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Biography

Marcel van der Watt, Ph.D., is the President and CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), based in Washington, DC, and a Research Fellow with the Free State Centre for Human Rights at the University of the Free State in South Africa. His expertise is grounded in more than two decades of frontline and transnational criminal investigations, academic inquiry, and applied practice. A former police investigator, hostage and suicide negotiator, and international consultant, he has provided expert court testimony in several sex trafficking cases and continues to consult with law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers globally. He has briefed senior leaders at the highest levels, including the U.S. Congress, White House National Security Council, and the UK and South African Parliaments. A keynote speaker and published scholar, he received the 2020 Influential Scholar Award at the 17th Annual International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference (US). His commentary has appeared in The Hill, The Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, and elsewhere. Rooted in his faith in Christ and a nonpartisan approach, Marcel is deeply committed to protecting human dignity. He has been married to his best friend, Karolien, for 23 years.

John Winterdyk, Prof. Emeritus, earned his PhD in criminology from Simon Fraser University (1978) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. After nearly 38 years at Mount Royal University (MRU) in Calgary, Alberta, John retired in 2023. Throughout his academic career, John has specialized in human trafficking, crime prevention, youth/juvenile justice, comparative criminology, and criminal justice. He has received several national and international awards for his work and served as the founding director of the Centre of Criminology and Justice Research (CCJR) at MRU. In addition to having (co)authored/edited some 40 academic books, held several national and international adjunct positions, John has published numerous articles nationally and internationally and served as Guest Editor for nearly a dozen special journal issues, with five issues focusing on human trafficking. John is currently working on several human trafficking related projects and, in his retirement, enjoying more time with his grandchildren, travelling with his partner, and cycling the beautiful foothills of Alberta.

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