Leslie Acoca, MA, MFT, leads the national movement to stop the incarceration of girls by providing access to health and trauma care for detained U.S. girls of color-and for newly arrived migrant girls held in ICE facilities. She authored the Girls Health Screen (GHS), the only validated medical screen for incarcerated girls in the U.S, and is President of National Girls Health & Justice Institute. Acoca holds a BA from Yale University, Masters degrees in counseling and psychology from the , and is a licensed psychotherapist. Ms. Acoca received the Stoneleigh Justice Fellowship, the International Hero of Compassion Award from the Dalai Lama, and the Excellence in Justice Media Award. Acoca is a first-generation immigrant from Panama and mother of two children.

Ms. Acoca lectures nationally and has published 25 studies and essays that are cited by hundreds of health, justice, and academic media outlets in the U.S. and worldwide.