Dr. Wickey Byrd is a leader in the fight against human trafficking and has presented at global and national conferences, authored academic articles and textbook chapters, and wrote curriculum for tour guides to identify child trafficking. Currently, Dr. Wickey Byrd is a member of the Greater Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force, the Central Florida Coalition Against Trafficking and works with WorldOrlando and the US Department of State to combat trafficking globally.

As Director of the Internship Program, Dr. Wickey Byrd launched human trafficking education in the Summer of 2020, creating robust curriculum to enhance the student’s internship education. Since inception, she has collectively educated more than 6,300 students to be able to identify and report human trafficking in their workplaces within the hospitality and tourism industry.

As the Executive Director of the UCF Center for the Study of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Dr. Wickey Byrd advances all anti-trafficking efforts for the college. The HTMS Center aims to be the global center of excellence in gathering and disseminating information to the community at large. Education, research, and community engagement are the pillars of the center, to be a resource for all anti-trafficking initiatives.

The HTMS Center is proud to partner with the Institute for Simulation and Training to use Artificial Intelligence and technology to fight human trafficking.