Shani Bacy

Shani Bacy is a research analyst and training and technical assistance provider in the Victimization and Resilience Research Program in RTI's Justice Practice Area. She has more than a decade of experience in program development, community and stakeholder engagement, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and victim services. Ms. Bacy is an expert on human trafficking. Coming from a background in social work, she brings extensive knowledge in strategic partnerships, trauma-informed practice, and working with vulnerable populations. Her research interests include addressing human trafficking, racial justice, and inequity in the context of policing and the criminal justice system, as well as various forms of gender-based violence. 

Currently, Ms. Bacy is involved in multiple projects, serving on research teams studying the health and wellness needs of minor sex trafficking victims and the intersection of intimate partner violence and firearms. She is currently the task lead for a project designed to improve economic empowerment programs for victims of gender-based violence, and provides technical assistance to a federally funded state-level child trafficking response program and a project addressing harm reduction and substance use.

Prior to joining RTI, Ms. Bacy developed and led non-profit programs in the Houston area serving victims of human trafficking. She has participated in and led working groups, coalitions, councils, and taskforces with the outcome of improving coordinated, multidisciplinary responses to human trafficking. Ms. Bacy served as a co-coordinator and content creator for the Justice Series, a collaboration of four non-profit organizations with the purpose of strategically engaging local stakeholders, the community, and victim service providers in meaningful dialogue about the intersections of racism, human trafficking, and various social justice issues. She has been a featured expert speaker, trainer, and is clinician, providing psychotherapy services.