Date
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Time
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Name
Operation Dragon Eye: How One Team with One Mission Recovered the Most Children in US Marshal History
Track
Multi-Disciplinary Team
Speakers
Valerie Blount-Belford, Florida Department of Children and Families
Liana Dean, Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking
Kim Figueroa, MTL
Katherine Gomez, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Natasha Nascimento, Redefining Refuge, Inc.
Mario Price, United States Marshals Service
Liana Dean, Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking
Kim Figueroa, MTL
Katherine Gomez, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Natasha Nascimento, Redefining Refuge, Inc.
Mario Price, United States Marshals Service




Description
Operation Dragon Eye was a cross-sector collaboration between law enforcement, medical professionals, non-governmental organizations, juvenile justice, and child welfare partners that resulted in the successful recovery of missing and exploited children in the Tampa Bay area. A panel of experts will explore the blueprint behind the operation, highlighting logistics, trauma-informed response protocols, and real-time decision-making that made it the most successful child recovery operation in U.S. history. Attendees will learn how strategic partnerships, nonprofit flexibility, and resource allocation can maximize impact and how to replicate and expand this model in other jurisdictions.