Speaker Bios

Lara B. Wilken, DNP, RN

Assistant Clinical Professor, Bowling Green State University

Lara Wilken is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Coordinator of the online RN-BSN program at Bowling Green State University. She recently earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a focus on healthcare and human trafficking. Her background in nursing is primarily medical-surgical oncology, with experience in public school nursing and SANE nursing (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner). She has a passion for educating healthcare providers on the assessment and identification of those involved in the life of human trafficking. Lara has spent the last ten years traveling the northwest region of Ohio raising awareness in a variety of health care and community settings. Lara recently created the human trafficking policy for Firelands Regional Medical Center and is chair of the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Public Awareness Committee. Lara’s mission is to ensure health care providers receive education that is both evidence-based, and survivor informed.

Heather Wilde, BSN, RN, SANE-A 

Heather is a graduate of Otterbein College and had been a nurse for over 20 years.  She worked primarily in the intensive care setting until becoming a Forensic Nurse Examiner 5 years ago.  She is currently Coordinator of the Forensics Program at Mt. Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio.  Heather is the Chair of the Ohio Attorney General's Human Trafficking Commission Healthcare Subcommittee and volunteers with organizations to spread awareness about Human Trafficking.  She serves as an active volunteer with Out of Darkness Columbus and is the lead of their medical team helping to educate healthcare personnel about those in the life of Human Trafficking.  Heather is married with 4 children and 2 grandchildren and loves to spend time with her family and friends.

Annette Mango, Survivor

For more than ten years, I lived on the streets addicted to drugs, being beaten by johns and pimps, and freezing in the alleyways of Cleveland. In 2015, I chose to go on the human-trafficking docket in Cleveland Municipal Court for solicitation and drug abuse charges. There I became involved with the Renee Jones Empowerment Center (“RJEC”), an organization dedicated to helping human-trafficking survivors. Since then, I have gone from being victimized on the streets to being drug-free, holding a full-time job, renting my own apartment, and re-uniting with family members. I am one of the first human-trafficking victims in Cuyahoga County to have had my criminal convictions related to my victimization expunged. In June of 2017, I completed a Survivor-Educator Certification course through RJEC, which prepared me to publicly speak and share my story with others. After many years of pain and humiliation, I am now able to use my experiences to help and educate others. From these experiences, I have transformed from a victim to a survivor and a thriver.

Carolyn Kinkoph, MBA

Carolyn Kinkoph is a human trafficking survivor parent, advocate, and co-founder of the proposed Lake County Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. Her coalition includes local, county, state and federal agencies, plus non-government partners who have been supportive in building a multidisciplinary team to combat human trafficking in Northeast Ohio and beyond. She is passionate about providing human trafficking education to diverse audiences as a means of promoting awareness, prevention, and providing community service information for victims and their families.

Carolyn is a former Ohio State Bar Association Certified Paralegal with 16 years of experience. She acquired her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Master of Business Administration at Cleveland State University. She is also a volunteer speaker with the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, Advocate Member of the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars, and former member of the Health, Education, Advocacy, Linkage (Heal) Trafficking Education and Training Committee. Carolyn is currently employed as the Administrative Secretary for both the Departments of History and Philosophy & Comparative Religion at Cleveland State University (CSU). She is the former Interim Secretary for both the CSU Black Studies Program, now known as the Department of Africana Studies, and the CSU School of Film & Media Arts. She is a doctoral candidate in Urban Studies and Public Affairs at Cleveland State University.