Dr. Violet Nkwanzi-Lubega

Dr. Violet Nkwanzi-Lubega is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Anti-Trafficking Research and Empowerment (CATRE), a Ugandan nonprofit dedicated to ending human trafficking through research, advocacy, and trauma-informed programming. A passionate scholar and practitioner, Dr. Nkwanzi holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Alabama and currently serves as a faculty member at East Tennessee State University, where her teaching and research center on program implementation, trauma, and the needs of marginalized populations. In 2025, she founded CATRE to bring her academic expertise and lived commitment back home to Uganda. Through CATRE, Dr. Nkwanzi leads innovative research partnerships, designs culturally relevant interventions, and engages with policymakers to promote systems change.