Featuring Laura Parker
CEO and Co-Founder, The Exodus Road
June 2023
Laura Parker and her husband Matt Parker believe that justice is in the hands of the ordinary. This belief stems from their own experience of living as an ordinary couple who moved to Thailand from Woodland Park and is making a difference to end human trafficking. Her hope is that every person can realize that they have the potential to bring change to the global crisis of human trafficking.
The Exodus Road was formed by Laura Parker and her husband in 2012 but the seed for their work began in 2010 when they moved with their children to Thailand. Laura and her husband worked in a children’s home in northern Thailand, directing a children’s home for girls. During this time, they were exposed to the realities and forms of human trafficking, particularly the sex-trafficking industry in Thailand and Southeast Asia. In 2012, in partnership with the Thai Police, Exodus Road rescued their first survivor of human trafficking.
Today, The Exodus Road helps victims of trafficking in Thailand, the United States, India, Brazil, the Philippines, and Latin America. Their work is primarily to empower those living in the community where trafficking is occurring and who are serving on the front lines of this injustice. As of June 2023, they have helped rescue 2,075 children, women, and men; helped in the arrest of 1,143 traffickers and perpetrators; and supported 1,670 survivors with aftercare. In addition to their work dedicated to rescuing and restoring survivors of trafficking, The Exodus Road provides TraffickWatch Academy U.S. This training program is a free resource that is offered online in order to help individuals learn about and gain a certificate in understanding the issue of human trafficking and how to effectively identify and combat it.
Prior to moving to Thailand and forming The Exodus Road with her husband, Laura was a writer and a mother to their three children. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education and Teaching. Initially with The Exodus Road she served as co-founder and the key lead in the Marketing and Communications Department. She then served as CCO for two years before serving as President for over a year and then stepping into the CEO role in 2021. She and her husband presently live in Colorado where the U.S. headquarters of The Exodus Road is located.
Laura’s life is an example of her message that justice is in the hands of the ordinary. Her impact has been anything but ordinary, utilizing the gifts and skills she has gained throughout her life to help overcome what can seem like overwhelming evil and injustice.