Jenny Williamson is a social entrepreneur, life coach, published author, business leader, and inspirational speaker. Through personal passion and professional leadership, Jenny has influenced national policy with regard to the issue of child sex trafficking due to her ground-breaking work with the population. Jenny led her team in creating a blueprint for success by developing—from scratch—a proven model of restoration in a long-term residential setting. ​ Jenny has spearheaded community campaigns to involve individuals, faith-based organizations, and business and government leaders in a collaborative effort to meet the needs of child victims impacted by the crime of trafficking. For her leadership, impact, and efforts in the community, Jenny has been recognized nationally, receiving awards including the prestigious FBI Director's Community Leadership Award, the Sacramento District Attorney Community Spirit Award, and the Community Impact Award from William Jessup University. She was additionally awarded the prestigious L'Oréal of Paris Women of Worth Award and was named one of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Points of Light Honorees. Jenny grew up in Jackson, Mississippi where she still has strong family and community ties, but relocated to Northern California and, later, Northern Nevada with her husband, Michael. She and Michael co-own Williamson Energy, Inc., an energy consulting business. She is a mother to three adult biological sons, two adopted adult daughters, and many other young women who now call Courage House home.

Gary Aldridge was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he was a cheerleader, and later received his MBA from the University of Alabama. He went on to acquire other credentials in accounting and finance such as CPA, CVA, and CFE. In 2016, he moved to Nashville, TN to be near his two adult sons and is now self-employed with a focus on helping business owners build their business for sale. His first book, titled “Build for Sale!,” is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025. As part of Gary’s spiritual journey, he became a Christian at 12 years old, participated in college ministry, and later taught adult Sunday school on and off for over 20 years. During this time, he served on various boards related to inner city ministry. He has been on mission trips to Ukraine, Belize, and Turkey. While his passion still involves missions abroad, he has a newfound passion for helping recover young women from sexual slavery so they can pursue the lives God intended for them. Gary is in the process of setting up his own nonprofit organization called Grow2Give, the sole purpose of which is to teach business owners how to grow the value of their business so they can give to those ministries whose efforts match their own passions. Proceeds from Grow2Give will be used to support ministries such as Courage Worldwide, among others. Gary is proud to add to his resume the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Courage Worldwide, Inc.

Matt McCarthy is a strategic advisor and organizational consultant with over 20 years of experience helping teams navigate complexity and scale with integrity. With a background spanning corporate transformation, entrepreneurial ventures, and nonprofit leadership, he brings a systems-oriented approach to growth, grounded in clarity, alignment, and values. Matt holds an MBA with an emphasis in strategic leadership and is known for his ability to translate big-picture vision into sustainable, day-to-day operations. Throughout his career, Matt has served as a trusted partner to executives, founders, and boards across industries. His work often centers on aligning people, process, and technology to unlock capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. As the founder of Questful, he advises purpose-driven leaders on how to grow without compromising what matters most: ethics, mission, or human well-being. Matt now serves as Chief Operating Officer for Courage Worldwide, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and restoring children from sex trafficking. In this role, he is helping strengthen Courage’s operational infrastructure in preparation for its next chapter of growth and increased impact. Supporting the mission of Courage aligns with Matt’s personal values and faith, as he seeks to use his skills in service of those most vulnerable—and in pursuit of a world where every child has the freedom to dream.

Corry Thornton is a versatile Senior Executive with extensive knowledge in sales, operations, and personnel management. Corry has a proven track record in his professional career of stepping into diverse, challenging business situations and making immediate, positive contributions and changes. Corry’s focus in his current position is optimizing operations and motivating employees while establishing marketing dominance. Corry’s attention to the financial details of the operation ensures profitability of the organization. Corry has had years of experience scaling operations through the purchase of other organizations and integrating the operations and personnel into the whole of the organization. The particular skill set Corry brings to Courage Worldwide is financial forecasting, media relations, risk management, business development, revenue cycle management, staff, financial and operations management, and creating healthy teams and culture. Corry is a native of Jackson, Mississippi where he became a rabid Ole Miss and New Orleans Saints football fan. He attended Delta State University where he played football. He now resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, 3 adult children, and 2 grandchildren.

Edna Simbi is a graduate student who completed her Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University with a specialization in International Security Policy and International Organizations. She also did her undergraduate at Columbia University, graduating with Honors in Political Science. Ms. Simbi is also a wife, a mother of two, and an advocate for women’s rights. She strongly believes no girl should suffer from sex trafficking and encourages women and girls to discover their potential and self-value, to know that they are equal participants and agents of social change, and they deserve the opportunity to thrive, grow and contribute to the community’s betterment. Ms. Simbi knows all too well the stigma of cultural practices that marginalize women. She grew up in Kenya where wife inheritance and female genital mutilation is still practiced. Where education for girls is an afterthought and where days of school are missed because of a lack of accountability. Ms. Simbi decided to take a stand and not only speak against these atrocities but make a difference. She has also been recognized for her advocacy and was awarded a change maker award for her role in women empowerment in 2017 by the United Nations. Ms. Simbi and her husband plan to return to Kenya where she will take on the role of Courage House Executive Director Kenya.

Joel has served churches and non-profit ministries for over 30 years. He planted Living Water Church in California in 1999 where he served for 18 years. He and his wife, Stephanie, are Regional Directors of Courage House in Tanzania. They also mentor girls who have transitioned from Courage House and are pursuing additional academic or vocational college education. They provide training to pastors, leaders, students, and young adults on the topics of human trafficking, the effects of trauma, emotional health, and more. Their first book, Battles and Breakthroughs in Setting Captives Free, was released in 2018. Joel grew up as a missionary kid in Madagascar and has a passion for missions and seeing local churches of all denominations work together. He has been married to Stephanie for over 30 years and they have 3 grown sons together.

Edwin Mugambila is a human rights lawyer with specialization in Trafficking in Persons, Refugee and Immigration, Gender-based Violence, and Child Protection Policy and Research. Edwin has been an active champion of TIP awareness programs in Tanzania, having appeared on TV, radio programs, and other public platforms to raise awareness of trafficking in persons. Edwin has partnered with Courage Worldwide on many community events as well as advising and training Courage House residents in their personal rights while representing their legal ones.

Vinita Busse is a Silicon Valley executive who has founded and led several companies, most recently as a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Artisanal, an executive placement and venture capital firm. She previously served as the CEO of SFDCJobs and has held senior leadership roles at Riviera Partners, IBM, Newgistics, and Trilogy. She holds a Software Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. While an engineer and startup entrepreneur at her core, her true passion lies in social, entrepreneurial, and political causes that better the lives of women. She is a founding board member of Electing Women Nevada and felt an instant kinship with Courage Worldwide as she felt compelled to protect and serve the needs of the most vulnerable women, in this case mere children, victims of a horrific crime, and give them a path back to the life, love, freedom, and opportunities that are every human’s birthright.

Dr. Vanessa Snyder is a Georgia Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Sex Therapist, Master Traumatologist, an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Candidate, and a Green Cross Certified Trainer. Dr. Snyder is the Chief Clinical Officer for Uncaged, an international anti-trafficking organization. Her clinical research focus is on complex trauma, including the treatment of children and adults in the commercial sex trafficking trade, both nationally and internationally. She also researches and trains organizations in secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout, specifically those who serve traumatized populations. She founded Resilience Source, LLC counseling collective, in Roswell, Georgia. Resilience Source exists to counsel, consult, and train in the areas of acute and complex trauma, sexual issues, marriage and families in crisis, addiction, trauma-informed care, compassion fatigue, and organizational trauma. She is also an adjunct professor at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta and Concordia University in Irvine. Dr. Snyder earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University. She holds her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in Christian Sex Therapy from Richmont Graduate University. She is clinically trained in Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (level 2); Trauma-Informed Hypnosis (Level 2); Internal Family Systems (Level 2); Certified Sex Addiction Therapy (Mod 1, 2, & 3); Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework; Gottman Couples Therapy; and Prepare-Enrich. Dr. Snyder resides in Roswell, Georgia with her husband, Mark.