Meet Jessica Softley | Co-Founder & President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Softley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
TribeAZ is an anti-sex trafficking nonprofit dedicated to protecting children from human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Our organization is in direct response to the growing number of suspected or confirmed female victims of child sexual abuse and/or sex trafficking. There is the need for prevention and early intervention efforts for at risk school-age children. Youth who are trafficked are more likely to be addicted to drugs or alcohol and have anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and there just aren’t enough social serving agencies equipped to service this population.

TribeAZ has been focused on receiving enough funding to purchase a home. Arizona youth are facing sexual exploitation to make money for their shelter and food. The group home will provide the shelter, security, resources, and early trauma care survivors deserve. Living in a house rather than a facility gives survivors a more “normalized” experience. Our services are designed to promote strong interpersonal skills, individual responsibility, and reassert a sense of hope, pride, and confidence. As mothers, Kristin and I feel compelled to help this underserved population of adolescents and deliver knowledge and awareness to the community. We hope additional funding opportunities from local and state governments are created that specifically target services for this very unique population of victims.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I work full time as a Business Process Owner in the Insurance industry. My expertise are in business development, project management, and risk management. I earned my undergraduate from Arizona State University, B.S Global Business Management, May 2005, and my masters from Grand Canyon University, MBA Emphasis in Project Management in 2020. I’m also a certified SAFe® 4.5 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) and Certified Project Manager (CPM). I was naïve to the inequality of women when joining the workforce. I was raised by a strong single mother who demonstrated courage, ability, and love. So when I experience inequality as women for the first time, I was caught off guard. I researched and learned of gaps in wages, executive leadership roles, and family responsibilities between men and women. As I dug deeper, I learned the history of the exploitation of women and male dominance over women. The more awareness I had, the more I knew something had to be done to protect women, and the best way is through prevention. Starting TribeAZ allows me to use my business talent, education and experience for the good of the most vulnerable children. It also gives me the opportunity to teach my children about empathy, how to speak up, and self awareness.

Kristin Howard is a survivor of human trafficking and domestic violence. After much abuse, she found her way back home to safety, pregnant by her pimp, to her family. She earned her AA in General Art Studies from the College of Southern Nevada in July 2017, and is currently a senior at Arizona State University earning her undergraduate degree in Women and Gender Studies with a minor in Women’s Philosophy. Kristin has over 10 years of experience working in the field of behavioral health. She is a self-published author of “Do You Really Wanna Know?: The True Story of Redemption” released in May 2018, and is an inspirational speaker and panelist. She truly understands the meaning of “survivor” and this has allows her to advocate for the children TribeAZ serves. Her son gives her strength each day to pursue her dreams.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Outdoors would be the name of the game. Depending on the time of year, I would recommend a hike on one of Arizona’s beautiful mountains to exercise and enjoy the weather. Then a bite to eat at Tim Finnegan’s Irish Restaurant. We could spend a day in Cave Creek visiting shops, getting a massage, and having lunch on an outdoor patio. If it were summer, we would visit Roosevelt Lake and go wake surfing for the day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
TribeAZ was established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2020 by two women who wanted to create a safe place for at-risk girls who survived child sexual exploitation and/or Trafficking. As soon as we started sharing our vision and mission with friends and our community, the support and excitement streamed in. Co-Founder and Vice President, Kristin Howard, was invited to share her story as a trafficking survivor on podcasts. Mentors stepped up to provide their insight and guidance. Friends offered to volunteer. But the most impactful experience was Tim Finnegan’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament. A dear friend and owner of Tim Finnegan’s Irish Restaurant, Dave Gill, reached out and asked to sponsor TribeAZ for his charity event. Local businesses sponsored golf holes, participants won raffle prizes, and everyone enjoyed a beautiful Arizona day of golf. TribeAZ was able promote sex trafficking awareness. raise funds, and develop new relationships. The support and encouragement from others was hugely empowering.

Website: TibeAZ.org

Instagram: tribeaz_

Facebook: TribeAZ

Other: GoFundme : http://Link to page https://gofund.me/9bf35fe0 Venmo: @TribeAZFOUNDERS PayPal: paypal.me/TribeAZdonate Zelle: 623-523-1963