Gary Haugen, CEO and founder of the International Justice Mission, has always been fighting for justice for the world’s most vulnerable people. In 1994, he served as the Director of the United Nations’ investigation in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, where he led an international team of experts to gather evidence that would eventually bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice. And in 1997, Gary served as a human rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, where he focused on police misconduct crimes. Gary holds a B.A. in social studies from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago.

Gary’s pursuit of justice has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State as a Trafficking in Persons Report “Hero” – the highest honor given by the U.S. government for anti-slavery leadership. His work to protect the poor and vulnerable from violence has been featured by media outlets such as Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Times of India, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, The Guardian and National Public Radio. Gary is also the author of several books, including Good News About Injustice and, most recently, The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence. In 2015, Gary shared the themes of his most recent book at the annual TED Conference in a talk entitled: “The hidden reason for poverty the world needs to address now.”