Jerome Elam

Jerome Elam is President and CEO of Trafficking in America Task Force. Raised in a broken home by an alcoholic parent, he is a survivor of child abuse, domestic violence, child sex trafficking, and child pornography. Brought up in the South, Jerome enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. Jerome has received the Award for Courage presented by the National Council of Jewish Women for his work in the advocacy arena and in 2015, he was appointed as a Special Advisor to the Utah Attorney General on human trafficking. In 2016, Jerome founded his nonprofit Trafficking in America Task Force, using his notoriety to help promote global awareness of human trafficking.

In 2021, Jerome was appointed to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) inaugural International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Board (ISTAC). In 2023, Jerome was appointed again to the 2nd cohort of ISTAC and elected Vice Chair by its members. Jerome has trained law enforcement, judges and prosecutors in the Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Poland and Austria. He has spoken at conferences in England, Poland, Austria, Ukraine, Africa, Australia, India, the UK and South Africa. Jerome contributed as a speaker at the highest level internationally, including the Council of Europe, UN and OSCE. In 2023, Jerome received a lifetime achievement award from the United States Attorney General’s Alliance for his work in the global anti-trafficking field.