Herman accepted the center’s Advocate and Ally Organization Award on behalf of the KDOC during the center’s Fifth Annual Anti-Human Trafficking Conference on January 25. The conference was held in conjunction with the center’s National Human Trafficking Awareness Month activities.

Kalynn Cheyney, the center’s research and community engagement associate, said the KDOC was selected because of Herman’s support of youth through the center. Herman’s success with one former KJCC female resident has helped the youth connect to a brighter future.

“We were impressed by her dedication to youth as she worked with us and advocated on behalf of one survivor who has now completed her high school diploma and has applied to [Wichita State University].”  

Herman, a corrections counselor, worked at Larned Juvenile Correctional Facility for 15 years before moving to KJCC two years ago following the closure of the Larned facility. She described being singled out for her work with trafficking survivors as humbling.

“I was just doing my job, Herman said. “But when you believe in the people you work with, that is what you do. I just connected [the survivor] with the right people to get her the help she needed.” 

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(Photo courtesy the Wichita State Center for Combating Human Trafficking. Linda Gregory Photography)