Linda Smith is a national leader in the fight to end sex trafficking and the founder of Shared Hope International (SHI). A former U.S. Congresswoman, her advocacy began after visiting India’s brothel districts in 1998, where she witnessed the exploitation of women and children firsthand.

Under Linda’s leadership, SHI has conducted groundbreaking global research on the sex trafficking industry—including the DEMAND report and The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking—both entered into the Congressional Record. In 2011, she launched the Protected Innocence Challenge, a first-of-its-kind initiative to assess and improve child sex trafficking laws across all 50 states, driving significant legislative reform.

Linda has been a long-time partner to Arizona’s anti-trafficking movement. Her collaborations with AATN, including hotel training, survivor-centered programming, and high-impact research, have helped position Arizona as a national model. In 2025, she will convene more than 1,000 multidisciplinary leaders at the JuST Conference, advancing cross-sector strategies to end commercial sexual exploitation.

An acclaimed speaker and author of From Congress to the Brothel, Renting Lacy and Invading the Darkness, Linda continues to champion solutions through initiatives like Just Like Me and the Prison Project, affirming her lifelong commitment to justice and restoration.