Our Team
Nick Bryant - Director
Nick Bryant is an activist and writer. His writing has recurrently focused on the plight of disadvantaged children in the United States. He's been published in numerous national journals, including the Journal of Professional Ethics, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, and Journal of School Health. He co-authored America’s Children: Triumph or Tragedy, addressing the medical and developmental problems of lower socioeconomic children in America.
He published Epstein's "Black Book" on the internet in 2015. The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and New York magazine have reported on his investigation into the Epstein child trafficking network.
Bryant has contributed a chapter on child trafficking to Global Perspectives on Dissociative Disorders: Individual and Societal Oppression, a book addressing various facets of dissociative disorders that features chapters from an international panel of psychiatrists and psychologists. He has also spoken about child trafficking at several conferences, including the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation’s international convention and the 2020, 2021, and 2023 Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Global Summits that are sponsored by National Center on Sexual Exploitation. He received the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation's 2022 Therese O. Clemens Advocacy Award.
Alisha Owen - Associate Director/Events Coordinator
Alisha Owen began her journey as a whistleblower and advocate for victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse when she was 19 years old. She truly understands the systematic oppression, exploitation, and trauma that victims face when coming forward and sharing their experiences. You may be familiar with her story and trials (literally trial) as a victim witness in the early 1990's. She never wavered about the abuse she endured as a minor despite being attacked by the national and local media, the Department of Justice, the FBI. She was threatened with 200 years in prison if she didn't recant her accounts of the abuse and trafficking she was subjected to as a minor. She refused. A kangaroo court found her guilty of perjury, and she was sentenced to between 9-to-15 years in prison. She was placed in solitary confinement for two years. Owen’s case is one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in modern history. Astonishingly, in the State v. Anderson the Nebraska Supreme Court overturned the evidentiary criteria that was used to convict her, but she was not granted a new trial.
She has a passion and is willing to fight for basic human and legal rights for victims. During her legal battles in the mid 1990's, she completed the coursework required for a degree in Litigation and Family law. After her release from prison, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from "one of the top ten women's" colleges in the nation.
In 2021, she accepted an invitation to speak publicly at an Epstein Justice demonstration in New York City during Ghislaine Maxwell’s travesty of a trial. It marked the first time she had ever spoke publicly about her plight, and it was a life changing, pivotal moment for her. She was able to claim her voice and power. Following the demonstration, she joined Epstein Justice. In addition to providing victims of sex trafficking with justice, her ultimate goal is for this movement to provide victims with professional assistance in the form of mentorship for public speaking and/or writing in conjunction with a platform in which they can speak truth free from exploitation and suppression while educating the public on the realities of human trafficking and sexual abuse.
Alisha has been married for 29 years and lives a rich and full life in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. She has owned and operated a successful travel business for over 14 years.
Pete Shinn - Associate Director
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Pete Shinn has an extensive background in the U.S. Air Force as a trainer, journalist, and adult educator. He also served as an executive officer for the Continental NORAD Region Air Operations Center, and as a liaison between the Secretary of the Air Force and U.S. Senate Appropriators.
Beginning in 1989, Shinn began providing interactive diversity and inclusion training to Air Force audiences. In 2008, Shinn was selected to provide leadership, communications, problem solving, and critical thinking skills training at the U.S. Air Force Officer Training School. In 2010, he deployed with the Iowa National Guard to provide agricultural training to farmers in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province.
After returning from Afghanistan, he provided interactive training on the intersection between agriculture and national defense to a variety of organizations, including the National Agri-Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Pork Board, and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, among others. Pete retired from the Air Force in October 2020 after 36 years of service. He is currently a co-creator at Shinnfluence LLC, a family media and training business.
Pete’s major military awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the U.S. Army Combat Action Badge. His major civilian awards include the 1998 Nebraska Broadcaster’s Association Gold Service to Agriculture Award, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting President’s Award in 2004 and 2005, and an Emmy Award in 2012 for Best Military Program.
He is married with four adult children.
Julie Shrader - Director of Communications
Julie Shrader is the Director of Communications for Epstein Justice and also the founder and CEO of Innocence Freed, an antitrafficking NGO based in Nebraska. Prior to founding Innocence Freed, Julie spent 12 years as the Founder and CEO of Rejuvenating Women, which has since been renamed to Restored Wings. As a CEO of Restored Wings, Julie has been blessed to meet many incredible survivors of trafficking and to hear their stories. She is dedicated to being an advocate for victims of trafficking and their families.
Julie has raised awareness about human trafficking by providing education and training to businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies on a wide range of trafficking issues. She's not only increased awareness but also equipped others to identify and combat trafficking in their communities. Her focus on addressing both the demand and supply sides of human trafficking reflects a holistic approach to tackling this complex issue. Indeed, targeting the root causes, such as the demand for exploitative services, is crucial in preventing further victimization.
Julie is married and has one daughter and 3 grandsons who are her pride and joy. She loves to run, exercise, and ride horseback.
Liv Graffeo & Chris Connell - Communications Specialists
Liv and Chris are currently co-producers of The Nick Bryant Podcast. As producers of The Nick Bryant Podcast, they assist in telling the stories of survivors and those who have been victimized by trafficking and related abuses. Epstein Justice is of the utmost importance to them.