“PROTECTHER” AWARD RECIPIENTS TO BE HONORED AT ANNUAL STAND FOR HER LUNCHEON FEATURING LUCY LIU
Individual Luncheon Tickets Available Today!
New Friends New Life (NFNL) announces the 2025 ProtectHER Award recipients: Erin Nealy Cox, Chad Frymire, Eliza McCoy, and Laila Mickelwait. The honorees will be recognized at the annual NFNL Stand for Her Luncheon, on September 12 at the OMNI Dallas Hotel. The ProtectHER Awards are presented by Thomson Reuters. The event will feature actress, producer, and advocate Lucy Liu, who will engage in a conversation moderated by NBC 5 anchor Laura Harris.
The Honorable Betsy Price will serve as honorary luncheon chair, joining event Co-Chairs Lynn Dowdle and Karla Smith in leading the event, which supports NFNL’s mission to restore and empower survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Created in 2013, and announced in conjunction with NFNL’s annual luncheon, the NFNL ProtectHER awards recognize individuals, corporations, and agencies who support the protection and value of women and girls in the Dallas community, across the nation, and around the world. Past recipients include Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, American Airlines, Lynn McBee, The Meadows Foundation, Methodist Health System, and Santander Consumer USA Foundation, Inc.
Erin Nealy Cox is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, serving in the firm’s Dallas and Washington, D.C., offices. A former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, she is widely recognized as a fierce advocate in the fight against sex trafficking. During her tenure, she led groundbreaking efforts through the North Texas Trafficking Task Force, which she revitalized in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Under her leadership, the task force tackled sex trafficking from multiple fronts, including demand reduction. In 2020, The Dallas Morning News nominated her for Texan of the Year in recognition of her pioneering work. Today, she represents corporations, boards of directors, and executives in complex, multi-jurisdictional disputes and high-stakes investigations. She is a key member of Kirkland & Ellis’s Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group, and currently serves on the New Friends New Life Board of Directors.
“From her exemplary tenure in the courtroom to her dedicated service in the boardroom, Erin has consistently displayed both tenacity and compassion in the search for justice for survivors of trafficking, domestic violence, and other crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls,” said Bianca Davis, CEO, NFNL. “She is a true inspiration to us all.”
Chad Frymire, director of public policy at Dallas CASA for 17 years, is a leading advocate for at-risk youth and a driving force in the fight against human trafficking. He has served as president of the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NTCAHT) for over a decade and has been involved with the Office of the Governor’s Care Coordination Multidisciplinary Team since its inception. He serves on several advisory bodies, including the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Care Coordination Advisory Board, the Texas Attorney General’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force, and the City of Dallas Mayor’s Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Advisory Council. Frymire also sits on the boards of the North Texas Foster Care Consortium and Your Nonprofit Controller, leads Dallas CASA’s legislative advocacy, and coordinates National Adoption Day in Dallas County. His work is deeply personal—after losing his sister due to circumstances related to trafficking, he adopted her child from foster care, further fueling his commitment to protecting exploited and vulnerable youth."
“Through his tireless professional leadership and his personal connection to the horrors of this brutal industry, Chad is a courageous and kind voice in the anti-trafficking space and a living example of what it looks like to turn pain into purpose,” said Davis.
Eliza McCoy is vice president of programs and impact at the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) Foundation, where she has worked to develop and support the No Room For Trafficking Initiative—mobilizing the hospitality industry to prevent human trafficking through education, training, and survivor support. She spearheaded the launch of the No Room For Trafficking Survivor Fund, which provides long-term economic empowerment for survivors through community-based organizations while advancing training to prevent human trafficking in the lodging industry. McCoy also oversees a portfolio of workforce development programs, including youth empowerment, academic and professional development scholarships along with apprenticeships. With over 15 years of nonprofit leadership, she previously served as executive director at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, leading national outreach and prevention efforts. A former investigator with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, she brings deep expertise in law enforcement, victim advocacy, and program development.
"Eliza McCoy is a force in the fight against human trafficking—her leadership has not only mobilized an entire industry but has created real, lasting pathways to healing and stability for survivors. She has dedicated her career to ensuring survivors are seen and heard, embodying everything the ProtectHER Award stands for,” said Davis.
Laila Mickelwait is the co-founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering survivors of sex trafficking, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and criminal image-based sexual abuse through strategic litigation and advocacy. She is also the founder and leader of the TraffickingHub movement – a decentralized, diverse global effort to hold Pornhub accountable for enabling and profiting from mass sexual exploitation and to push for policies that prevent criminal sexual abuse across the Internet. Mickelwait is the national bestselling author of Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking and has been researching and combating the injustice of sex trafficking since 2006. She is recognized as a leading expert in the global movement to combat sexual exploitation.
“Laila’s relentless efforts to hold companies and consumers accountable for illegal and exploitative online content is the wake-up call that this movement has long needed,” said Davis. “Her work has not only raised awareness about the harm and dangers of online pornography but has also permanently disrupted the industry.”
“Thomson Reuters is proud to stand alongside New Friends New Life in honoring these ProtectHER Award recipients,” said Heather Panton, Senior Advisor of Social Impact and Human Rights, Thomson Reuters. “Their tireless efforts reflect the values we champion – truth, justice, and human dignity. We are committed to leveraging our data, technology, and subject matter expertise to help combat trafficking and promote human rights in communities across the U.S. and around the world.”
For more information on the NFNL Annual Luncheon, please visit www.newfriendsnewlife.org/luncheon, email events@newfriendsnewlife.org or contact Chief Development Officer Priya Murphy at 214-217-8652. Underwriting sponsorship opportunities begin at $2,500, and individual tickets are available August 22 at $250. Luncheon media sponsors are NBC 5/ Telemundo 39 and PaperCity.
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About New Friends New Life (NFNL)
New Friends New Life is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women and children who have been exploited by sex trafficking. NFNL offers restorative services and works to raise awareness about this critical issue in our community. For more information, visit www.newfriendsnewlife.org.