Catherine Chen has spent more than two decades building innovative social justice programs and pushing for policy change to address the root causes of sex and labor trafficking. Today she serves as the CEO of Polaris, the leading anti-trafficking organization in the United States.
Before joining Polaris, Chen spearheaded a global campaign for Humanity United that raised the plight of migrant workers in Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and resulted in Qatar becoming the first nation in the Persian Gulf to enact a national minimum wage. In 2022, Chen was appointed to the Homeland Security Advisory Council by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. She is a Board member of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF) and a founding member of Chief, a national network of 15,000 women executives. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University.
