Michelle Conn

Michelle Conn serves as Director of Development for International Justice Mission. IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. 

In her role as Director of Development, Ms. Conn works throughout the Midwest, South and Mid-Atlantic regions, educating people about the work of IJM and providing opportunities for engagement in the work of justice. She frequently travels to speak at churches and other groups to share about justice work and IJM’s mission. 

Ms. Conn joined IJM in 1999 as the organization’s first fund development staff-member. During her tenure, IJM has grown from a budget of $450,000 in 1998 to $21.7 million in 2009. Ms. Conn has traveled with IJM to experience the frontline casework in India, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Guatemala, Kenya and Uganda. Prior to joining IJM, Ms. Conn worked for ten years for United Way in Jacksonville, FL, Phoenix, AZ and Nashville, TN, with increasing responsibility for the annual fundraising campaign. She is a graduate of Auburn University, where she received a B.A. in public relations and journalism. 

She attends First Baptist Church of Nashville and lives in Whites Creek, Tennessee, with her husband, Joe Ed, and their son.