John Nehme

John Nehme is the founding President & CEO of Allies Against Slavery, where he’s worked for thirteen years to build a future where every community has the data they need to identify and prevent human trafficking. Under his leadership, Allies has supported hundreds of trafficking survivors, successfully passed a slave-free city resolution in Austin, and grown the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking. In 2018, Allies launched Lighthouse, an innovative software platform to identify victims and visualize data. Lighthouse is used by over 200 organizations and more than 2000 field professionals across Texas and Louisiana, with support from Governor’s Offices in both states. John also served on a research team with the University of Texas to publish the first statewide prevalence study of human trafficking, and he serves as an expert witness in sex trafficking cases.

John has a degree in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University, where he studied as an Ingram Scholar. He earned a Master of Political Economy from the University of Sydney in Australia as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. His belief in the fundamental dignity of every person motivates him to build solutions that protect the most vulnerable and promote flourishing. Outside of work, John is an outdoor enthusiast and Spartan race finisher. He and his wife, Rachel, enjoy hiking with their four children and are active in Austin’s faith community.