Dawn Schiller

Dawn Schiller is a dedicated activist, survivor, and educator who leverages her personal experiences of severe adolescent abuse to drive her advocacy efforts in domestic violence prevention and sex trafficking awareness. Surviving being trafficked on the streets of Hollywood in her teens by the infamous porn actor, John Holmes, Schiller now shares her story to inspire, educate, and motivate communities across the United States. She engages in a wide range of topics in her presentations including anti-violence, anti-trafficking, trauma and trauma-informed care, media's impact on victims, and resilience in recovery. Her presentations, such as "My Name is No One" and "Resilience in the Face of a Mountain," highlight her journey from victim to advocate, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in protecting vulnerable adolescents.

Schiller earned her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Eastern Oregon University and a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies from Oregon State University, where she was a full tuition teaching fellow. Beyond academia, she founded the non-profit E.S.T.E.A.M., focusing on empowering at-risk and marginalized youth, and has worked as an associate producer and consultant on the movie "Wonderland." Her memoir, "The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes," details her harrowing experiences and her path to recovery.

Nationally, Schiller is recognized as a violence and human trafficking expert. She consults with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, the Department of Health & Human Services Office on Trafficking in Persons, and the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. She is a founding member of the trafficking survivor group “Survivor 2 Survivor” (S2S) and part of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking’s (CAST) “Resilient Voices.” Her significant contributions to the field have been acknowledged with several honors, including the “Women of Vision and Courage” award and the federal “Granting Courage” scholarship in 2016. Recently, she was honored by the City of West Hollywood for her pivotal role in developing anti-violence and human trafficking trainings.