Martina Vandenberg

Martina E. Vandenberg (born c. 1968[1]) is an American lawyer, activist,[2] and nonprofit executive.[3] She is the founder and president of the Human Trafficking Legal Center,[4][5][6] a nonprofit that trains pro bono lawyers to seek restitution for human trafficking victims.[7]

Vandenberg in 2014

Early life and education

Vandenberg grew up in Gilroy, California.[1] She attended Pomona College, where she studied international relations and was president of the student body.[1] After graduating in 1990, she earned a masters degree in Russian/East European studies[2] from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.[4] In 1992, at the age of 24, she moved to Russia and founded the country's first rape crisis center.[2] She became a Truman Scholar in 1998,[8] and earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School.[4]

Career

Vandenberg was a researcher for Human Rights Watch, for which she authored two reports, "Hopes Betrayed: Trafficking of Women and Girls to Post-Conflict Bosnia & Herzegovina for Forced Prostitution" and "Kosovo: Rape as a Weapon of 'Ethnic Cleansing.'"

She was also a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, where she focused on commercial litigation and investigations of companies that illegally bribed foreign governments to advance their business interests.[4]

In 2012, she founded the Human Trafficking Legal Center with support from the Open Society Foundations.[4] The center is a nonprofit that trains pro bono lawyers to seek restitution for victims of human trafficking. As of 2021, she has trained more than 4000 attorneys.[4]

Recognition

In 2020, she was the commencement speaker at Pomona,[8] and was awarded an honorary doctorate.[9]

References
  1. Waugh, Dexter (December 11, 1989). "32 tabbed as Rhodes scholars". San Francisco Examiner. p. 8. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Cidylo, Lori (November 19, 1995). "Helpful stranger: Young American takes Rhodes less traveled". Chicago Tribune. p. 485. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Hingad, Vidusshi (October 7, 2022). "Martina Vandenberg PO '90 speaks on experience in human rights work". The Student Life. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  4. "2021 Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award Winners". Pomona College. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. Haase, Linda (December 1, 2016). "Group pushes projects that benefit women, girls". The Palm Beach Post. pp. N5. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Martina E. Vandenberg". Human Trafficking Legal Center. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. "Fainess Lipenga and Martina Vandenberg Shine A Spotlight On Labor Trafficking". John Jay College of Criminal Justice. February 6, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. Davidoff, Jasper (February 28, 2020). "Pomona announces historian and human rights lawyer as commencement speakers". The Student Life. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. "Honorary Degree Recipients". Pomona College. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
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