John G. Ahrends
Resident Agent in Charge
Homeland Security Investigations

John G. Ahrends is the Resident Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations’ Fayetteville, Arkansas office, which encompasses nine (9) counties in Northwest Arkansas. Mr. Ahrends has 21 years of federal law enforcement experience. Additionally, he is a combat veteran and retired from the U.S. Army Reserves.
 

Before being assigned to HSI Fayetteville as the SAC New Orleans 287(g) Program Manager, Mr. Ahrends had assignments as a criminal investigator in HSI Northern Kentucky (Fort Mitchell, KY), Louisville, Kentucky and Oakdale, Louisiana.

Prior to being assigned as the Resident Agent in Charge, he had assumed the duties of Group Supervisor in Fayetteville. He is an alumnus of Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

Carolyn Bates was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. She relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas in July of 2015 and now serves as Community Outreach Coordinator of Magdalene Serenity House in Fayetteville. Carolyn was previously the United States Veterans Initiative Outreach Director in Houston Texas. As the Outreach Director, she provided resources to hundreds of veterans, both homeless and at-risk, equipping them with the skills needed to achieve self-sufficiency.

Magdalene Serenity House is a sanctuary for women survivors of human trafficking, childhood trauma, and addiction. It is a free, two-year residential program that gives women a safe place to recover, heal, and reintegrate in a stress-free and financially stable environment.

John Boozman is Arkansas’s senior U.S. Senator and the dean of the state’s Congressional delegation. 

Raised in Fort Smith, John graduated from Northside High School and went on to play football for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks while completing his pre-optometry requirements. He graduated from the Southern College of Optometry in 1977 and entered private practice that same year co-founding a family business with his brother that would ultimately become a major provider of eye care to Northwest Arkansas. 

Decades of experience as a successful healthcare provider and a small business owner guide John’s approach to governing. He is committed to advocating for economic policies that help Arkansas’s small businesses continue to grow and add jobs to our state’s economy. And since agriculture accounts for nearly one-quarter of Arkansas’s economic activity, John has been a consistent champion for our state’s farmers, ranchers and loggers and was instrumental in the fight for an equitable farm bill.

As the son of an Air Force Master Sergeant, John learned at an early age about the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, as well as the unique challenges military families face. He brings these values with him to Washington where he is committed to enhancing the quality of life for both our veterans and their families. John has authored provisions to extend successful federal homeless veteran programs, expand treatments for our wounded warriors and modernize educational benefits under the GI Bill.

John serves on five committees in the 115th Congress:

Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management and Trade (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources
Subcommittee on Nutrition, Agriculture Research and Specialty Crops

Appropriations
Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing & Urban Development and Related Agencies

Budget

Environment and Public Works (EPW)
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Water (Chairman)
Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Veterans’ Affairs

Along with these committees, John serves on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly referred to as the Helsinki Commission, and the Congressional Study Group on Europe (CSGE), a bipartisan organization dedicated to frank and candid dialogue between American lawmakers and their peers in European capitals and Brussels. He also serves as one of six Congressional Regents on the Smithsonian Institute's Board of Regents.

First elected to the Senate in 2010, John was sworn in for a second term on January 3, 2017.
Prior to serving in the Senate, he represented the people of the Third District of Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives. Active in his community, John has served on the Rogers School Board, the Benton County Fair Board, established the low vision program at the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock and worked as a volunteer optometrist at an area clinic that provides medical services to lowincome families. He successfully raised Polled Hereford cattle that were competitive in the showring, as well as in bull testing at Oklahoma State University.

John, is married to the former Cathy Marley and they currently reside in Rogers. The couple has three daughters, two granddaughters and a grandson.

Kathy Bryan
Director of Elevate Academy
Author, Consultant, Advocate, and human trafficking survivor

Educate. Encourage. Empower. Kathy's subject matter expertise, personal experience, and passion combine to yield empathetic mentoring, and engaging trainings that do just that. A speaker, advocate and author, she has worked with Rebecca Bender Initiative since it was founded. Kathy is currently the Director of Elevate Academy, the online resource especially for human trafficking survivors, and the Lead Mentor. She is also a consultant for the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign. She has trained thousands of medical professionals, law enforcement, community service providers, and faith-based communities across the nation, and mentored hundreds of trafficking survivors. Kathy testified before the Arkansas House and Senate in support of Human Trafficking Legislation, which was subsequently passed and became law. Kathy is also a member of both the National Survivor Network and the Survivor Leader Institute.

Having survived two years of sex trafficking as a young teen, Kathy knows intimately how real trafficking is in America, and how difficult the journey to true healing and peace is, if one survives. She has been an active leader in her local church providing supportive listening, lay counseling, and small group leadership for over 20 years. There is much to be found in her wheelhouse, ultimately, though, her heart beats for helping people understand each other, which fosters empathy and a foundation for unity. She and her husband, Keith love spending time with their family, offroading, and traveling this beautiful world.

Jason Edwards
First Responder and Volunteer, Into the Light

Jason Edwards lives in Northwest Arkansas and is currently a middle school teacher. He worked as a paramedic in EMS for 10 years. He and his wife, Jamie, have been volunteers with Into the Light for two years. They have developed important 1^stresponder and medical training curriculum that allows these men and women to see the red flags and intervene on behalf of the victim. Jason is passionate about bringing awareness to the issue of sex trafficking through this curriculum. Jason presents his training annually to the paramedic program at Northwest Arkansas Community College in addition to training throughout the year.

Jason and Jamie have been married for 17 years and have two children. His hobbies are hanging out with his family, playing golf and watching movies.

Barbara Gregory
Founder, Executive Director
Parents Against Child Trafficking (PACT)

PACT's Founder, Barbara Gregory, has an evident passion for people and for justice. When she learned that her own daughter was at risk for being trafficked simply because she wasn't aware of the dangers that surrounded her daughter and other teens every day, she knew she had to take action. She couldn't imagine living the nightmare of losing a child and was going to do everything in her power to equip parents to avoid that same fate. Parents Against Child Trafficking or "PACT" was founded in 2016 as a result of that passion.

Barbara graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Minor in Psychology.

Barbara wholeheartedly believes that one person can make a difference, and her 15-year professional career at Walmart has only served to reinforce this message. After two years in Sustainability, Barbara transitioned to the Responsible Sourcing division, where she managed supply chain investigations into such matters as forced labor and child labor. This work opened her eyes to the hidden nature of modern day slavery and the impact it had on real people around the world. Today, Barbara is focused on influencing the social compliance industry toward meaningful change through collaboration with a broad spectrum of stakeholders around the world. In 2017, Barbara was selected to co-lead the internationally-based Sedex Forced Labor Working Group. She has been active in the Walmart Women’s Resource Council and is a current member of Toastmasters International.

In the community, Barbara is a dynamic force when it comes to raising awareness about trafficking, facilitating at victim services trainings, and sponsoring trafficking prevention activities in partnership with Hub of HOPE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Sheriff Tim Helder
Washington County, Arkansas
 

Sheriff Helder was inducted into the 1^stAnnual West Fork Alumni Hall of Honor in 2016. He is past president of the Arkansas Sheriff’s Association and past chair of the Washington Regional Hospital Board of Directors. He is also past chair of the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and currently serves on the Board of Directors, which includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Northwest Florida, and the city of Memphis, TN. Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed Sheriff Helder to the Legislative Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force in April of 2015. The task force’s purpose was to reduce prison overcrowding through sentencing and parole reforms. In April of 2017, Governor Hutchinson appointed Sheriff Helder to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory Board. The board appointment will expire in January of 2024. In March of 2018, Governor Hutchinson appointed Sheriff Helder to the Arkansas School Safety Committee.

Sheriff Helder began his law enforcement career in 1979 with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, working in communications as a dispatcher. He later attended the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and continued to work for the Sheriff’s Office as a field deputy, patrolling the southern area of Washington County for two years.

During his years of law enforcement, Sheriff Helder has attended some of the most prestigious training available. Probably the most notable being the FBI National Academy, a 10-week training course for police administrators from across the globe. Along with the training he has been provided opportunities to develop and manage programs such as the Drug Task Force, Bike Patrol, Office of Professional Standards and Physical Fitness for law enforcement.

After 21 years of service with the Fayetteville Police Department, in April of 2003, Helder returned to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as chief deputy for then Sheriff Steve Whitmill. Helder entered the race for Sheriff after Whitmill accepted a position with Tyson Foods. He was subsequently elected, and began his first term on January 1, 2005. On January 1, 2017 he began serving his seventh term. Sheriff Helder is honored to be the longest serving Sheriff in the history of Washington County.

Since becoming Sheriff, Helder has undertaken the responsibility of managing the detention facility, which houses a maximum of 710 detainees. Along with the facility’s opening the Sheriff’s Office recruited and hired 85 new employees during his 1^styear as Sheriff. Currently, 320 employees work for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, patrol services have increased by adding field deputies and utilizing state and federal funds allowing the Sheriff’s Office to add extra deputies in the rural communities. Through similar grant funding and sharing resources with Federal and local law enforcement the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has taken the lead in technology, training and facilities.
 

Duane "Dak" Kees
United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas

Duane “DAK” Kees was nominated by President Trump to be the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas on September 22, 2017, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 20, 2017. 

Previously, DAK spent more than eight years on active duty in the United States Army as both an enlisted soldier and a Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps officer.  While on active duty, DAK deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq, where he earned two Bronze Stars.  As a member of the JAG Corps, he served as both a prosecutor and defense attorney where he tried cases ranging from drug distribution and sexual assault, to murder. He also prosecuted crimes involving international law.

Upon leaving active duty, DAK joined the Asa Hutchins Law Group, PLC where he continued to represent service members stationed throughout the world.  DAK also developed a complex litigation practice centered around business litigation and international law. 

Prior to starting his current position as U.S. Attorney, DAK was a Director in Global Ethics and Compliance for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.  There, he was responsible for Global Ethics and Compliance functions related to case management and governance of Ethics’ policies, with a particular focus on matters relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and general Anti-Corruption Compliance issues.

DAK earned his Juris Doctorate from the University Of Arkansas School Of Law.  He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Judge Advocate Criminal Law Advocacy Course, Advanced Trial Advocacy Course as well as the U.S. Navy Complex Litigation Course.

DAK currently serves in the Arkansas National Guard as a Brigade Judge Advocate at the rank of Major.

Leslie Rutledge
Arkansas Attorney General

Leslie Rutledge is the 56th Attorney General of Arkansas and first woman elected to the office.

General Rutledge believes face-to-face conversations lead to real solutions. Since taking office, she began a Mobile Office program for all 75 counties, a Military and Veterans Initiative, a Metal Theft Prevention program and a Cooperative Disability Investigations program to stop fraud in Social Security Disability.

Along with making the office more accessible, General Rutledge’s priorities have included creating more awareness of the office’s services, such as consumer protection and internet safety education; leading efforts to combat domestic violence; and focusing on making the office the top law firm for Arkansans.

Annie B. Smith
Associate Professor of Law
Director, Civil Litigation & Advocacy Clinic
University of Arkansas School of Law

Annie Smith is an associate professor of law and directs the law school’s Civil Litigation & Advocacy Clinic. She is also the founding director of the Human Trafficking Clinic. 

Prior to joining the University of Arkansas faculty, Professor Smith served as a Friedman Fellow, visiting associate professor of clinical law, and interim director of the International Human Rights Clinic at The George Washington University Law School. While at George Washington, she and her students represented a group of guestworkers in Magnifico, et al. v. Villanueva, et al., 783 F.Supp.2d 1217 (S.D.Fla. 2011), a suit alleging forced labor and human trafficking and resulting in a $13.5 million judgment. 

Professor Smith practiced at Legal Services of New Jersey where she was the inaugural recipient of the Cole Fellowship. The fellowship recognizes extraordinary commitment to securing social and economic justice for people in poverty. 

Professor Smith and her students have represented numerous low-wage employees in unpaid wage, human trafficking, and other employment matters. Committed to community legal education, Professor Smith has led trainings for workers and organizers, conducted outreach to farmworkers and day laborers, and authored know-your-rights publications.

Professor Smith's research interests include language access and the expansion and enforcement of guestworkers’ and immigrant workers’ workplace rights. 

Professor Smith is the former chair of the AALS Section on Poverty Law. She is currently a member of the section’s executive committee. She also serves as a board member of the Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center and Legal Aid of Arkansas. She is admitted to practice in Arkansas and New Jersey.

Doug Sprouse
Mayor
City of Springdale, Arkansas

Doug Sprouse was born in Ft. Smith and moved to Springdale with his family at age of 8. He attended Springdale schools and graduated from SHS in 1975. He then attended the University of Arkansas. In 1977, he married Sandy Hunt. They have three children and eight grandchildren, all residents of Springdale. Doug and Sandy have been active members of Cross Church Springdale for over 40 years, where he has been involved in the teaching and music ministries for most of that time.