Laura Hackney is a human rights advocate and full-stack software engineer from Atlanta, GA. She is the CEO and Cofounder of AnnieCannons, a national organization dedicated to training, preparing, and connecting individuals who have experienced human trafficking to sustainable careers in tech. Laura helped to build AnnieCannons’ Coding Training Program and develop AC’s internal portfolio of software products. Prior to AnnieCannons, Laura managed the Program on Human Rights at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute. She also worked as the Senior Research Associate for Stanford’s Anti-Trafficking Project in the Mekong Sub-Region and was a Program Associate for the Freeman Spogli Institute’s International Policy Implementation Lab. Laura is passionate about the intersections of human rights, technology, and education. She is based in Brooklyn, NY.

--

AnnieCannons is a nonprofit with the mission to train, prepare, and connect individuals who have experienced human trafficking to sustainable careers in tech. AnnieCannons' programs incorporate a unique blend of in-demand technical training alongside project-based learning, job readiness, personal and professional development, and job placement and support. This holistic approach to economic justice centers equity, accessibility, and survivor-centricity so that participants will be capable, qualified, and successful in obtaining jobs in the tech field, forever breaking cycles of exploitation.