Rebecca is the founder and executive director of The Poiema Foundation, a non-profit that fights human trafficking. She is the visionary of the organization’s approach to human trafficking that focuses on:

• Educating communities and raising general awareness about human trafficking.
• Engaging the public to be the eyes and ears in their community to identify at risk youth. 
• Empowering survivors of human trafficking through trauma-informed care so they can overcome their abuse and live with freedom and dignity.

Rebecca developed Poiema’s training curriculum and is a key presenter in many of the seminars that have educated more than 15,000 people about the dangers of human trafficking. She also designed Poiema’s community awareness program where every month volunteers take posters of missing children to more than 700 locations throughout various cities. To date, this program has helped with the recovery of 250 missing minors, of which 111 were victims of human trafficking. This volunteer-led program continues to grow and has expanded nationally, operating in three states.

Rebecca was instrumental in the procurement of Poiema’s safe house that has helped more than 60 survivors of human trafficking. She also developed the supporting programs for the safe house that include both operational strategies and approach to long-term, trauma-informed care for survivors’ physical and mental healing.

Rebecca holds a Master’s degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Educational Ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary and also serves as their Assistant Dean of Students and Advisor to Women. 

Before establishing The Poiema Foundation, Rebecca taught math and science in both public schools and at the collegiate level. She has been married to her husband, Raymond, for 30 years and they have four grown daughters.