Pam Bruns
Founder & Executive Director EmeritusPam created the vision for the Student Task Force and organized its co-founders in 1999. Early in her career during the Vietnam War, she traveled to Thailand to research the extent of the communist insurgency in northern border areas; she also was a freelance journalist and wrote about Eastern Europe, the Munich Olympics in 1972, holocaust survivors and other subjects. Pam became a public education reform activist and teacher (third grade through high school) before joining the Milken Family Foundation as a Public Affairs Specialist, working to promote excellence in teaching in the U.S.
From 1996-2002 Pam served as Director of Human Rights Watch in Southern California. She broadened support for HRW in Los Angeles by establishing the Young Advocates, Women’s Rights Committee, HRW University Project and the Student Task Force. As adjunct professor teaching human rights at Mount St. Mary’s College, she founded the Human Rights Film Festival in 2003. Volunteering to direct STF and developing human rights education as part of STF has been Pam’s primary focus since 2005.
Kristin Ghazarians
Senior ManagerKristin has been part of the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force team since 2012. She is a graduate from Syracuse University’s Public Diplomacy program and University of California, San Diego’s International Studies department. Her background is in international relations, conflict resolution and public relations. Prior to joining HRW, Kristin worked for Amnesty International as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office Administrator in Washington, DC, interned with the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland and taught English in Cambodia and Los Angeles. She loves to travel and has spent a lot of time focusing on human rights while abroad. She has dedicated her academic and professional careers to human rights and enjoys working with the STF community.
Gabbi McArtor
LiaisonGabbi is an accomplished educator holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Illinois State University, where she also pursued a Children’s Studies minor. She played Division 1 college soccer at Illinois State University where she was an all-conference defender and team captain. Gabbi also earned her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University Chicago and obtained an English as a Second Language endorsement.
She spent eight years in the classroom as an elementary classroom teacher and middle school science teacher. Gabbi held leadership roles as the Climate and Culture Coach and led the Liberatory Learning Community cohort – a partnership between Teach for America’s Reinvention Lab and Transcend at her school.
Gabbi is energized by people, traveling, and everything soccer. Her mission is to continue working to empower young people to advocate for human rights, build their confidence in becoming effective leaders, and transform their beliefs into action.
Hallie McRae
Youth Advocacy Assistant 2025-2026 Academic YearHallie is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in political science, human rights, and public policy. Passionate about pursuing social justice, she has worked with a multitude of organizations in Los Angeles and the Bay Area focused especially on spearheading efforts for just policy and practice in the criminal, socioeconomic, and immigration realms, including CalACLU, One Fair Wage, and Human Rights Educators, USA. Hallie is studying to pursue a career in human rights law, where she plans to fight for systemic change towards more equitable living standards for all. She is thrilled to return to STF, where she began her journey as a human rights activist and advocate at Palisades High School’s chapter in 2016.
Nyawech Tut
Youth Advocacy Assistant 2025-2026 Academic YearNyawech Tut is a Master of Public Diplomacy student at the University of Southern California with a deep commitment to advocacy and social change. She has extensive experience working with refugee communities and has worked for an educational non-profit organization focused on supporting underrepresented students. Nyawech is thrilled to be part of the Human Rights Watch Student Task Force, where she can further explore her passion for education, human rights, and youth-driven advocacy. After graduation, she plans to continue working with non-profit and non-governmental organizations that address humanitarian crises and advocate for global human rights.