New Orleans: Labor and Sex Trafficking in Hotels

When: Aug 3, 2021, 4:30 – 7:00PM Central Time (US and Canada)

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Presentation By:

Dr. Roberto Hugh Potter, Professor, UCF College of Sciences, Director of the UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery

Dr. Roberto Hugh Potter is a professor and Sociologist at the University of Central Florida, where he has been teaching since 2008. His work is oriented towards assisting government and community-based organizations in solving social problems. Potter’s specialties include evaluation of justice, family welfare, and evaluation methods for management development in the criminal justice system, with research interests in human trafficking. Potter has resided for nearly 40 years in Florida, receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in Sociology/Criminology. His experience as a Health and Behavioral Scientist at the Centers for Disease control allowed him to work in corrections and substance abuse with the Division of Violence Prevention. He is utilizing and mentoring others in the research technologies of social science to move evidence-based practices into the world of justice, public health, and welfare. His pragmatic and quantitative approach to the study of human trafficking is unique and applicable to cross-disciplinary research and investigation in the field

Dr. TingTing Zhang, Associate Professor, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Dr. TingTing Zhang’s primary research goals are directed toward understanding customer engagement in the hospitality and tourism industries with a special focus on technology usage and adoption (such as virtual reality, social media, mobile apps, and online communities, etc.). Dr. Zhang joined the Rosen College of Hospitality Management as an Assistant Professor in August 2016. In her current position, she teaches face-to-face course of Hospitality Information Systems and mixed mode course of Event Technology.

 Jessica Wickey, Instructor, Director of Internship Program,UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Jessica Wickey is a UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management alumna, graduating with her Master’s in Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2013. Ms. Wickey has 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including restaurants, resorts, events, convention centers, non-profit fundraising, and live entertainment.

As Director of the Internship Program, she launched human trafficking education in the Summer of 2020, creating robust curriculum to enhance the student’s internship education. Ms. Wickey has presented on numerous panels including Florida Attorney General Ashely Moody’s Human Trafficking Summit, Florida Department of Health with Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, and UCF Police Department. Currently, Ms. Wickey is a member of the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force; she sits on the Central Florida National Academy Foundation’s Advisory Board for high schools with hospitality and tourism programs and works with the UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and WorldOrlando to combat trafficking