Catherine Chen is CEO of Polaris, the leading anti-trafficking organization in the United States. She has spent more than two decades addressing the root causes of sex and labor trafficking.
Before joining Polaris, Chen spearheaded a 10-year global campaign for Humanity United to highlight the plight of migrant workers in Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, resulting in Qatar becoming the first nation in the Persian Gulf to enact a national minimum wage. She also created the Partnership for Freedom, a national competition launched by President Barack Obama to spur new technology, data, and local policies in anti-trafficking efforts.
Earlier in her career, she served as Save the Children's global Anti-Trafficking and Child Protection Advisor and led a training and technical assistance program for U.S. Department of Justice anti-trafficking task forces.
She holds a bachelors' degree from Stanford University, and a master of public health degree from Columbia University.
