship for a teacher training course with Emmanuel Christian College in South Sudan which led to a missionary training opportunity in Zambia. In 2013, Ezekiel joined the staff as a teacher at Hope for South Sudan (HFSS) and served until 2015 when he became the indigenous director at OFC. Read more about OFC: Where We Work

Peter Mangar

Peter Mangar is the deputy director of New Life Ministry (NLM) located along the border of Darfur. Peter grew up at NLM and graduated in 2016 in the first graduating class from the NLM high school. He later went on to study Public Health at Kampala University in South Sudan and graduated with a degree in 2022.  In 2024, he returned to work at NLM as deputy director. Peter is a dedicated and compassionate team member in LUV’s anti-trafficking network and plays a vital role as deputy director at NLM. Read more about NLM: Where We Work

Anthony Lolik

Anthony is the deputy director of Hope For South Sudan (HFSS) located along the border of Uganda. He is originally from the region of HFSS where his father was a primary teacher in a village school. During his secondary education, war re-erupted and he left Sudan for Uganda searching for education. He returned to South Sudan in 2003 to begin his long teaching career. In 2007, he went with Peter Lomago and Ezekiel Ayub to Zambia for further training through Emanuel Christian College on primary school teaching where he acquired a diploma. In 2010, he joined HFSS’s teaching staff, rose through the ranks to serve as Head Teacher and in 2019 he was promoted to Deputy Director. Read more about HFSS: Where We Work

Joseph Abud Atiya

Joseph Abud Atiya was born in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. He started his primary education in the Nuba mountains before fleeing to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya in 2006. In 2013, he completed his Kenya certificate of secondary education and then returned to his village in Sudan. He has been working as a teacher at OFC since 2014. His wife, Hayat, also works at OFC. In 2020, he was promoted to the OFC high school principal and in 2023, he was appointed as the OFC Deputy Director. Read more about OFC: Where We Work

Pauline Jacqueline Njoroge

Pauline Jacqueline Njoroge received her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Egerton University and has experience as an agricultural specialist and a project manager. She is passionate about sustainable agriculture and zero hunger and has worked in the ASAL areas (Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands) in leading sustainable agriculture development, social impact, and economic empowerment projects. She joins the LUV team as a project coordinator to focus on the agricultural development of the three centers in Sudan and South Sudan. In her personal life, Pauline is passionate about women and girl-child empowerment and social impact. It is in this capacity and her previous experience in mentorship programs as a volunteer that she will continue to empower girls and all children under LUV programs in accordance to LUV’s mandate.

Eunice Kariuki

Eunice graduated with a MBA in Strategic Management from Daystar University and a BSc International Business Administration from United States International University Africa.  Eunice is an accomplished and goal-driven professional with more than 20 years’ multi-sectoral experience in programme management, partnerships management, finance and operations management having worked with different International Organizations in the areas of Research and Development, Youth Empowerment, Water, Sanitation and Health, Agriculture and Agribusiness, Eye Care as well as in Private Organizations.  

As Program Coordinator since 2024, Eunice ensures high quality program delivery through planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, ensure cost effective utilization of programme resources while adhering to established standards and guidelines of the organization.  

Jane Mutua

Jane oversees and coordinates the care for and empowerment of women and children in LUV’s Kenya Safe House and throughout the anti-trafficking network.  Prior to her journey in service of the most vulnerable, Jane worked as a receptionist for 7 years with Hyundai Motors Company and then started her own shop in Nairobi until 2009. Her heart was moved for the needs of the orphans early on and she served as an active volunteer at a children’s home in Nairobi. Jane, Eugenio and their daughters regularly open their hearts and home to love and care for the women and children that are medevaced to Kenya for emergency care. When these patients are strong enough to be released from the hospital, but not strong enough to endure the tough conditions of Sudan or South Sudan, Jane oversees their rehabilitation. Read more about the Kenya Safe House: Where We Work

Amy Herendeen

Amy graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in Agricultural and Applied Economics. After 7 years in corporate America, she stayed home for a decade to raise her children. During this time, she volunteered intensively in her community and church. It was through these volunteer positions that she learned that human trafficking was a present-day reality. Amy h became passionate about preventing the exploitation of these precious lives. Since returning to work, Amy has held positions as office manager for an international IT company, and she most recently served as the Executive Assistant for Haiti Outreach, Inc. Amy is also passionate about investing in young women and helping them discover their worth in Christ. In the last twenty years, she has been a youth group leader, a mentor in several discipleship relationships, and a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. She is thrilled to join the LUV team where she can use her work and volunteer experience as well as her faith to make a positive contribution to this important issue. Contact: amy@liftupthevulnerable.org

Francis Nyambori 

After finishing his high school education, Francis began at the Kabete Technical Training Institute where he started a Diploma in Business Administration. Before completing his degree, he returned to his home village in order to teach for several years at the primary school he grew up in. Since 2011, he has been serving the anti-trafficking network spanning Sudan and South Sudan. Today, he leads as LUV’s Kenyan Administrative Coordinator. He is responsible for personally overseeing acquisition and delivery of life-saving supplies from food to medicine to building supplies. Francis also facilitates the child welfare program and documents children in our network and trains and collaborates with the indigenous welfare team members.

Louise Coggins

Louise, LCSW, is a University of NC alumna, earning both her BA in Psychology and Masters in Social Work. She is a psychotherapist in private practice in Wilmington and a Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work. She has practiced psychotherapy since 1974, seeing individuals, couples, families and groups. She has been active on issues related to the status of women, domestic violence and child abuse. She was honored with the YMCA Academy of Women Human Services Award in 1999, the School of Social Work Outstanding Alumna of the Year 2006, and in 2019 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the YWCA. Louise joined the board of Make Way Partners in 2004 and in 2018 continued her service as chair for Lift Up the Vulnerable.

She shares, “As (my husband and I) learned more about the massive problem of human trafficking worldwide, we both knew we had found the cause of our lifetime—fighting the greatest evil of the 21st century through helping the ‘least of these’ in the most forsaken countries. I have served on many nonprofit boards, and Lift Up the Vulnerable is the most compelling and rewarding work I have ever had the privilege of doing. We have seen God use this ministry to bless helpless victims who had no hope before LUV became their advocate and protector. I urge everyone who is interested to come partner with this dedicated group of life-saving volunteers, indigenous leaders, and staff.”

John van Rens

John is an artist originally from Ontario that lives and works in New York. His paintings over the past three decades explore many genres, from figuration to abstraction, small scale portraits and seascapes to very large-scale cityscapes painted on the streets of New York City. He has been committed to ending human trafficking and has been involved in the mentoring and spiritual development of youth as well as the housing of the homeless through his church communities. John joined board of directors in 2018.

He writes, “Having grown up in Canada as a child of uneducated immigrants from the Netherlands I suffered, for various reasons, some of the isolation that even a Western European immigrant can face when entering a somewhat closed rural environment. I calculate that this, along with my understanding that Jesus of Nazareth calls us to identify with the poor and in some way be the poor, formed me in such a way as to have empathy for those who suffer both individually and corporately. To provide for the orphans of South Sudan was an easy move for me. Violence and corruption are not always easily corrected. Butto provide for the innocents left in the wake of incalculable horror is easily identifiable as a good. How often does the scripture make reference to the widow and the orphan?”

Daniel Prince

Daniel Prince has a BA Clark University, MS Rutgers University, and Ph.D. (in molecular biology) joint-degree Rutgers University and University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ.

Daniel is the eldest son of Dr. Herbert and Leah Prince. His father Herbert launched Gibraltar Laboratories in 1970 and Daniel worked under his dad for many years and became a subject matter expert in many of Gibraltar’s disciplines. When Herbert retired, he was selected to be the president. He grew the business and then sold it and created Prince Sterilization Services serving as the CEO. It was this innovation that has been recognized by 2023 ACG NJ today. He is a long-time member of the Vistage peer group and many things he learned at Vistage helped him at Gibraltar and later at Prince. Prince is the author of many well-respected publications and the recipient of many business and athletic honors. He has been most successful building great teams that help bring his vision to life by executing his plan. He joined LUV’s board in 2022.

Carrie Hadley

Carrie Hadley is an alumna from Hobart & William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, NY. After earning her bachelor’s degree in International Relations, she became the Director of Business Development for Citadel Contractors, Inc. Outside of work, Carrie is incredibly passionate about long distance running, reading and acts of community service. Currently, she is affiliated with Lift Up the Vulnerable and Variety Kids. She joined LUV’s board in 2022.

Rev. Lauran Bethell

Lauran has been working for more than three decades on behalf of and caring for women and children who have been exploited and abused. She currently serves as a Consultant with grassroots organizations, encouraging the development of projects and networks which are dealing with the issues of prostitution, trafficking in persons and other forms of abuse and exploitation. She travels extensively throughout the world, teaching, training and consulting. Lauran was honored in 2005 with the Human Rights Award of the Baptist World Alliance, which was presented to her by President Jimmy Carter. In 2009, she was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from Palmer Seminary for her “longstanding and focused ministry of justice and compassion”.  She joined the board of Make Way Partners in 2006 and in 2018 continued her service as board spiritual director for Lift Up the Vulnerable.

Lauran shares, “Abused, exploited and otherwise vulnerable women and children, living in one of the most volatile places on earth, have the opportunity for protection, healing and thriving through LUV. I’m passionate about serving them in any way I can!” 

Dr Joan Perry

Originally from Charlotte, NC, Dr Joan Perry attended UNC-Chapel Hill for undergraduate and medical school.  Since completing her pediatric residency at UNC, she has lived in rural eastern NC with her husband, where they raised 5 sons and has been intimately involved in community issues ranging from education to homelessness to prevention of sexual abuse.  Dr Perry’s professional career has included 40 years of employment with a private pediatric practice and regional hospital. She continues to hold adjunct faculty adjunct appointments at UNC and Brody Schools of Medicine for over 35 years and has had the privilege of serving on a number of nonprofits boards.  Her greatest joy comes from being with 16 grandchildren, teaching Bible study, and doing triathlons.

Dr Perry joined LUV’s board of directors in 2025 and has served on numerous medical mission trips to South Sudan with LUV since 2023.  She shares, “I am pleased to be a part of this extraordinary organization that is identifying and addressing the causes of human exploitation and working to build solutions for critical, long-lasting change.  ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ MLK Jr.”

Marilyn Dixon

Marilyn graduated from the University of the South, Sewanee with a degree in philosophy. She has a heart for encouraging women to be confident givers, and has served as a facilitator for Women Doing Well, an organization whose purpose is to help women of influence live lives shaped by God’s generosity.

Marilyn began her journey in supporting the charge against human trafficking in 2004 when she came alongside Make Way Partners with a heart for rescuing children from the bondages of oppression. She has since developed an interest in and passion for aiding survivors of stateside human trafficking, most recently being named to the board of The WellHouse, the largest single-site residential service provider for women rescued from trafficking in the United States.

Marilyn joined LUV’s board in 2021 and shares: “I am so enthused by the model of Lift Up the Vulnerable, our focus not only on the children needing shelter, food and education, but also on the health of the broader community. One can imagine real change on a macro level in the decades to come thanks to the work LUV is doing in Sudan and South Sudan. I am excited to be a part of this change!”

Jennifer Ludwick

Jennifer has devoted her career to advocating for vulnerable populations, especially women and children, in the fields of public health, education, and victim rights for over 20 years. She has worked in Kenya, Sudan, and the US with trafficking survivors from around the world. Jennifer holds a degree in Psychology and Communications from the University of Tennessee. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration and Public Health at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Recently, she was honored with the Graduate Assistant position at the Institute for Human Rights at UAB. Additionally, Jennifer oversees Renaissance Scholarship, Inc., an organization that offers scholarships to academically accomplished but economically disadvantaged K-12 students.

Jennifer is honored to serve on the Board of LUV. Having firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced in Sudan/South Sudan, she deeply respects LUV’s unwavering commitment to its mission despite the adversities of wars and coups. “Each of us must take action in accordance with our conscience if we hope to eradicate trafficking.”

Joann Hsieh

Joann is the founder and CEO of Joann She & Co, a successful fashion jewelry design and import company established in 1987. Joann is also actively engaged in the Chinese Business Association in NY.  Joann has played an integral part in serving vulnerable populations in NYC through the nonprofit Garden of Hope and through the ministries of LUV. She joined the board of Make Way Partners in 2017 and in 2018 continued her service as board treasurer for Lift Up the Vulnerable.  She supports the mission of LUV because, “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, and penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

Dr. Linnea Smith

Linnea Smith, MD, graduated from UNC School of Medicine and received her training in psychiatry at UNC-Chapel Hill and has maintained a longstanding concern about the relationship of health as well as mental health to trauma and violence. The focus of her work has been in the fields of child maltreatment and sexual exploitation and she has organized national conferences on sex trafficking in 2006 and 2008. Throughout her career, she has looked at sociocultural factors that may contribute to these serious problems. She remains an advocate and an activist against the dehumanization and violence against women in sexually explicit media, which she views as a public health and human rights issue. She and her late husband, Coach Dean Smith, then retired UNC basketball coach, received the Champions Award in 2006 for their advocacy for social justice programs including anti-human trafficking work. She joined the board of Make Way Partners in 2005 and in 2018 continued her service as a directors of Lift Up the Vulnerable.  She shares, “We are all interconnected and, I believe, are more fully human when we respond to the everyday and the profound needs of others. Among the more compelling are those of children in Sudan and South Sudan suffering from trauma, loss, and grinding poverty.

Gustavo Quintero

Gustavo is currently an Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase, leading strategy for Corporate Impact Marketing. Throughout his career, Gustavo has led strategy development and implementation across a wide variety of clients and practices, including Dell, the US Navy, and IBM. He holds a BS in Communications and Advertising from the University of Tennessee and speaks fluent Spanish. Gustavo began working with LUV in 2018, offering strategic guidance and feedback across a variety of efforts, and joined the board of directors in 2019.

Gustavo shares, “I believe we are all here to help one another, and that being able to do so is a privilege. Working with LUV provides an opportunity to help some of the most vulnerable people in the world – and more importantly, empower them to be able to help themselves and others around them. It’s a blessing to be able to contribute.”

NaTasha Yvette Williams

Natasha is a Grammy Award–winning and Tony-nominated Broadway performer whose talent has graced international stages — including iconic roles in Wicked, Some Like It Hot, Chicago, Waitress, and more.

Beyond the spotlight, Natasha is a passionate advocate, mentor, and leader. She co-founded Black Theater United, an organization dedicated to supporting and uplifting black artists. She is also a mentor and educator, committed to nurturing the next generation of storytellers.

Her passion for justice and belief that every child deserves safety and opportunity make her a powerful voice in our mission to prevent human trafficking in Sudan and South Sudan.

Dr Kyle Hudgens

Dr. Kyle R. Hudgens, a retired neurologist from Birmingham, Alabama, practiced medicine for 36 years. Born and raised in Birmingham, he has been married to Kathy Sloan Hudgens for 49 years, and together they have three children and eleven grandchildren. Since 2001, Dr. Hudgens has served in East Africa through Jesus Harvesters Ministry (JHM), combining medical missions with church planting. A committed supporter of LUV for 15 years, he has been leading LUV’s medical mission trips to New Life Ministry (NLM) in South Sudan since 2018 and has contributed to spiritual formation within the community by helping coordinate an annual pastors’ training program since 2024.

Mary Boney Clark

Mary is a graduate of Duke University and the University of NC School of Law from which she received the “Distinguished Alumni Award” in 2016.  She practiced law for 38 years with her last legal job being her five-year term as the U.S. Commissioner for Trademarks. As Commissioner, she served as the highest-ranking U.S. Government official devoted solely to brand protection, led a 950-employee team with a $360 million budget and testified before Congress twice. Mary has received many awards throughout her career, is a lifelong Episcopalian, and actively serves with a number of non-profit groups. In 2021, she launched an interior design business: Boney Decor Solutions, LLC. Mary served as a board member from 2022-2025 to further her support for trafficked persons and her interest in telling the story of trafficked people.  She joined the Advisory Council in 2025.

Bryan Pride

Bryan Pride brings over 12 years of experience championing community-led solutions to food security challenges across the Global South. As a consultant and former Technical Programs Director, Bryan believes local communities have the knowledge and capacity to solve local challenges, but are often denied voice and agency. Bryan’s approach centers on a Farmer First philosophy, which preserves indigenous crops and traditional agricultural knowledge while integrating nutrition and regenerative agriculture practices. Rather than imposing external solutions, he works alongside local organizations to co-create programs that honor cultural practices and empower communities. Bryan continues to champion the principle that sustainable change emerges from within communities, not from external mandates, when people have the tools, respect, and support to shape their own futures.

As a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana, Bryan learned firsthand the power of participatory approaches that build local capacity through immersive, culturally grounded learning experiences. Bryan had the privilege of serving as a Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellow, where he advocated for policies that center indigenous crops, agroecology and community voices in global food security strategies. He was awarded the Rising Star Leadership Award for his work in East and West Africa.

Bryan is excited to join Lift Up the Vulnerable’s Advisory Board, having seen firsthand how LUV empowers local communities. He looks forward to sharing his expertise with an organization that shares his commitment to helping communities thrive.