Christi Paul, anchor of CNN New Day Weekends and HLN’s Daily Share, will address graduates at The University of Toledo’s fall commencement 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 in Savage Arena.

The UT graduate and Bellevue-native, who also will receive an honorary degree during the ceremony, will address more than 2,000 candidates for degrees, including 138 doctoral candidates, 556 master’s candidates and 1,372 bachelor’s candidates.

This marks the first University of Toledo commencement for President Sharon L. Gaber.

Christi Paul

“From her time at UT to her successful career at CNN, Christi Paul has devoted her life to thoughtful curiosity, learning, and helping others with the power of information,” Gaber said. “She has been at the forefront of many major news stories of our time. The award-winning journalist and advocate for women and children is an inspiring voice who will offer a passionate message to our graduates and guests.”

The national journalist graduated from UT in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication degree with a focus on broadcast journalism.

“I’m humbled and honored to give the commencement speech and so grateful to UT, the professors who helped me grow, the staff who guided me to solid internships, and the friends I made along the way,” Paul said. “I will always credit UT for giving me my springboard into the journalism arena.”

Paul has covered many high-profile events throughout her distinguished career, including President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, Hurricane Sandy, and the Casey Anthony murder trial. She was in the anchor chair walking heartbroken viewers through the early hours of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Virginia Tech.

Prior to joining CNN and HLN in 2003, Paul worked as an anchor and reporter in Phoenix, Ariz., and Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Press Club honored Paul for her series about a brave four-year-old girl who underwent a five-organ transplant. Paul began her career at WDTV in Clarksburg, W.Va.

The wife and mother of three also is passionate about helping children. Along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Paul is co-founder of the “Find Our Children” series that airs on HLN. Viewers have helped bring home 35 missing kids as a result of the news profile segments. The center honored Paul in 2012 with its prestigious Hope Award for her efforts to make the world a safer place for children.

Paul serves on the National Advisory Council for the One Love Foundation, which works with teens to help end dating violence. Paul also serves on the Advisory Board for When Georgia Smiled that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault find healing, safety and joy.

UT recognized Paul in 2006 as an Outstanding Alumna of the former College of Arts and Sciences.

The fall commencement ceremony will recognize graduates from the Colleges of Adult and Lifelong Learning, Business and Innovation, Communication and the Arts, Judith Herb College of Education, Health Sciences, Languages, Literature and Social Sciences, Medicine and Life Sciences; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Social Justice and Human Service.

Other college specific commencement ceremonies taking place are:

• College of Engineering: graduate commencement 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17; undergraduate commencement 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Both ceremonies will be held in Nitschke Auditorium.

• College of Nursing: 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 in Nitschke Auditorium.

For more information, visit utoledo.edu/commencement.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 19, 2015)
The Blade (Dec. 20, 2015)

The Ohio End Demand Act was signed into law in June, before a coalition of supporters and trafficking survivors. The End Demand Act increases the penalty for purchasing sex from a minor from a misdemeanor to a felony.

This legislation follows the successfully enacted Safe Harbor Act, which provides a safe haven and needed services for victims as well as increasing penalties for traffickers.

The End Demand Act is aimed at reducing the illicit “consumer” demand for sex trafficking along with other important provisions to combat this crime

Celia Williamson, UT professor of social work, has focused on raising awareness about sex trafficking for more than a decade.

The 11th annual International Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Sex Work Conference will be Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19. Hosted by The University of Toledo, Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition and the National Research Consortium on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners and others to educate attendees on human trafficking and lay the groundwork for future collaborative research, advocacy and program development.

Dr. Joel Filmore will deliver the keynote, chronicling his 11-year journey as a victim of homelessness, drug-addiction and prostitution in Chicago to recently earning his doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Northern Illinois University.

Other featured presenters include:

•  Judge Paul Herbert, who will discuss the Franklin County Municipal Court docket “Changing Actions to Change Habits” (CATCH). The CATCH Program is an innovative, voluntary, two-year program designed to rescue and restore those trapped in the sex trade through intensive probation and rehabilitation services.
•  State Rep. Teresa Fedor will cover legislative updates, including the recent End Demand Act and last year’s Safe Harbor Act, and how these initiatives have shaped Ohio policy.
•  Abdul-Hadeem O. Alli, a journalist from Nigera, will examine the impact of the abduction of Nigeria’s Chibok School Girls and will discuss the ongoing efforts of the Nigerian government in ensuring the girls’ safe return to their families.

A reception honoring Rep. Fedor and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine will be Thursday, Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in Libbey Hall. Rep. Fedor and DeWine will receive awards for their work to combat human trafficking.

The Freedom Drivers Project (FDP), a mobile exhibit presented by Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), will also be present at the conference. FDP is designed to educate members of the trucking industry and the general public about the realities of domestic sex trafficking and how the trucking industry is combating it. TAT is a national, non-profit organization that provides training to members of the trucking and travel plaza industries and engages them in the war against both sex and work victimization.

Tours of the FDP exhibit are open to the general public at 10:45 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

TAT and the FDP will also be key in assisting with the specially designed, age-appropriate conference track for area high school students.

Williamson, Rep. Fedor and Lyn Thompson, communication specialist for TAT, will be available for interviews and a photo opportunity on Friday, Sept. 19 at noon. The TAT trailer will be parked in Area 6, near Savage Arena. Click here for a campus map.

Various topics including heightened sex trafficking incidents in relation to the Super Bowl; the high number of transgender women buying sex in Chicago; and the sex tourism industry will also be discussed during the two-day conference.

For more information, visit traffickingconference.com or email traffickingconference@gmail.com.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Sept. 15, 2014)
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 17, 2014)
13 ABC and FOX Toledo (Sept. 22, 2014)
The Blade (Sept. 25, 2014)
The Blade (Sept. 28, 2014)
13 ABC (Sept. 29, 2014)

The 11th annual International Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Sex Work Conference will be Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.

Hosted by The University of Toledo, Lucas County Human Trafficking Coalition and the National Research Consortium on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners and others to educate attendees on human trafficking and lay the groundwork for future collaborative research, advocacy and program development.

Dr. Joel Filmore will deliver the keynote address at the conference, chronicling his 11-year journey as a victim of homelessness, drug-addiction and prostitution in Chicago to recently earning his doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Northern Illinois University.

The Freedom Drivers Project, a mobile exhibit inside a semi trailer, also will be present at this year’s conference. The project, presented by Truckers Against Trafficking, is designed to educate members of the trucking industry and the general public about the realities of domestic sex trafficking and how the trucking industry is combating it.

Other presenters during the two-day conference will cover topics including the recent Boko-Haram abduction of the Nigerian Chibok School girls; heightened sex trafficking incidents in relation to the location of the Super Bowl; and who is paying for sex in the U.S.

For more information, visit traffickingconference.com or email traffickingconference@gmail.com.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Sept. 15, 2014)
The Independent Collegian (Sept. 17, 2014)
13 ABC and FOX Toledo (Sept. 22, 2014)
The Blade (Sept. 25, 2014)
The Blade (Sept. 28, 2014)
13 ABC (Sept. 29, 2014)

The city of Toledo ranks fourth in the nation for sex trafficking arrests and prosecutions among those U.S. cities with Innocence Lost Task Forces.

Williamson

Dr. Celia Williamson, a professor in the Social Work Department at The University of Toledo, will deliver an informative seminar about this issue 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 2 in the Driscoll Alumni Center Schmakel Room at The University of Toledo.

“I think it is the human rights issue of our generation,” Williamson said. “It is a community problem, and the community needs to be involved and active in the effort to end human trafficking.”

Williamson is a nationally known expert and has presented at several international conferences on the topic.

Her presentation titled “Improving the Human Condition: Responding to Human Trafficking” will focus on human trafficking with particular attention to domestic minor sex trafficking.

She founded the Second Chance program in Lucas County in 1993, the oldest program in the state that works with prostituted women and trafficked youth.

Williamson will give information about human trafficking around the world, in the United States, in Ohio and in Toledo.

“The mission of The University of Toledo is to improve the human condition, and I think everyone should be informed and know what suspicious activity to look for and how to report it,” Williamson said.

Tickets will be available for $5 with pre-registration or $6 at the door.

Reservations can be made by contacting the Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2586 or by registering at toledoalumni.org.