OUR STORY AND
OUR LEGACY
Founded in 2010, Imua Alliance has become one of Hawai'i's leading anti-trafficking organizations. We've rescued over 160 victims from sexual slavery and provided services to over 1,000 more. We are committed to eliminating sexual servitude from our islands' shores.
PREVENTION AND
INTERVENTION
Each day, Imua Alliance's advocacy provides outreach and direct intervention services to victims at high-risk locations. We also equip students and community members with the skills to prevent exploitation before it begins and effectively respond to those in need.
A VICTIM-CENTERED
APPROACH
Our approach to combating human trafficking focuses in the needs and concerns of survivors. Our services are founded on compassion and sensitivity, and are always delivered in a nonjudgemental manner. Every action we take is informed by the principles of trauma-informed care.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Imua Alliance's leadership team brings a wide variety of experience and expertise to our advocacy efforts. They are responsible for the management of our organization and their work reflects the highest standards of professional excellence.
Kris Coffield
Founder/Executive Director
Kris is a public policy specialist and political consultant. He founded Imua Alliance in 2011, after learning that a friend had been trafficked in a local hostess bar. Since then, he has provided victims services to hundreds of survivors of Hawai'i's sex trade, while providing prevention training to over 30,000 keiki and community members. He is also the chief-of-staff for Rep. Jeanné Kapela.
Mireille Ellsworth
Board of Directors Member
Mireille is a veteran educator from Waiakea High School and director of Hawai'i Teachers for Change. She has organized efforts to replace standardized testing with authentic assessments that promote real-world learning. She is also a longtime advocate for increasing school funding and expanding wraparound services and trauma-informed care for students.
Jeanné Kapela
Prevention Coordinator
Jeanné was elected to the Hawai'i State House of Representatives in 2020, where she serves as the Vice Chair of the House Education Committee. She represents District 5, which runs from Kona to Ka'u on Hawai'i Island. She is the former Executive Director of UNITE Hawai'i, where she focused on ending sexual exploitation through education. She won the Miss Hawai'i title in 2015.
Eileen Roco
Board of Directors Member
Eileen is a graphic designer and artist based out of Hawai'i and Taiwan. She recently finished illustrating "Kayla," an educational story about how sex trafficking operates in the islands. She has a B.A. in Communications from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and excels in helping organizations broaden their community reach. She has been a victim advocate with Imua Alliance since 2017.
Ashleigh Loa
Finance and Development Director
After earning a degree in business from the University of Hawai'i at West O'ahu, Ashleigh entered the nonprofit sector to help Hawai'i's homeless population. She was previously a housing specialist at Family Promise of Hawai'i shelter and now serves as a community organizer at Faith Action for Community Equity, where she works on the issues of homelessness and affordable housing.
David Negaard
Board of Directors Member
David earned a bachelor's degree in Communications: English (Writing) and Religion and a minor in Music from Graceland University. He earned a master's degree in Theatre Production from Central Washington University, while teaching English in a high poverty community and establishing a drama program for at-risk youth. He currently teaches English in Wailuku on Maui.
Justin Salisbury
Board of Directors Member
Justin works in blindness rehabilitation and government affairs. During college, he organized students to facilitate community education programs about sexual assault and relationship violence. His work in disability rights connects him to the high rate of sexual exploitation of women with disabilities. He is Canada First Nations and wants to end violence against indigenous women.