Christi Wigle is the CEO and Co-founder of United Against Slavery. She has worked on the frontlines of anti-human trafficking work for thirteen years, serving in leadership and survivor advocacy for sex and labor trafficking survivors. Drawing upon two decades of business and product development experience, she created an innovative methodology to perform comprehensive frontline research and data collection, creating a Collaborative Research Model. Christi co-founded United Against Slavery in 2014 as a research organization to identify and document the challenges faced by more than 20 stakeholder groups here in the United States and around the globe.

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​As CEO, Christi developed the National Outreach Survey, a tool designed to collect and disseminate comprehensive frontline data on all types of human trafficking to inform research, programming, evaluation, and other functions of the counter-trafficking community. The UAS team has worked with more than 50 professionals from 22 countries to identify challenges and recommendations from the frontlines, that has helped inform the survey questions on the NOS.

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Under her leadership, UAS launched two pilot studies, a National Outreach Survey for Flight Attendants in early 2020, and plans to launch the 2021 National Outreach Survey for Transportation (NOST), upon receiving the first-ever US Department of Transportation Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award. The NOST has more than 100 Contributors to this groundbreaking study. To date, UAS studies have identified more than 80 lingering medical ailments experienced by sex trafficking survivors, and have proven the need for more frequent and robust research into the impacts of sex and labor trafficking on victims and society.

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Prior to founding United Against Slavery, Christi had over two decades experience as a business executive and small business owner. Today, she continues to advocate directly on behalf of sex and labor trafficking survivors and serves as a mentor to leaders across the country. She serves on the Transportation Research Board Human Trafficking in Transportation Common Interest Group Steering Committee, the Alliance 8.7 Communications Engagement and Advocacy Group, and as Co-Chair of the United Against Slavery Judicial Working Group. In addition, Christi serves as a Board Member for multiple non-profit organizations. She holds an ABA from Walters State Community College. Christi lives in East TN and is a proud mom and grandmom.

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PUBLICATIONS

Journals

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1. Kendall, Hon. Virginia, & Wigle, Christi. (2021). The Judicial System Can Mitigate Re-traumatizing of Sex and Labor Trafficking Survivors. American Bar Association Judges' Journal, 60(2), Spring, 4-7. 

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2. Habermann, P.E., J., Suárez, E., Wigle, C., Jones, PhD, S., Croope, PhD, ENV SP, S. V., Hall, R., Hill, M., & Baglin, JD, MPH, C. (2021). The Contributions of State and Local DOTs to Disrupting Human Trafficking. The Institute of Transportation Engineers Journal, 94(6), 40–44. https://staging.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ITE/ite-journal-june-2021/stage.php#/p/40

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3. Yagci Sokat, PhD, K., Auguste, MS, M., Wigle, C., & Baglin, JD, C. (2024). Forced Labor and Transportation: Multi-disciplinary perspectives. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 23, 100999. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100999

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4. Auguste, MS, M. E., Yagci Sokat, PhD, K., Wigle, C., & Baglin, JD, C. (2024). Reporting on Human Trafficking Crimes: A National Transportation Survey. Journal of Transportation Security, 17, 7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12198-024-00277-5