International Trafficking in Persons
Aug 25, 2021
Amy O'Neill Richard, Senior Advisor, US State Dept
International Trafficking in Persons

Amy O’Neill Richard is the Acting Senior Coordinator for Public Engagement and a Senior Advisor in the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. An original member of the office, she was instrumental in developing its foundational goals and policies. She currently oversees a team focused on public engagement, strategic communications, public diplomacy, and survivor engagement. This team also works on the Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), its rollout, and its TIP Report Heroes program. Ms. Richard engages foreign governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector to leverage expertise and resources to raise awareness of and prevent human trafficking.  She serves as the co-chair of the U.S. Government’s Senior Policy Operating Group’s Committee on Research and Data. Previously, Ms. Richard led the Reports team and its work on the annual TIP Report. Her own research on trafficking to the United States has earned her State Department awards, and her findings were used to support the drafting of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and became an initial baseline for assessing the U.S. Government’s anti-trafficking efforts. Ms. Richard formerly worked in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s Office of Terrorism, Narcotics, and Crime where she received the Analyst of the Year Award for developing the transnational organized crime portfolio.