Victor Boutros, BA '98
Young Alumnus of the Year

Awarded annually to a graduate or graduates age 40 or under who have demonstrated remarkable achievement in the previous year.
Victor Boutros, BA ’98, is a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Previously, he worked in the criminal section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division where he investigated and prosecuted official misconduct and hate-crime cases.
He has served as a visiting scholar at George Washington University Law School and adjunct professor at University of Chicago Law School, from which he earned a juris doctor in 2003. He authored "And Justice for All: Enforcing Human Rights for the World's Poor" and "The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence" with International Justice Mission President and CEO Gary Haugen, who he met pursuing a master's degree at Harvard. In their shared work, the two authors explored what Boutros’ calls an "epidemic of everyday violence" that thwarts the effectiveness of human-rights laws and regulations.
An interest in Christian apologetics led to Boutros’ pursuit of a philosophy degree at Baylor. His first exposure to his alma mater was through a fellow Northway Baptist Church member who began at Baylor during Boutros' senior year at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas. A visit to Baylor that year sealed the deal; however, Boutros began his Baylor studies as a pre-med student, following in the footsteps of both his parents.
His transition to philosophy challenged expectations, but a Baylor seminar taught by a visiting Yale professor who touted philosophy as a preferred major for aspiring graduate students would affirm his decision. Boutros appreciates how his philosophy education at Baylor taught him to think analytically and rigorously.
Boutros’ time at Harvard illuminated the direction philosophy would take him. Haugen had started a human rights organization called International Justice Mission and set out to live the Biblical mandate to seek justice and rescue the oppressed. Boutros followed suit through his work with Haugen and the International Justice Mission as well as with the Justice Department.
Following his time at Harvard, Boutros earned a Master of Philosophy from Oxford University in England. He is a member of Baylor's Business Network as well as the boards of advisors for the College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors College. He resides in Washington D.C. with his wife, Tricia, an international capital markets/securities practice attorney at Vinson & Elkins.
