Join multinational corporations and foundations working with IJM to defend human rights.

Sharon Payt serves as IJM’s Vice President for Corporate and Government Partnerships. Since 2021, she’s directed the engagement strategies with the U.S. Government, Congress and multi-national corporations to champion the fight against human trafficking and other forms of violence impacting people in poverty.

With over 20 years of executive-level experience as a human rights advocate, Sharon is a systems reform entrepreneur combining campaigning and movement-organizing with international development for marginalized people. She has worked in the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa on a wide range of issues, including human trafficking, anti-genocide, citizen empowerment and defending democracy leaders in hostile contexts.

Sharon’s previous positions include serving at the World Bank, the U.S. State Department, J.K. Rowling’s Lumos Foundation, World Vision International and the U.S. Senate. With the U.S. Government, she served as lead Senate staff for the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and co-established the State Department’s anti-trafficking office. While serving with World Vision, she directed advocacy across 15 countries and regional humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, resulting in over 50 government system reforms.

Sharon lives in Washington, DC, and enjoys cooking, entertaining and live music.

Char Caldwell serves as Global Director of Business Development & Corporate Partnerships at International Justice Mission. In her role, Char leads IJM’s engagement with multinational corporations and private foundations to help fulfill their commitments to the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights sustainable development targets. She collaborates with global experts to design tailored programs and strategies that address forced labor in supply chains, forced scamming, gender-based violence, online sexual exploitation of children and other forms of trafficking.

Before joining IJM, Char served in several roles at Opportunity International where she effectively supported the organization’s mission of mobilizing capital to establish microfinance banks in Africa. As Vice President of International Business Development, she built partnerships and led extensive fundraising efforts for major campaigns such as “Banking on Africa,” “Invest in Agriculture” and “Schools of Opportunity.” She also supported the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and SDG projects, collaborating with program management teams. As Vice President of Resource Development, she maintained a significant funding portfolio and managed public engagement initiatives.

Char received a Bachelor of Arts from Biola University and a Master of Arts in communications and marketing research from Wheaton College. Throughout her career, she has attended multiple conferences and engaged with professional opportunities for certification and development including the Humanitarian Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.