Speaker Information

Marlan Wilbanks, Partner, Wilbanks & Gouinlock

Marlan B. Wilbanks is a founding partner of Wilbanks & Gouinlock, LLP. Prior to founding this Firm, he was with the firm of Harmon, Smith, Bridges & Wilbanks and then Wilbanks & Bridges since graduation from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1986. While at Harmon, Smith, Bridges & Wilbanks, Wilbanks spearheaded the Firm’s efforts to achieve national recognition involving qui tam litigation or “whistleblower” suits, as they are more commonly known. In whistleblower suits, the firm represents individuals who have come forward with information concerning fraudulent acts that have been committed against the Government (federal or state).

Emma Hetherington, Assistant Clinical Professor and Director, Wilbanks CEASE Clinic, University of Georgia School of Law

Emma Hetherington is an assistant clinical professor and the director of the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Clinic at the University of Georgia School of Law. Hetherington was charged with the creation of the clinic in January 2016. Hetherington has represented hundreds of children who have experienced abuse and neglect, with a specialized focus on representing older youth who have been sexually abused or exploited. Hetherington has served as faculty in several national and statewide conferences and has also served as an expert for the Georgia General Assembly, commenting on proposed legislation directly affecting survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Hetherington provides legal consulting services to attorneys and advocates nationwide on matters involving child sexual abuse, and her research focuses on trauma-informed legal practices in representing survivors. Before joining the law school’s faculty, Hetherington served as the managing attorney for the Georgia Law Center for the Homeless and as a senior child advocate attorney for the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Emory University and her Juris Doctor cum laude from Georgia Law.

Victoria Hicks, Law Student Associate, Wilbanks CEASE Clinic, University of Georgia School of Law

Victoria Hicks is rising 3L at the University of Georgia School of Law. A native of Stone Mountain, Georgia, Victoria graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Currently, Victoria is a student intern in the Wilbanks CEASE Clinic, an Executive Editor on the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, member of the Georgia Law Mock Trial Team, an the Student Member-At-Large for the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys. Upon graduating from law school, Victoria plans to pursue a career in litigation.

Erica Mortonson, Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator, Georgia's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.

Erica Mortonson is the Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator with Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. At CJCC, she oversees the statewide project that includes the Human Trafficking Task Force. The Task Force coordinates and facilitates communication and collaboration amongst Georgia’s anti-trafficking stakeholders. She provides guidance in the development of resources, such as training curricula for law enforcement, prosecutors, service providers and students. Erica has over 6 years’ experience in human trafficking, sexual assault and child sexual abuse services. Previously, she was the Sexual Assault Program Director of The Cottage, Sexual Assault Center and Children’s Advocacy Center. There, she supervised the agency’s team of advocates and clinicians and worked collaboratively with law enforcement and prosecutors in sexual assault cases in the Athens-Clarke County area. She also oversaw the mental health support groups for victims of sexual assault and child sexual abuse. She serves on the Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team State Expert Committee and has been recognized as a leader in the development of innovative training resources for law enforcement in their response to victims of crime. Erica holds bachelor’s degree in Sociology, Anthropology and Gender Studies. She is also a licensed clinician (LCSW) having earned her master’s degree in Social Work, graduating with honors from the University of Georgia.

Camila Zolfaghari, Executive Directer of Georgia Street Grace

Camila Zolfaghari serves as the Executive Director of Street Grace, bringing ten years expertise and experience prosecuting human trafficking cases and spearheading legislative changes. During her time at Street Grace she has overseen the passage of some of the most historic legislative victories in the history of the human trafficking movement. She was invited by First Lady Marty Kemp to serve on the GRACE Commission, a group of leaders dedicated to ending human trafficking. She is a highly sought-after speaker and is often invited to speak at statewide and national conferences and share her expertise along with the innovative policy and demand centered work of Street Grace.

In 2014, Camila Zolfaghari was appointed by former Attorney General Sam Olens to be the first Special Prosecutor dedicated to the prosecution of human trafficking in the State of Georgia. As a prosecutor for the Attorney General’s Office, she had the authority to prosecute human trafficking throughout the entire state and assisted jurisdictions as they worked these complex cases. In addition to handling prosecutions, Ms. Zolfaghari oversaw the Attorney General’s policy agenda on human trafficking. She was involved in the National Association of Attorneys General Human Trafficking Committee and she chaired the statewide Law Enforcement Workgroup.

Prior to this position she was the head of the Human Trafficking Unit for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office where she was responsible for the prosecution of all human trafficking cases. She prosecuted the first case of human trafficking against a buyer in the State of Georgia and prosecuted many traffickers who were sentenced to life without parole. The majority of her work involved young local girls who were manipulated and trafficked in Fulton County. She worked closely with the FBI, GBI, ICE, local law enforcement agencies and other nonprofit and community partners to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases. Ms. Zolfaghari obtained her J.D. from the University of North Carolina and her L.L.M in International Law from the University of Amsterdam. She obtained her B.A. from the University of Tennessee.

Kacey Long, LGBTQ Coordinator, Sex Trafficking Coordinator, & Adult Advocate at The Cottage, Sexual Assault Center & Children’s Advocacy Center.

Kacey Long, MSW (she/her/hers) is the LGBTQ Coordinator, Sex Trafficking Coordinator, & Adult Advocate at The Cottage, Sexual Assault Center & Children’s Advocacy Center. Kacey graduated from the University of Michigan with a Masters of Social Work in 2017 with a concentration in Social Policy & Evaluation and a minor in Community Organizing. She has been working with survivors of sexual assault and human trafficking since 2012 and has focused since 2015 within the intersections of LGBTQ identifying folks who have experienced sexual violence and human trafficking. Her background consists of community education and outreach, conducting research to create state and local policy, and creating comprehensive and accessible resources regarding the reporting process, both to local police departments and through university and Title IX processes.

Jacqueline Adams, Senior Coordinator LGBTQ Resource Center, University of Georgia

Jacqueline Adams (she/her) is currently completing her Ph.D. in American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University where she is writing her qualitative dissertation on service providers and their barriers to success when working with sex trafficking survivors of color who also identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer. She has seven years of experience working with local government, academia, and nonprofits to development intersectional diversity and inclusion trainings to empower cultural pluralism in human services.

Director Tom C. Rawlings, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services

Tom C. Rawlings was appointed in February 2019 by Governor Brian Kemp to serve as Director of the State Division of Family and Children Services, where he supports the efforts of over 8,000 DFCS employees who protect Georgia’s most vulnerable children and assist the state’s struggling families. He previously served as Interim Director of the agency under Governor Nathan Deal. Prior to joining DFCS, Tom served as Georgia’s Child Advocate for the Protection of Children and helped lead efforts to improve our state’s child protection system. Governor Deal appointed him to the Office of the Child Advocate post in January 2017, and he also served as the Director of that agency from 2007-2010 under Governor Sonny Perdue. An honors graduate of both Duke University and the University of Georgia School of Law, he earned his Masters’ degree from Oxford University with distinction in International Human Rights Law. From 2000-2007, he served as the first full-time juvenile court judge in the Middle Judicial Circuit, where he oversaw juvenile justice and child protection cases in five counties. After serving his first term as the state children's ombudsman, Tom and his family moved to Guatemala in 2010, where he directed a child sexual abuse prosecution and treatment team as the country director for International Justice Mission. Certified by the National Association of Counsel for Children as a child welfare law specialist, Tom is a former Fulbright Senior Specialist in Law and is the author of Georgia Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: Policy, Practice and Procedure, updated regularly. A native of Sandersville, Tom and his wife, Kay, now live in Atlanta and have three sons.

Dahlia Bell-Brown, Deputy Division Director of Strategy, Innovation & Engagement, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services

Kristy Carter, Victim Assistance Division Director, Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

Darren Penn, Founder and Attorney, Penn Law LLC

Darren Penn is a trial lawyer who handles a wide variety of tort and business litigation in state and federal courts across the United States. His practice ranges from extensive products liability, trucking and auto collisions, wrongful death, medical malpractice and aviation to business tort, entertainment, intellectual property cases, and child sexual abuse cases.

Darren began his career in 1994 as a trial lawyer for the State Farm Insurance Companies, the largest auto, property, and casualty insurer in the world. After leaving State Farm in 1997, Darren was a founding member of Penn & Pate LLP where he built a successful trial practice exclusively representing plaintiffs in a variety of personal injury and business tort litigation. In 2000, Darren merged his practice into the firm that became known as Scherffius, Ballard Still & Ayres LLP. After five great years with that firm, Darren along with 2 other partners formed Harris Penn Lowry LLP (HPL) in 2006.

Most recently, Darren formed his latest adventure in the practice of law, Penn Law LLC. Founded on his passion for representing injured persons against formidable opponents as well as his determination to take complex cases to trial and win, Darren has one goal in mind with the formation of Penn Law: to make a difference in the lives of his clients. Always taking a creative and passionate approach to his cases, Darren gives each one his very best and that effort is reflected in his results. Over the years, he has attained hundreds of favorable verdicts for his clients, influenced critical changes in safety regulations, legislation, and manufacturing and business practices in this country, which have positively impacted the lives of countless families, consumers, and business owners.

An avid Georgia Bulldogs fan, Darren is a “Double Dawg” having earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia where he served as Executive Articles Editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and participated in the Moot Court.

Darren lives in Atlanta with his wife, six children, and four dogs. When not working, he can most often be found cheering his kids on at any number of sporting events, coaching NYO football, or participating in school activities.

Sachi Cole, Attorney, Penn Law LLC

Alexandra “Sachi” Cole is an attorney at Penn Law in Atlanta, Georgia. At Penn Law, Sachi specializes in representing children who were abused by those charged with protecting them. Sachi's work includes representing numerous victims against not only the abusers but the institutions which allowed this abuse to take place.

Most recently, Sachi helped secure an order denying a motion to dismiss for 18 plaintiffs against a private school for sexual abuse by a teacher which occurred more than 25 years ago. Sachi represents clients with claims against the Boy Scouts, Catholic Church and public and private schools.

Sachi currently serves on Georgia Trial Lawyers Association’s (GTLA) Executive Board. Sachi graduated from GTLA’s Leadership Program, Georgia Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) Leadership Academy and the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Success Program.

Outside of work, Sachi serves as a Board Member at the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy which provides no-cost services to sexually abused children and their families throughout the State of Georgia since 1987.

Jonathan Tonge, Associate, Anderson Tate & Carr

Jonathan Tonge is an attorney at Andersen, Tate & Carr. He represents survivors of sex trafficking in civil suits. Prior to joining the firm, he clerked for the Honorable Timothy C. Batten, Sr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Jonathan graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law magna cum laude in 2016 and was a student in the inaugural class at the Wilbanks Child Endangerment and Sexual Exploitation Clinic. Prior to law school, Jonathan was a communications manager for an environmental nonprofit, bookstore owner, journalist, and musician.