Speakers for the Upcoming Symposium

Ayesha Williams, the FLITE Center

Ayesha Williams has her Master of Social Work and is currently a Registered Clinical social work intern for her state license, she is the Regional Director of Health and Wellness and Victim Service Coordinator for our Human Trafficking Grant at the FLITE Center located in Fort Lauderdale, FL and now currently in Central Regions of Orlando. Ayesha has been a social worker for 10+ years and her passion is helping people within her community through what she calls “emotional healing”. Ayesha has been working with the FLITE Center for the past year and half on building out the Health and Wellness programs which consist of crisis intervention, mental health services and preventive and primary care medical services for young adults and their children and youth in the system of care, Human Trafficking clients and any client who falls under the vulnerable population.

The wellness program also consists of a crisis Interventionist, an outpatient therapist, the Human Trafficking program, and the clinical coordination of services for the youth to maintain a healthy mental well-being such as physicals, bloodwork, annual exams and etc. The FLITE Center also assist youth in Housing, Employment and Education services.

Ayesha graduated with her MSW from Barry University in 2011. She was born in Jamaica and came to the United Stated at the age of 8 years old. Ayesha is currently a survivor of sexual assault and made it her mission to help other women survive and heal from their past sexual, physical, or emotional traumas. She has taken numerous youths in the system of care to college with her colleagues and assisted many young adults with their healing through sexual and physical trauma. She has her own nonprofit organization called Legacy of Change Inc., which gives back to the community and provide therapeutic services for young ladies to overcome sexual traumas. Her mission is life is to: “Plant a seed of encouragement and Hope in each person life she meets. “

Christine Frederick
Chief Executive Officer, FLITE Center

Christine Frederick is a New York native, who has always had a passion for helping youth who are facing the difficult transitioning years to adulthood. At the University of Dayton, OH where she received her Bachelor’s in Psychology, she served as a Resident Assistant for 3 years which kicked off a long future in providing guidance, support and encouragement to teens/young adults struggling to make the next steps toward independence.

Christine’s path led her to South Florida where she attended Barry University to pursue her Master’s in Clinical Social Work and Executive Certification in Nonprofit Management from FAU. After having worked in agencies like Children’s Home Society, Memorial Regional Healthcare Systems and Covenant House, Christine stumbled upon a gold mine waiting to be discovered. She spent the next 12 years both on the front lines and on the Executive Management Team as the Chief Program Officer of HANDY where she had the distinct opportunity of leading an elite team in program development, assisting with the agency’s capacity building efforts through grant writing and grant management and maintaining both quality services and quality outcomes with youth in foster, relative and nonrelative care.

In 2017, Christine took on the role of CEO at the FLITE Center, where she hopes to continue the important mission of coordinating the TIL System of Care in collaboration with a wide array of community partners who contribute to Broward County’s success in serving youth aging out of care. The role has given Christine new motivation to build upon the existing framework of FLITE Center and find ways to enhance each partnership with the purpose of achieving an even greater level of impact on our collective youth.

Shared Hope International and New State Report Cards
Presenter: Pete Garbacki (no photo 🤦‍♀️ bio below)
 
Pete has been in the behavioral health field since 1992 in a variety of roles. He began working with human trafficking issues in 2015, joining Shared Hope in 2016. On planning team for the Human Trafficking Symposium since it started. Presented at churches, within mental health providers, and a University class of medical students.

He graduated from Pasco Hernando Community College in 1992 with an A.S. degree in Human Services Technology, and Southeastern University with a degree in Church Ministry with a Psychology minor.

Lisa Thelwell, Assistant US Attorney

Human Trafficking Investigations and Prosecutiions
 
Lisa is passionate about seeking the truth, serving as a voice for victims, and ensuring that justice prevails. As an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida in the Tampa Division, Lisa is assigned to the Special Victims Section, where she primarily prosecutes human trafficking and child exploitation offenses, and currently serves as the district’s Human Trafficking Coordinator. In 2019, Lisa was named the Gang Prosecutor of the Year by the Florida Gang Investigators Association. Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Lisa served as an Assistant State Attorney at the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office for nearly four years, where she prosecuted in the felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile divisions. She has conducted over 40 jury trials and numerous bench trials in state and federal court.

A proud double Gator, Lisa graduated cum laude from the University of Florida, Frederic G. Levin College of Law, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida, Warrington College of Business, with minors in African American Studies and Leadership.

Speakers for the Upcoming Symposium

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