Cherise Charleswell

Director of Development

Cherise Charleswell joined PACT in 2022. She has a multidisciplinary education, having undergraduate degrees in Biological Science and Cultural Anthropology, as well as a Master’s in Public Health. She is a fellow of The Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA) International Fellow - Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

She is a proud West Indian with roots in the Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, St Kitts, and Anguilla, and for this reason, a champion of culturally and linguistically appropriate services and communications.

When it comes to human trafficking, Cherise focuses her efforts on educating various audiences about the social determinants of health that act as both risk factors and obstacles to getting out of “The Life,” the historical root causes as to why certain groups or communities are more likely to be impacted by this human rights and public health epidemic, as well as the misconceptions around what a victim may look like. Through awareness building, she seeks to “Build Empathy” to bring about needed action through program interventions and policy, adequate funding, as well as enact socioeconomic changes, that will truly help to prevent victimization for the most vulnerable populations.

Her current and past leadership roles have included: serving as Producer and CoHost of Feminist Magazine KPFK/Pacifica Radio Network, a Founding Member of Rotary International’s Cause Based Club on Human Trafficking, member of Harbor UCLA Trauma Recovery Center's Community Advisory Council, former 2-term President of the Southern California Public Health Association, on the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Committee on Women’s Rights and Human Rights Forum. She has also held other positions on APHA: Policy Chair of the Women’s Caucus, & on the Publications Board. As well as Governing Board Member of the Society for Advancement of African American Public Health Issues (SAAPHI), Chair of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) Social Justice Task Force, and an appointed advisor of The Public Health Advisory Council of the University of Phoenix.