Innovations HTC Staff
Samantha Gilbertson
Interim Executive Director
Samantha serves as the Interim Executive Director at IHTC, bringing years of dedicated experience in behavioral health, community engagement, and program development. For the past five years, she has collaborated closely with IHTC through her work as the co-founder of the Innovations MDT Group and Firefly, as well as in her role as a substance use professional. In these capacities, Samantha has supported clients through both inpatient and outpatient treatment placements, helping individuals and families navigate complex systems with compassion and clarity.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Services in 2022 and has continued to expand her professional expertise through multiple advanced certifications. Samantha is a Trauma-Informed Supervisor, a Crisis Intervention Specialist, and a SUDP Clinical Supervisor, bringing a strong clinical and leadership foundation to her work.
Beyond her direct service roles, Samantha is actively involved in community-level initiatives. She contributes her insight and lived experience to several local committees, including the Thurston County Opioid Response Committee, the Overdose Awareness Committee, and the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count Steering Committee. Through this work, she helps inform regional strategies to address substance use, improve access to resources, and strengthen community health outcomes.
At the heart of Samantha’s work is a deep passion for supporting individuals with dignity, respect, and unwavering empathy. She is secondary survivor of human trafficking and survivor of domestic violence. She believes every person’s story matters and is committed to fostering an environment where all clients feel seen, heard, and valued—no matter their background or circumstances.
Contact Samantha
Chelsea Keefe
Development Manager
Chelsea Keefe is a long time DV/SA/Trafficking professional who has been serving survivors for almost a decade. She is secondary survivor of human trafficking and survivor of domestic violence. She first dipped her toes in the field during undergraduate studies when she completed an internship with the Kansas City-Anti Violence Project. It was this agency that caused her to realize her own survivorship and set her on a path of advocating for survivors, as well as marginalized communities. It is her goal to combat prejudice, discrimination, and violence in the community.
She has been privileged to serve as a volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates, advocate in several different DV shelters, and worked her way up into program management. She graduated with her Master of Public Administration in Non-Profit Management in 2019 from Park University and moved to WA State in 2020. After relocating, she managed Thurston County’s only confidential Domestic Violence shelter for almost three years, facilitating the lowest amount of staff turnover in the shelter and better client outcomes through an ADA perspective.
Personally, Chelsea is a mom of one–with three fur babies as well! She spends her free time painting, going to the farmer’s market with her family, and trying to garden. Her family are avid foodies and love to sample what the PNW has to offer.
Contact Chelsea
Noel Gomez
Project Coordinator
Noel is the co-founder of Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS), a 501c3 non-profit organization in Seattle, WA; and is a survivor of commercial sexual exploitation. Since her time being sexually exploited, Noel went to school and became a state-certified chemical dependency counselor, while earning her BA in Social Justice. As a CD counselor in 2005, she worked with high-risk, justice impacted youth in juvenile detention facilities. Noel quickly developed rapport with the young girls she was meeting and soon became aware that these girls were being sexually exploited. Even worse, Noel later realized there were no services for these victimized girls being held in detention facilities. Noel began working for Youth Care in 2008 as the first CSEC advocate and the only anti-trafficking advocate in the city of Seattle. She was also contracted by the city of Seattle to facilitate the John School, as well as the Sex Industry Worker’s class – a diversion program; that if completed, pending charges were dismissed.
During her time serving victimized youth, Noel began hearing from adult women who needed services too. At that time, there were no available services or programs in Washington state. Prior to these engagements, Noel was thinking about starting an anti-trafficking organization. She finally made the decision (along with Peter Qualliotine) to start a non-profit organization that is focused on social change for adults and youth survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. Noel has trained the FBI, social workers, advocates, teachers, doctors, nurses, and most people currently involved in anti-human trafficking work in Washington state.
Contact Noel
Lydia Pinkley-Adams
Resource Navigator
Lydia Pinkley-Adams (They/Them) joined Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative in May of 2024 as a Resource Navigator. They have an extensive background in DV/SA Advocacy, support group facilitation/curriculum development, and providing services to houseless youth in the South Sound region. They have been serving the Olympia area non-profit sector for approximately seven years, are a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) and Recovery Coach through PEER Olympia, were the primary facilitator for Advocacy Core Training, and graduated with their BA in Psychology from The Evergreen State College in 2016.
They specialize in Outreach, Anti-Oppression activism, Intersectional Feminism, and Community Trainings/workshops. In their free time, Lydia enjoys reading, writing, theatre, plants, TTRPGs/MtG, and is an avid painter and illustrator.
Contact Lydia
Mekenzie Strickland
Sex Trafficking Case Manager / House Manager
Mekenzie is a compassionate and dedicated advocate committed to supporting survivors of trauma, exploitation, and homelessness. With extensive experience in case management and community support, she is passionate about creating pathways to healing and stability for individuals facing some of life’s most difficult challenges.
As a Sex Trafficking Case Manager and House Manager of the Healing Journey Home, Mekenzie provides a safe and supportive environment where clients are treated with dignity and respect. She works closely with each person to identify their unique needs, connect them with vital resources, and guide them through the steps of recovery and independence. Her role includes empowering clients to set goals, build life skills, and overcome barriers that may have once seemed impossible to navigate.
Mekenzie’s approach is rooted in empathy and a deep belief in every individual’s capacity for growth and resilience. She strives to ensure that every client she serves feels heard, valued, and supported as they move toward a future filled with hope, stability, and self-sufficiency.
Contact Mekenzie
Sean “Smitty” Smith
Labor Trafficking Advocate
Sean “Smitty” Smith joined Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative in September of 2025 as a Labor Trafficking Advocate. He is certified through the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP) and is also trained in Crisis Intervention and Trauma Informed Care. Smitty has many years of experience working with victims of sexual harassment, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
Smitty is Cherokee Nation and is passionate about his work and his volunteer service. He has served in the community on the Board of Directors for both Rebuilding Hope and Centro Integral Education for Latinos in Olympia (CIELO), a member of the King County CSEC Task Force and a volunteer in the Incarcerated Veterans Program at the Washington Correctional Center for Women (WCCW).
Contact Smitty
Eden Ancheta
HR Manager
Eden D Ancheta joined Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative on August 16, 2021. She was given the duty of Human Resource Assistant for more than a month. Her extensive experience from past jobs, recruitment, policy and procedure making, and performance management were the areas of expertise. In her 3rd month, she has received a promotion to be a Human Resource Manager. Whatever hardships faced in the organization, her strong suit is being objective and unbiased in dealing with and addressing challenges.
She is married and blessed for being a mother of 3 children. Even faced with challenges, she manages to balance family and work. She enjoys spending time with her family in her spare time, watching Medical series, K drama, and cooking to make children happy. She believes that no matter how good or bad life is, thanking God should always come first. There is always a reason for everything, and God always gives the best.
Salvy Cabatbat
Financial Specialist
Salvy Cabatbat joined Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative in September 28, 2020. She was assigned as IHTC’s Bookkeeper. She has more than 10 years of experience in the finance field. She worked as an Accounts Receivable Analyst in a telecommunications company and as an Internal Operations Support Analyst in a multinational insurance brokerage company. Given her work experience honed her analytical and financial skills as well as her customer service skills, globally.
She believes that you can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus and the support. She is married and blessed with two daughters, ages 9 and 10. In her spare time, she loves to read inspirational books by Alice Gray and novels by Sidney Sheldon and loves to bake cake and pasta. She always laugh her heart out whenever she hears funny stories because for Salvy, “Laughter is the best medicine”.