Steven Phenix
The commercial exploitation of children for sex is not just something that happens in other countries and to other people’s children. DMST, or Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, is a growing problem here in the US and in Austin, TX. Steven Phenix, PR & Development Director for The Refuge, will talk about why organized crime is moving away from guns and drugs and into sex trafficking children, and how you can help the survivors of this inhuman crime.
About The Refuge for DMST
The Refuge for DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking) is developing The Refuge Ranch, a long-term, residential, therapeutic ranch for girls, ages 11-17, who have been rescued out of sex trafficking. Located on 50 acres in a beautiful and restorative setting outside of Austin, TX, The Refuge Ranch will provide trauma-informed, holistic care for the girls on-site, including: a University of Texas Charter School program, medical care and various therapeutic programs uniquely designed for the development of a child survivor. Slated to open in the Winter of 2016, The Refuge Ranch will be one of the only live-in rehabilitation facilities for child survivors of sex trafficking in the United States.
About Steven Phenix, PR & Development Director, The Refuge
Steven is a 18-year public relations veteran and a social media innovator who has managed the corporate reputations for hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies. Before joining The Refuge, Steven oversaw communications and social media campaigns for three healthcare companies and a super PAC, all under the umbrella of Olenka Management. He was also a founding principal at ViaMetric, Inc., an Austin, Texas based lead generation firm, where he turned a mashup of blogs, wikis, forums, Facebook pages and tweets into lead generating, revenue boosting business tools for large enterprises. Concurrently, at his own firm, Phenix Public Relations, LLC, he developed turnkey social media solutions for traditional PR firms nationwide. Prior to this, Steven managed large accounts for various Silicon Valley and Austin public relations agencies, including NealeMay & Partners, Bite PR, The Alliant Group and most notably FutureWorks, where he first began working in social media, with new media guru Brian Solis. Under the road name “Flyer,” Steven is proud to ride with Bikers Against Child Abuse (B.A.C.A.), Austin Chapter.
