WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama announced on Tuesday (March 24) his nomination of Luis C. de Baca as ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat human trafficking.

“I’m grateful that this fine public servant has agreed to join my administration, and I am confident that with Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton he will be an indispensable part of our team as we work tirelessly to stand up for human rights and the rule of law,” Obama said in a statement.

De Baca served as the Involuntary Servitude and Slavery Coordinator at the Department of Justice during the Clinton administration and helped develop the victim-centered approach used today in combating modern slavery.

In 2005, he won the Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award from Freedom Network, an anti-trafficking group.

De Baca currently serves as Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee. He has also served as chief counsel of the Justice Department’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.