Indian-American woman honored at White House for combating human trafficking
An Indian-American woman has been honored with a Presidential award by the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for her extraordinary contribution towards combating human trafficking in Houston. Minal Patel Davis, Special Advisor on Human Trafficking to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, received the "Presidential Medal for Combating Human Trafficking" in the White House last week at a ceremony also attended by President Donald Trump.
Minal Davis still can't believe she won the award
After winning the country's highest honor in the field, Davis said, "My parents came here from India. I was the first one in my family born in the US, so to end up in the Mayor's office a few years ago, and then to now end up in the White House, it was unbelievable." Davis was appointed as the Special Advisor in July 2015.
Davis currently implementing the Mayor Turner's Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan
Appointed in July 2015, Minal Patel Davis has made a local impact on human trafficking in America's fourth-largest city, Houston, from a policy-level perspective. She also helped in the advancing systems change. The Indian-American Special Advisor is currently implementing the Mayor Turner's Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan, which is the first comprehensive municipal response to human trafficking by a US city.
Davis also discussed municipal leadership in trafficking in India, Canada
Davis did her MBA from the University of Connecticut and BA from New York University. She has spoken at several national and international panels and presented Houston city's approach. Davis is a past speaker at the UN World Humanitarian Summit and recently traveled to India and Canada at the request of the State Department to discuss municipal leadership in trafficking with the government officials.
