Marshall C. Taylor is an attorney having engaged in the practice of law since 1965, and is presently associated with the Lehmann Law Group, LLC, as “Of Counsel”. Attorney Taylor has served as general counsel for First Hartford Realty, counsel for Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, President of Your Shelter, Inc., and over the years, has participated in numerous small business entrepreneurial concerns. He is currently an active volunteer for the American Cancer Society, Shoreline Circle of Hope, and serves on the Town of Manchester Ethics Commission.
Linda Lehmann, Secretary
Linda C. Lehmann is an attorney and principal member of the Lehmann Law Group, LLC. Prior to her establishing her law firm, Attorney Lehmann worked as Staff Attorney for the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc., a non-profit that provides legal representation to low income persons with disabilities. She has worked for various law firms and her legal experience includes employment, fair housing, probate matters and non-profit enterprise.
Frank N. Barnaba, Director
Frank N. Barnaba is the Founder and President of the Barnaba Institute. He is also a former Senior Vice President of Sales for Culligan Water Systems. Please refer to his biography in the “Staff” section.
Robert Potts, Treasurer
Robert Potts is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) at KPMG in Stamford, Connecticut.
Matt Dorozenski, Director
Matt Dorozenski is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he studied biochemistry and molecular biology and pure mathematics. He has done graduate work in mathematics at Fairfield University and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University. Prior to beginning graduate studies, Mr. Dorozenski was employed by several financial services companies in New York City where he worked in financial modeling, risk analysis, and asset backed securitization. As a founding member of the End Internet Trafficking Coalition, Mr. Dorozenski has been vital in networking with other anti-trafficking organizations and advises the Director on matters pertaining to fundraising and financial management. He remains actively involved with several anti-trafficking organizations throughout the United States that work both domestically and abroad. He has studied Spanish at Middlebury College and Dartmouth College and is conversational in both French and Spanish.
Lisa Bragaw, Director
Lisa Bragaw is a pharmacist in Southeastern, CT. She graduated from Northeastern University School of Pharmacy in 1993. In addition to the Barnaba Institute, she is involved in other non-profit organizations, including the Terry Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundtion. She is also a Board Member for the Connecticut Pharmacists Association. As a mother of three, she is dedicated to the prevention of exploitation and safety of all youth.
Kimberly Vecchione - Bon, Director
Kimberly is the former Account Executive for Miller Beer, MasterCard, TWA and Yuban. She created promotional ideas for clientele, worked as an event coordinator and edited written copy. In her spare time, she worked on writing music and performing her original songs. Fifteen years ago, she left the corporate world and has since recorded three albums; has written her own children's book series titled "Mitchie's Amazing Adventures," started her own Publishing Company called Kimberly Bon Publishing, LLC, and most importantly, raised four children, three of whom are special needs. Kimberly was drawn to the Barnaba Institute because her daughter, Cas, died during a period of her life when she was being victimized in commercial sexual exploitation.
Lorraine Keyes, Director
Lorraine Keyes is a RN with a certification in case management and is currently the Director of Case Management at MontoweseHealth & RehabCenter in North Haven, Connecticut. Ms. Keyes is also a part-time instructor in the Medical Assisting Program at Branford Hall. Additionally, she is a certified Energy Medicine Practitioner and holds a Master's degree in Counseling.
Sabrina, Director
As a survivor of prostitution, Sabrina brings essential knowledge to the Board of the Barnaba Institute. She has aked that her real name not be identified on public records in order to protect her children and job security. Sabrina resides on the West Coast.
Advisory Board
Sergeant Byron Fassett
Sergeant Byron Fassett has been with the Dallas Police Department for over 24 years. He served as the Sergeant of the Department's Family Violence Squad for three years before moving to the Child Exploitation Squad in 1990. In his current position, Sgt. Fassett is responsible for supervising the Child Exploitation Squad which consists of 15 Detectives and is divided into three teams: the Investigations Team; the High Risk Victims and Trafficking Team and the Internet Crimes Against Children Team. Sgt. Fassett has also been designated as a Special Investigator for the Attorney General's Office of the State of Texas and a Special Deputy for the United States Marshall's Service.
Barbara Louise Gilliam
Barbara White Gilliam is a Reverend at Glad Tiding's Tabernacle Church in North Long Beach, California. She has an extensive background in social work with varied populations including sexually exploited persons. Ms. Gilliam conducts presentations on human trafficking and sexual exploitation in her community and runs several programs that focus on providing children with early intervention services. In the mid 1980's, Ms. Gilliam worked alongside Mr. Barnaba in New York City on outreach trips to assist victims of sex trafficking. Christy Hildebrand
Christy Hildebrand is the Program Director of the Youth Health Service Corps for the Eastern Area Health Education Center (AHEC) since October of 2006. Ms. Hildebrand graduated from ThreeRiversCommunity College in 1993 with an A.S. in Liberal Arts, and from EasternConnecticutStateUniversity in 1998 with a B.A. in History. She is a certified First Aid and CPR instructor, as endorsed by the American Heart Association, and possesses a Provisional Adult Basic Education Certificate as issued by the Connecticut State Board of Education and a Designated Head Teacher Certificate from the Connecticut Department of Public Health. She has worked with the youth of eastern Connecticut in several capacities, including the 2008 and 2009 Eastern Connecticut Youth Health Pipeline Project. Ms. Hildebrand was responsible for the implementation of the Youth Health Service Corps at several local high schools, including the Norwich Free Academy, Plainfield, Killingly and Windham High Schools, and most recently, the Griswold Youth Center. Prior to her career at Eastern AHEC, she worked as an instructor for Norwich Adult Education for eight years.
Youth Advisory Board
The Barnaba Institute is pleased to have several youth from Connecticut High Schools who actively participate in awareness and fundraising events.
Staff
Frank N. Barnaba
Frank N. Barnaba, President of the Barnaba Institute, has worked tirelessly to remove women and children from the devastating world of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Mr. Barnaba founded the Paul & Lisa Program, based in Connecticut, in 1980 and is well known for his efforts in recovering runaway and missing children, often working with federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Throughout his career, Mr. Barnaba has lectured at national conferences on sexual exploitation and human trafficking including the White House, the Helsinki Commission and the Mid-Term Review for the Third World Congress. He has also lectured at numerous Connecticut schools, rotary clubs and colleges and universities nationwide including YaleUniversity, WheatonCollege, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, BostonCollege and BrownUniversity.
Mr. Barnaba has recevied numerous awards since 1982 in his fight to rescue exploited and trafficked youth and women including the Middlesex County Bar Association Liberty Bell, the Hartford Courant Foundation's Volunteer of the Year Award, National Victim of Crime Award honored by President Reagan, Channel 8 News Jefferson Award and Middlesex County's Kids Are Great Award.
Alexis Taylor Litos
Alexis Taylor Litos, Executive Director, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from WheatonCollege with a special interest in writing and women’s studies. After college, Ms. Taylor Litos worked as a mental health worker for troubled teenagers in both a psychiatric and residential environment. She also holds a master’s in nutritional science from the University of Bridgeport.
Ms. Taylor Litos has extensive experience in volunteering with several non-profit organizations. Currently, she serves as a mentor at a residential for troubled teenagers; volunteers for an animal shelter and is a co-facilitator on the Outreach Commission of her church.
Sandra Chansing Taylor
Sandra Chansing Taylor (no relation to the Director or Chairman) is the Barnaba Institute's part-time Outreach and Grant Assistant. She is a native of Venezuela and came to the States to attend Immaculata College and the Philadelphia Conservatory. Her deceased husband was the Director of Valiance House, a drug rehabilitation center in Norwich, CT where she volunteered her time and worked with the families of patients for many years. Between researching grant opportunities, Ms. Taylor is very busy volunteering her time in creating graphics, posters and other visual materials as well as heading local fundraiser events. Ms. Taylor adds a very special addition to our team and we are very pleased to have her on-board!
Throughout his career, Mr. Barnaba has lectured at national conferences on sexual exploitation and human trafficking including the White House, the Helsinki Commission and the Mid-Term Review for the Third World Congress. He has also lectured at numerous