Anne Basham is the Founder and Chair of the Interparliamentary Taskforce on Human Trafficking and the CEO of Ascend Consulting, a human rights advocacy firm based in Washington, D.C. Focused primarily on human rights issues such as human trafficking, domestic violence, foster care, religious freedom and education, she has crafted legislation, policies, and appropriations requests to serve and protect the most vulnerable. Ms. Basham has worked in both the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government as well as the private sector. She has testified several times in Congress, and has been a key presenter at the United Nations on human rights issues.
Ms. Basham is also the convener of the bi-annual ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons) Policy Leader Roundtable in the U.S. Senate which brings together the leading anti-trafficking organizations and Members of Congress for discussions on advocacy and policy solutions to human trafficking.
Previously, Ms. Basham was the Senior Advisor for the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) where she developed strategies for over $2 billion in federal funding and other projects directed to nonprofit organizations serving victims of human trafficking, terrorism, sexual assault, and child welfare.
She also serves the Board of Directors for the Parliamentary Intelligence Security Forum and is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Human Rights Advocacy from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences. Ms. Basham earned a Masters from University of Virginia and began her career working in the United States Senate.
