Our Staff

Forced Marriage Initiative Staff

Hellitz Villegas – Forced Marriage Initiative Project Manager 

Hellitz Villegas is a compassionate advocate committed to centering the survivor experience, understanding the importance of providing holistic and culturally competent options. Hellitz spent several years working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence in crisis, court, and therapeutic settings. In 2018, she joined the Forced Marriage Initiative at the Tahirih Justice Center providing direct services to individuals in the U.S. facing or fleeing forced marriages. Hellitz now manages the Forced Marriage Initiative. She spends most of her time responding to technical assistance requests and working with other service providers to ensure the needs of survivors of forced marriage are appropriately met. To raise awareness on the issue of forced marriage in the United States, Hellitz engages in extensive training and outreach nationally.

Briana Roberts – Forced Marriage Initiative Project Associate

Briana Roberts joined the Tahirih Justice Center as the Forced Marriage Project Associate in December of 2022. As the Project Associate, Briana supports the team by providing direct services to individuals in the U.S. who are facing or fleeing a forced marriage, responds to technical assistance requests, and conducts education and outreach. Briana spends most of her time safety planning with service seekers, coordinating connection to social services, and ensuring that the service seeker’s needs are appropriately met. Prior to the Tahirih Justice Center, Briana worked for various organizations who provided support and emergency coordination services for individuals who have experienced sex and labor trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

Other staff at the Tahirih Justice Center who contribute to the Forced Marriage Initiative

Casey Swegman – Director of Public Policy

Casey Swegman is a nationally recognized expert on the issue of forced marriage in the United States. Now Tahirih’s Director of Public Policy, Casey formerly served as the Forced Marriage Initiative’s Project Associate and then Project Manager. She was the principle content drafter and developer of the Forced Marriage Initiative website, and she engages in extensive domestic and international outreach and training on this issue. Casey spearheaded a six city nationwide awareness raising tour to promote understanding of the issue of forced marriage in the United States and train service providers in best practices for responding to cases of forced marriage. Casey now leads Tahirih’s Public Policy team in advocating for systemic change that empowers survivors.

Alex Goyette – Public Policy Manager

Alex is the Tahirih Justice Center’s Public Policy Manager. In his role he tracks, advocates for, and reports on minimum age of marriage legislation introduced in state legislature across the country, provides technical assistance to legislators and advocates advancing legislation to limit or end child marriage, and engages in education and outreach to groups across the United States looking to learn more about forced and child marriage. Alex also manages the Forced Marriage Initiative’s external communications, monitoring and responding to breaking news and new research in the field, maintaining preventforcedmarriage.org, and distributing the FMI’s bimonthly newsletter.