Since her retirement, Wynne has founded FAST (Fight Against Sex Trafficking and Fight Against Slavery/Trafficking) and was also the Executive Director for OATH (Oregonians Against Trafficking Humans). During the past five years she has traveled throughout Oregon raising awareness about human trafficking and speaking before City and County Council meetings as needed.
Our founder, Wynne Wakkila, began a series of Human Trafficking presentations at Kell's Irish Pub in January of 2009 under the City Club of Portland. She was very honored to have co-sponsors Commissioner McKeel, Commissioner Saltzman, Bureau of Labor and Industries, Rep. Jefferson Smith, Rep. Brent Barton, and Senator Wyden. Currently these meetings are still co-sponsored by City Club of Portland, Senator Ron Wyden, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Multnomah Commissioners Diane McKeel and Loretta Smith, and State Representatives Brent Barton and Deborah Boone.
These events have always been free and open to the public. Every month different speakers came to inform the general public about what was going on in the sex and labor trafficking industry. Wynne was very excited and honored to meet sooooo many wonderful people who were making a difference through the organizations they were involved with. She also met many people who were motivated and wanted to help. We are still having these events so just email and I'll put you on my twice monthly newsletter which includes all the events being organized by the various organizations, including our Kell's events - now in it's 7th year.
In September of that year, she was asked and agreed to head OATH - Oregonians Against Trafficking Humans under the Department of Justice's Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force. As their first Executive Director she reached out to people around the state (and elsewhere, too!) to get the word out about this atrocity. She also co-chaired the NWCAT conference at the beginning of the next year. OATH continued to grow as more college and high school students, and regional directors, joined the OATH group and worked as volunteers.
In late 2011/early 2012 Wynne decided to run for the state legislature and form a new organization that was able to speak-out politically - FAST. The purpose of FAST is to promote and network the great organizations that are working for this cause, to promote candidates and legislation that will help end this atrocity, and to empower people who want to do something FAST to make a difference - to network you and help you to share your ideas and enthusiasm with others who feel the same way!