Martha Newton

Martha Newton is the Director of Foundations for International Justice Mission. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems.

In her role as IJM's Director of Foundations, Ms. Newton works with foundations and similar institutional entities that partner with and support IJM's advocacy for the vulnerable poor. Prior to joining International Justice Mission, Ms. Newton founded Heath Strategies LLC, and advised individuals, companies and non-profits in the areas of philanthropy, corporate social responsibility and strategic partnership development.

A seasoned policy and program expert who has served at the highest levels of state and federal government, Ms. Newton has held positions as the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as the Associate Deputy Under Secretary Associate for International Affairs at the United States Department of Labor (DOL), where she led the formation of international economic, trade and labor policies on behalf of DOL and directed technical assistance programming focused on international forced labor and anti-trafficking initiatives. She was also the US government voting representative to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labor rights. On the domestic front, Ms. Newton worked for the state of Illinois as the Chief of the Violent Crime Victims Services Division for the Illinois Attorney General's Office.

Committed to service, Ms. Newton has served on the Board of the Junior League of Chicago and as the Executive Director of the Touch A Life Foundation, an organization that elevates children out of poverty and provides leadership skills to better their communities and the world. She is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she received both her Bachelor and Master of Arts.