Bill Woolf has over two decades of experience working in local, state, and federal government. He started his professional career as a police officer after graduating from the University of Virginia. He completed more than 15 years in law enforcement, where he specialized in advanced investigations of human trafficking, missing and exploited children, gangs, and other forms of organized and financial crime. Bill developed expertise in safety and security, executive protection and movement, civil disturbance, weapons of mass destruction, and mass-casualty response as a FEMA-certified ICS commander. He also served as a federal task officer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Bill also has extensive legislative and executive experience in working with law makers at the local, state, and federal levels to draft and implement legislation as well as advising them on appropriations priorities. Because of Bill’s vast expertise, he has been asked by representatives, from both sides of the aisle, to testify in front of the Virginia state legislature, United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, as well as the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe. He has been called upon to advise various members of the executive branch at the local, state, and federal levels and even served in an official capacity as a Special Advisor to the White House on the Domestic Policy Council. Bill has also worked extensively advising government officials in the countries of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Netherlands.

In addition to his extensive experience in government relations, Bill possesses expertise in the non-governmental, non-profit sector. He has routinely advised and supported corporations, non-profit entities, and law firms on a wide array of subjects. He has provided expert testimony at depositions and in the courtroom, having been received as a court-certified expert. Bill founded a successful non-profit organization in 2013 which grew to have an international presence, making him intimately familiar with non-profit establishment, development, management, sustainability, and growth. He is also familiar with researching, applying for, and managing grants from both private foundations, as well as the federal government.

Bill most recently served as Acting Director and Principal Deputy Director at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) where he oversaw more than $6.5 billion in federal grant programs. He was recruited to serve as a Senior Executive Staff (SES) employee within the Justice Department because of his extensive management experience, accomplishments, and ability to solve complex issues. Specifically, he was asked to take on the additional role of Human Trafficking Programs Director, in which he was tasked with working across both governmental and non-governmental agencies to align human trafficking programs and prioritize the use of more than $100 million in federal funding. He also served as a key member of the Federal Workgroup on Grantmaking.

Bill has received numerous awards for his efforts including a Presidential Medal from the President of the United States. He is also an avid pilot and possesses a unique knowledge of the aviation industry. He serves as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and Mt. Aloysius College. However, he is most proud of his six amazing children that continue to amaze and surprise him every single day.

 

“There is not limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
– Ronald Reagan

Dear friends,

Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to work with incredibly talented teams and individuals, some of them holding positions at the highest levels of government.   However, no team has impressed me more than the one I am privileged to lead here at TWG.

TWG is comprised of passionate and experienced individuals that have real world knowledge navigating Government Relations and policy, Training and Strategic Solutions. Having worked both within and outside the government, we understand through our own experiences the importance of approaching every situation . We bring decades of experience crafting strategic solutions with proven results.  Whether it is helping to write policy, find you grant funding or preparing training that fits your needs – we’ve got you covered. Our expertise cuts across many complex human rights issues such as Child Exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, and victims’ rights. We are also intimately familiar with criminal justice and law enforcement as well as non-profit development and management. Our customer service experience and communications techniques are refined specifically for the ever changing and growing markets.  Our team has worked both domestically and internationally real-world experiences to better serve our clients.  I have seen this team develop practical, strategic solutions backed by our extensive network of industry experts.  If we don’t know the answer, we know who does.  Combining all of that talent, and working collectively, we are the TWG family.

We are confident in the services that we offer, so much so that I am willing to put my name on the ‘door.’  and we live by the maxim “under promise and over deliver.”  We only take on projects or clients for whom we feel we can bring actual value to their mission, vision, and goals, and for whom we share a common passion and alignment.  This judicious selection ensures that we can dedicate the resources and time to make them the leader in their field.

Our clients are not simply customers here at TWG, they become part of our family, and family always comes first!  Being a part of the TWG family means  Your Success is Our Success!

In Partnership,

Bill Woolf

Maggie Ruffini is a scholar, strategist, and most notably, a leader. Maggie has her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration with a minor in International Affairs from the University of Northern Iowa. During her time as an undergraduate student, Maggie’s passion for servant leadership began, and she completed internships for both United States Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) and Iowa State Senator Jeff Danielson. In addition to her studies, Maggie served as the University’s Director of Government Relations, advocating for the University on behalf of student interests at local, state, and federal levels. In 2018, Maggie was recognized and awarded by Black Hawk County YWCA’s Cedar Valley “Woman of Tomorrow,” for her exceptional leadership, scholastic ability, volunteer service and special achievements.

Actively involved on Capitol Hill for several years, Maggie worked in the United States Senate until early 2022 handling Judiciary Issues for Senator Joni K. Ernst (R-IA). Maggie has an abundance of experience developing and advancing legislation over the finish line, including the Violence Against Women Act, in which she had a hand in initiating change and justice for survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the US.

With Capitol Hill and strategic expertise, as well as her ever-growing knowledge of the judiciary portfolio including issues affecting women and girls, online exploitation, human trafficking prevention, and criminal justice reform, Maggie effectively leads the TWG Policy & Government Relations team and guides our clients to success. As the Vice President of Policy and Government Relations, she navigates political landscapes while leveraging government entities to work in TWG’s client’s favor.

Outside of work, Maggie takes pleasure in traveling, entertaining friends, and spending quality time with her family. Although an Iowa native, Maggie now lives full-time in Falls Church, Virginia, with her husband and daughter.

 

“Always leave whatever you do better than when you found it.”

Sarah Nantel is an academic, a writer, and diplomatist. Sarah has her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with minors in Arabic and Middle East Studies from Grand Valley State University. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Sarah was vastly active in the university’s extra-curriculars, positioned as the Vice President of the Parks and Recreation Club, as well as both the Treasurer and President of the Arab Culture Club. Additionally, she served as a constituent and chairman within the Model Arab League and was later awarded the 2019 “Distinguished Chairman,” for leadership of Chair in the Palestinian Affairs Committee at the Michigan Model Arab League.

Following years of customer service and directorship, Sarah was briefly with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, initiating opportunities, programs, and services promoting healthy, stable, and safe environments for Michigan families to succeed and empower themselves. As a Policy Associate and Strategy Consultant, her passion for solving complex issues and her ever-growing knowledge of government affairs and political strategy lend hand in ensuring TWG’s client goals and expectations are not only met, but exceeded.

Living full-time in Michigan, Sarah frequents the East and West side of the state, traveling between Grand Rapids and Detroit, with homebase located in Lapeer. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

“Obstacles are always a steppingstone to success. Surmounting an obstacle is a test of character. You will be surprised to realize how far you can go from the point you thought was the end.”- Raja Easa Al-Gurg

Ana Figueiredo is a marketeer and an anthropologist. Although a Portuguese native, she has lived and worked in Luxembourg, London, Barcelona and Norway, and traveled around Europe, North Africa and Central America. She has undergraduate degrees in both Organizational Communication and Anthropology, a master’s degree in Art Studies, and was a PhD student in Anthropology. Ana is fluent in four languages, including Portuguese, English, French and Spanish, and has basic knowledge of 5 other languages.

Ana Figueiredo has been actively involved with non-profit organizations since adolescence, but since 2010, has focused primarily on helping them grow through communication and organizational strategies. More specifically, she has worked in marketing, project design and management, business development and strategic planning. Working for non-profits in several countries provided invaluable knowledge of the internal issues affecting most organizations and the best practices on how to overcome them.

Because of her combined non-profit practical experience and theoretical knowledge within the market and social sciences, with a special focus on issues affecting women, she became the non-profit strategy consultancy expert and the VP of Social Impact at TWGStrategy.

Ana is a nature lover, a traveler, and a dancer. She’s addicted to challenges and to learning new things every day. She’s fascinated by what makes us human and by socio-cultural differences (and similarities). She currently lives with her partner and daughter in a village near the Portuguese coast.

Anthony has over a decade of experience working in the area of grant writing and development, nonprofit management, food systems, community development, sustainable agriculture, and sustainability within community organizations, research centers, regional planning entities, and other NGOs. These experiences have provided long-term and varied perspective on all of the pieces of impactful projects and how to best frame them for support. This perspective and vision has been responsible for writing successful proposals to national RFPS, federal government grants, and hundreds of other foundation and funding sources. I am a lifetime learner determined to create good throughout my personal and professional career.

 

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – The Lorax

Highly skilled grant writer and development consultant with a specialized background in program development, community organizing, and strategic planning. Master’s level education in macro social work and grassroots nonprofit development.

A passionate advocate for social justice and community development.

 

“You begin saving the world by saving one person at a time; all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.”- Charles Bukowski

Nicole Bailey is a skilled fundraising professional, with experience developing, implementing, and executing organizations’ philanthropic efforts, supporting Boards of Directors, and championing organizations in the community. She has a diverse background, including fundraising and public relations at several organizations including the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the National 4-H Council and the American Nurses Foundations, and served in volunteer leadership positions in various community groups. Her most recent projects involve working as the Principal Consultant for Forward Consulting, LLC a niche consulting firm specializing in resource development, donor cultivation, new media, and branding.

Nicole’s fundraising philosophy is to create community-centric fundraising strategies that create well-resourced organizations that are able to achieve their mission. Nicole’s biggest strengths are her resourcefulness, donor relations, data expertise, and leadership. She thrives on overcoming challenges, particularly those that unlock the potential for sustained funding opportunities.

Nicole holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and Community Development from Howard University and an M.S.A. in Organizational Management from Trinity University. She hails from the Hampton Roads area with her two sons, Hollis, 14, and Ellington, 12.

John Freeman, TWG’s Vice President – Strategic Solutions, orchestrates efforts to develop and implement strategic and operational plans to solve challenging problems.  Leveraging his vast knowledge of navigating complex systems domestically and internationally, John spearheads programs focused on multi-disciplinary collaboration.  Over his career, John has amassed a substantial network of subject matter experts that he can tap into ensuring that what he brings to the table is truly the ‘latest and greatest’.

Prior to joining the Woolf Group Mr. Freeman worked to enhance and expand human trafficking prosecutions in both Africa and Central American through his work with an international non-profit organization.

In 2020, John retired from the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) – U.S. Department of State after twenty-one years of service, culminating in his position as DSS’ first Human Trafficking Investigations Coordinator where he directed sensitive high profile HT investigations, including victim interviews, case management, and trial preparation ultimately leading to successful federal prosecutions of human traffickers.

For nearly 10 years as the DSS HT Investigations Coordinator John facilitated expansion of DSS focus on HT cases by implementing anti-trafficking training and HT program management for 29 DSS domestic field offices and more than 125 overseas investigative offices within U.S. Embassies.  Realizing the combined effect in having DSS agents augment established HT task forces, John promoted DSS involvement across many federal jurisdictions using DSS’ global reach for international cases.

John also worked within the federal anti-trafficking community on collaborative programs to include his participation in drafting the 2020 National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.  In 2019 John was selected as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Crime’s Working Group on Trafficking in Persons helping to showcase mutual efforts to impact transnational trafficking.  John continues to be a proven leader in anti-trafficking efforts.

Earlier in his DSS career he served abroad in U.S. Embassies in Nigeria and South Korea overseeing security & investigative programs.  He was part of the security detail protecting the U.S. Olympic teams in both Athens (2004) and Torino (2006) and was a supervisor for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s protection detail.

Before becoming a special agent, John was a U.S. Army paratrooper, a veteran of both humanitarian relief and combat deployments.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the State of New York-Excelsior College in 1997.

“We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.” – Lyndon B. Johnson 

Candy Arthur served as crisis and emergency communications specialist for over 20 years. Very early on she discovered not only a love for the job, but a love for training. From one-on-one on the job training to classroom settings teaching both her peers and first responders, Candy was right at home. Candy became a certified instructor and curriculum developer. She developed and delivered complex and comprehensive curricula relating to critical incident response, operational efficiency, as well as other key issues surrounding public safety.

After leaving her public safety career she fostered her love of learning through receiving certifications in human trafficking, child exploitation, and other forms of abuse expanding her already vast knowledge of these threats to communities all across the globe. Candy was recruited to join the TWG team to lead efforts to develop and implement the highest quality training solutions. She is putting all of her years of experience and knowledge into every customized training module produced by The Woolf Group.

 

“Remember whenever you’re in a position to help someone, be glad and always do it because that’s the Universe answering someone else’s prayers through you.”

Cindy Johnson is a Research Specialist and Strategy Consultant for The Woolf Group (TWG) team. Prior to joining TWG, Cindy worked for the U.S. Department of State as the Community Liaison Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. There she advocated for U.S. State Department family members, planned embassy events, and was an integral part of the U.S. Embassy Country Team. Cindy was awarded the State Department’s Meritorious Award and Franklin Award for exemplary service. She is a true world traveler, and her are her family have served at five U.S. Embassy posts throughout the world.

Before her work with the U.S. State Department, Cindy worked for Nordstrom, Inc. for nine years in Human Resources, Training, and Employee Development. She was awarded multiple customer service awards, including the Southwest Regional All Star Award for Customer Service. Cindy obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education from Baylor University where she met her husband of more than 20 years. She currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metro area with her spouse and two children.

 

“Do all things with kindness, compassion, and integrity and you shall be blessed beyond measure.” – unknown

Rebekah graduated from Cedarville University, where she studied International Studies with a focus in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic. Her passion for cross-cultural engagement, particularly in the Middle East, brought her to the University of Haifa, where she studied international relations as well as Arabic, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution.

Since moving to Washington, D.C. in 2018, she has sought to leverage her passion for strategic communications, project management, and cross-cultural engagement in bridging disparate communities. She enjoys hiking with her rescue dog Remi, visiting local art galleries, and trying to find the best tacos in the DMV.

 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Lindsay Vaughn is a creative, marketer, and entrepreneur. Lindsay has her Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications Management with minors in Commercial Photography, Marketing, and Web Development from Appalachian State University.  While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Lindsay was very active with the Appalachian State athletic department, Atlanta Falcons, and her photography business that she started as a senior in high school. In addition to these organizations, Lindsay was the social media manager of Gamma Epsilon Tau and the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts. Through these experiences, Lindsay gained her knowledge as a Social Media Marketer.  After graduating from Appalachian State, Lindsay moved to Texas to begin her job as a social media and marketing coordinator with BayMark Health Services. At BayMark Health Services Lindsay designed and created assets for the different BayMark Health Services brands. There she advocated for Opioid Use Disorder patients. Because of Lindsay’s passion for people and knowledge in social media, she became the Social Media Specialist at TWG.

Outside of TWG, Lindsay is a freelance photographer for the Dallas Cowboys, a blogger, and runs her own travel agency. She enjoys traveling, music, and spending time with her family.