Meet the STF Team
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.
Email:stf@hrw.org
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.
Email:stf@hrw.org
Naila Kabir
Youth Advocacy AssistantNaila is a student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy, Politics, and Law, and a Master of Studies in Law at the University of Southern California. She has served as Director of Communications, Social Media, and Outreach for the USC Prison Education Project, and as Director of Advocacy for the USC Undergraduate Student Government, Student Assembly of Gender Empowerment.
Her professional experience includes positions as a former Future Caucus Policy Research Intern and Federal Public Defender Intern, as well as three years of service as a Resident Assistant. Naila has also contributed to the classroom as a Special Education Paraprofessional for two years. She was inspired to establish a leadership ecosystem called ORIQ, which connects underserved and underrepresented individuals with educational opportunities and collaborations. Naila’s professional interests center on human rights law and youth empowerment, as she aspires to become an attorney. Her mission is to advance equity and opportunity by applying her legal knowledge and lived experience to expand pathways for the next generation of leaders.
Email:stf@hrw.org
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.
Email:stf@hrw.org
Nathend Olivares Velazquez
Youth Advocacy AssistantNathend Olivares is a second-year Master of Public Policy student at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a first-generation American and college graduate; Nathend earned a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science: Legal Studies, along with a Paralegal Certificate, from California State University, Chico. His background in legal advocacy, student leadership, and public service, including directing the Family Law Department at the Community Legal Information Clinic, has shaped his commitment to expanding access to justice and empowering young people to create meaningful social change. He plans to pursue a legal career focused on advancing equity through law and public policy.
Email:stf@hrw.org