Mayor's Office Press Release

Mayor Parker Names City’s First Human Trafficking Advisor

June 30, 2015 -- Mayor Parker announced today that she has appointed Minal Patel Davis to the newly established position of Special Advisor to the Mayor on Human Trafficking.  Davis will coordinate with City, County, State and Federal law enforcement and pursue and maintain relationships with all levels of government to best coordinate efforts and messaging around the issue of human trafficking.

“Creation of this position is a sign of the importance my administration places on ending human slavery in Houston, said Mayor Parker.  “Minal is the perfect choice to lead our effort.  She has been a valuable member of the City’s anti-human trafficking task force.   Due to her leadership our program was realigned to mirror the protocol followed by the United Nations.”

Davis has an ambitious agenda mapped out that includes:

• Coordinating the efforts of service providers and funders in the field of human trafficking
• Engaging City Council members, community experts and survivors of human trafficking to establish a standard of care and formalize how victims are treated from intake to reintegration 
• Establishing relationships with national organizations that report on regional human trafficking data to show that while Houston is a hub, it is also a solution center
• Identifying the root causes of human trafficking while inviting organizations to build capacity to bridge access to services
• Recommending any changes to laws or ordinances surrounding human trafficking

Davis is a graduate of the School of Law and School of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut. She passed the New York State Bar and also received her MBA in 2001. As an adjunct professor, Davis taught labor and employment law and organizational theory for Metropolitan College of New York.