Derek Ellerman

Derek Ellerman "is a co-founder, former Co-Executive Director, and current Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Polaris Project. Mr. Ellerman supervised the development and implementation of Polaris Project programs in the United States and Japan. An expert on US-based sex trafficking networks, Mr. Ellerman has trained and worked closely with federal and local law enforcement, testified before the U.S. Congress, and worked directly with survivors of trafficking. He has been featured in various media including National Public Radio, the Washington Post, and several network news shows. Formerly an Adjunct Professor at Trinity University, Mr. Ellerman taught at the graduate-level on international criminal network operations and counter-trafficking strategies. Before co-founding Polaris Project, Mr. Ellerman founded and for four years served as Executive Director of the Center for Police and Community (CPAC), a Providence-based non-profit working on issues of police misconduct in Rhode Island. In 2004, Mr. Ellerman was selected as an Ashoka Fellow and then as an Ambassador with Ashoka Innovators for the Public, where he provides consultation services as a Senior Venture Advisor. Mr. Ellerman has a Sc.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University."