Baltimore Attorney Laurie Culkin to Assume Newly Created Position
Governor Larry Hogan today announced that Laurie E. Culkin, an attorney and advocate on behalf of human trafficking victims, has been named as Maryland’s first Anti-Human Trafficking Director. This position, which will be housed within the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, will be responsible for coordinating supportive services for victims, as well as enforcement activities relating to human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a despicable crime and we are determined to root it out wherever it occurs in our state,” said Governor Hogan. “One of our most important responsibilities is to protect Maryland citizens, and this position is vital to establishing statewide coordination to prevent human trafficking and provide support for its victims.”
“Governor Hogan made it very clear that he didn’t want a person whose job was overseeing human trafficking along with other related duties,” said V. Glenn Fueston, Jr., GOCCP Executive Director. “He wanted someone whose only job was to track human trafficking and support its victims. Ms. Culkin will be laser-focused on this issue.”
“I am honored to join the Hogan administration as the Anti-Human Trafficking Director,” said Ms. Culkin. “The governor has made fighting human trafficking a priority and one in which he has focused his attention and resources. It is my honor to be a part of this effort.”
Ms. Culkin comes to the position from the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service in Baltimore, where she served as Human Traffic Prevention Project Coordinator. In that capacity, she led the design, implementation, and administration of the first human trafficking pro bono program in Maryland. She previously worked for Maryland Legal Aid, where she represented clients on domestic violence and family law matters. Her legal work also includes research on human trafficking, authoring numerous papers on the subject.
Ms. Culkin is a graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and an honors graduate from the State University of New York, University at Buffalo, where she studied Sociology and Health and Human Services. A native of New York, Ms. Culkin lives in Baltimore City.
