Kevin Ryan
Former President and CEO, Covenant House
A father, activist, and child advocate, Kevin Ryan spent nearly a decade in the 1990s on the front lines of Covenant House’s work with homeless and trafficked children before he was appointed by New Jersey’s governor as the state’s first Child Advocate. He thereafter served as New Jersey’s Commissioner of Children and Families and Commissioner of Human Services, and returned to Covenant House as its International President and CEO in 2009. Mr. Ryan retired after more than 30 years with Covenant House, including 14 years as president and CEO. Covenant House is the largest organization in the Americas helping exploited, homeless, runaway, and trafficked children and youth.
“Jailing underage prostituted children and teenagers doesn’t solve the problem of sexual exploitation; it’s the johns, gangs, cartels, and pimps who buy them and sell them who need to be identified, punished, jailed, fined, and, if they use the bodies of minors, placed on sex offender lists.”