Agatha’s training is in conservation science and project management. The valuable lessons she has learnt in her professional life have been through interaction with the local communities she has had the privilege to work with. Her role is to support rebuilding tropical fisheries with coastal communities, drawing on local traditional knowledge of their marine resources to design projects adapted to the local contexts. By providing direct support to partner organisations in Kenya and Somalia in marine resource governance and management including providing best practice insights and recommendations from others with similar contexts. The core of her work is active listening and adaptive management.

Amos holds the post of Principal Wildlife Investigation and Intelligence officer for Zimbabwe. He has 16 years working experience in wildlife conservation and 10 years working in the law enforcement field achieving considerable success in the field of conservation. He has worked at the Having worked at Hwange National Park for the past 16 years to date and managed to apprehend wildlife poachers leading to the reduction of elephant poaching in Hwange National Park from around 300 elephants poached in 2013 to a record of no elephant poached in Hwange National Park in 2020 and 2021. This feat has never been achieved before and was made possible after the arrest and conviction of poaching syndicate leaders.

Ana is a conservation biologist from Madrid. Having received her BSc and MSc from Complutense University of Madrid in Biology and Conservation Biology respectively. After graduation she worked at GREFA in Madrid with captive breeding and reintroduction of several species of raptors. She has spent time working on research projects in Belize, Nigeria, the USA and Tanzania. She joined Lion Landscapes in 2017 as a senior researcher and now oversees data, systems and evaluation tools as the Conservation M&E Director.

Andrew was raised in Zimbabwe and South Africa and from a young age developed a passion for the outdoors and conservation. After reading Politics, Philosophy and Economics as well as MPhil Political Management at university, Andrew went on to serve overseas as a commissioned officer in the British Army. He then returned to Africa and immediately set about working in support of efforts to protect wild places and species across the continent. Andrew has led on the design and implementation of wildlife crime prevention and other broader conservation projects in a number of countries across Africa.

Andrew joined SRT in 2019 and before that worked with communal conservancies in Namibia for close to a decade. Andrew is responsible for strategic planning and programme management at SRT. He is based at the admin office with regular visits to the field.
Andrew has an MA in Development Studies from the University of South Africa

Benson has devoted over 25 years of his life to protecting Zambia’s wildlife. In 1994, Benson started his career in wildlife enforcement as a scout for the North Luangwa Conservation Project. In 1997, The National Parks and Wildlife Service took over the programme and he became a village scout and rose through the ranks to Senior Wildlife Police Officer in charge of the training of all scouts.
In 2009, Benson joined CSL as Operations Manager, and during the restructuring in 2018 was promoted to Law Enforcement Advisor. He leads all CSL anti-poaching law enforcement and wildlife rescue operations in collaboration with DNPW. He has facilitated the growth and development of the anti-poaching unit from 30 to 92 scouts.
In 2019 he was awarded the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award by Tusk’s Royal Patron HRH The Duke of Cambridge.

Caroline is a young conservation researcher based in Pretoria, South Africa. Most recently she completed her MSc (Wildlife Management) at the University of Pretoria, studying factors affecting owl ecology in an agricultural matrix. She is currently employed as a researcher at VulPro, a vulture conservation centre based in South Africa, leading the way in the many spheres of vulture conservation. VulPro aims to protect African vultures through innovation and collaboration, and I she is currently setting up my PhD thesis on the movement and breeding ecology of African White-backed Vultures across southern Africa with the University of Pretoria and the Max Planck Institute. In the first two years of her time with VulPro she has been able to establish a growing knowledge on vultures and their conservation, with a number of publications in prep, and she looks forward to continuing that in the coming years.

Dr Caleb Ofori-Boateng is the first Ghanaian to study and work for the protection of amphibians in Ghana. He started the NGO Herp Conservation Ghana (Herp-Ghana) to raise nationwide awareness and canvas support for amphibian conservation. His research has resulted in the discovery of several new species to science and the rediscovery of populations that were thought to be extinct. Caleb’s work with government and communities has been both impactful and inspiring. In 2018, he worked with communities and government partners to establish Ghana’s first protected area for amphibians and legislate new municipal laws that prohibit hunting of some endangered amphibians. Aside from Caleb’s work with the NGO Herp-Ghana, he is a senior research scientist with Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana), a regional projects manager for the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE of Existence Program (ZSL-EDGE) and a member of the Global Council of the Amphibian Survival Alliance.

Dr Claire Okell is the founder of The Pangolin Project, a UK charity dedicated to the protection of pangolin species and the habitat on which they depend in Kenya. Claire originally trained as a veterinarian in the UK at the University of Liverpool before study for a Masters and PhD in veterinary epidemiology and economic. After extensive field work in drought prone areas, she worked in the development and humanitarian sector in South Sudan and across east Africa before moving into conservation. She established The Pangolin Project in 2020 in response to the gap in knowledge about pangolin populations in Kenya despite the global illegal wildlife trade. In the last 2 years they have trained over 500 rangers and intelligence officers in pangolin protection and set up a team of dedicated pangolin ambassadors working in communities that live alongside pangolin.

Originally from the UK, Crystal undertook research in the Maasai Mara from 2007-2014 and began working for The Maa Trust in January 2015. She has lived in the Maasai Mara full time for the last 11 years. For her undergraduate studies she assessed the environmental impacts of tourism inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve and then for her Masters she examined the definition of ecotourism and the extent to which conservancies conform. For her Ph.D. she went on to investigate how development is defined within the Mara, and the extent to which conservancies contribute. This Ph.D. forms the research basis for all development interventions undertaken by The Maa Trust. Crystal met her husband Niels, who works for the Mara Predator Conservation Programme, in the Maasai Mara in 2011.

Damian is the Executive Director and founder of Honeyguide Foundation. Damian formed a safari company in Tanzania over 20 years ago called Sokwe, which has grown into a leading ecotourism company, now known as Asilia Africa. With other leading actors, Damian helped pioneer partnership tourism agreements with local communities to enable these communities to benefit from tourism, value wildlife, and look after these resources. With this experience, Damian realized that the future of these ecosystems requires an approach that examines the interdependence between people and wildlife, recognizing that communities need to play a critical role in the future of wildlife in Tanzania. Damian was also a founding member of the Tanzania Natural Resources Forum, which is a well-recognized and respected collective civil society-based initiative to improve natural resource management and conservation in Tanzania.

Daniel began working with Big Life Foundation in 2009 and is the program coordinator of Big Life’s Predator Compensation Fund. He is responsible for ensuring strict compliance of the PCF rules and regulations, and overseeing program staff training, field visits and monitoring, conflicts resolution and data collection and analysis. Daniel also acts as a community conservation mobilizer and community liaison related to many of Big Life’s other programs. He travels both locally and internationally sharing the success story of how communities and conservationists can work together for the mutual benefit of all.

Sopia is the Chief Executive Officer of the Maasai Mara Conservancies Association (MMWCA), an umbrella body for conservancies in the greater Maasai Mara ecosystem with a current membership of 16. He has had a decorated career spanning years of hands-on experience in conservation, from a silver-rated tour guide to programme work. Sopia has, for years, worked with communities to create conservancies and put in place structures to protect Kenya’s diverse ecosystems and enhance livelihoods. Notably, he played a key role in founding and establishing the Motorogi Conservancy and Olare Motorogi Community Trust in the Maasai Mara. He thereafter co-steered the Conservancy as a Director from 2006 to date. He played a critical role in the establishment of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association and served as a founding board member, thereafter founding MMWCA which continues to strengthen conservancies in the greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem.

Dickson Ole Kaelo, is the founding CEO of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association a position he has held for 7 years, a period that has seen the growth and recognition of Kenya’s wildlife Conservancies as a viable strategy for addressing biodiversity loss and rural poverty reduction goals.
He is a conservation ecologist with over 20 years of experience in designing models and practical solutions linking conservation and community development. He has worked with various community groups around East Africa’s Maasailand in field research, policy, institutional development, integrated natural resource management and designing of conservation projects. During his 10 years supporting community conservation, Dickson facilitated the formation of the first 6 community conservancies securing 870km2 land for conservation in the Maasai Mara.
Dickson has won a number of prestigious awards including being a 2018 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa finalist.

Born and raised in Kenya, Digby is the sustainability coordinator at the Milgis Trust. For the past five years he has been developing and delivering conservation and humanitarian projects in the Milgis ecosystem. Currently he’s trying to find ways for pastoralist communities to continue co-existing with wildlife. He is passionate about beekeeping and forests.

Dominic Maringa has a background in Forestry, and 15 years’ professional experience in water, forestry and wildlife conservation. Dominic’s passion for conservation has enabled him to explore further studies and research in natural resources conflicts in central and northern Kenya. He is the current Head of Conservation in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, where he leads various conservation programs, conservation partnerships, research and related networks regionally and internationally.

Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is a wildlife veterinarian, and Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award-winning NGO that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches. Dr. Gladys is a National Geographic Explorer and a finalist of the 2019 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa. She is the winner of the 2009 Whitley Gold Award, 2018 Sierra Club Earth Care Award and 2017 Golden Jubilee Medal from the President of Uganda. In 2020, she was awarded the Uganda Veterinary Association World Veterinary Day Award and Aldo Leopold Award for Mammologists. In 2021, she was recognised by Avance Media among 100 most influential women in Africa and won the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Champions of the Earth Award in the category of Science and Innovation.

Dr Hempson works for (OWB), a project partnership between &Beyond and Africa Foundation dedicated to marine conservation and community development in East Africa. She is also an Adjunct Researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Australia, where she completed her PhD, and continues to work with the world’s leading marine scientists. Recognising the importance of working at multiple scales and the need for effective inter-sectoral partnerships OWB offers a unique platform for bringing together diverse stakeholders to address the complex challenges facing marine conservation. At a local scale, Dr Hempson’s work in East Africa focuses on the inseparable links between coastal communities and the marine resources on which they depend. At a global scale she endeavours to raise awareness around marine conservation issues.

Elaine Hake joined Lilongwe Wildlife Trust in 2019 as Head of Development. She has over 13 years’ experience working in communications, campaigning, fundraising and policy in the not-for-profit sector, with a focus on conservation, gender and international development. She holds a BA in English Literature and Language from Oxford University and an MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics. One of her current priorities at Lilongwe Wildlife Trust is developing a new educational and interpretive plan for Lilongwe Wildlife Centre that will guide new signage, exhibits and experiential learning experiences for school groups and the general public.

Famau Shukry has served a field officer for the Lamu Marine Conservation Trust since 2013. He plays a vital role in promoting the goals and objectives of the organization to be achieved. Hos role includes, monitoring the sustainability of the project’s results, leading the environmental clubs of 13 primary schools and working closely with local community to increase environmental awareness and sensitization programs.

Based full time in East Africa, Dr. Felix Lankester has a faculty position at Washington State University’s Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health and is the Vice President of the Tanzanian based non-governmental organisation Global Animal Health Tanzania.
Dr. Lankester’s research interests are focused on multispecies pathogens that impact wildlife, livestock and public health and investigates novel cost-effective intervention strategies, often exploiting a One Health approach to disease control.

Australian born, Ian Stevenson arrived in the Lower Zambezi in 1997 where he began his involvement in wildlife protection. With almost 25 years-experience in protected area management, Ian leads one of Zambia’s first and most reputable NGOs, Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ). Ian also worked for African Parks for six years running protected areas in Ethiopia and northern Zambia before returning to CLZ in 2011. Ian is a veteran pilot, qualified in wildlife immobilsation and has GIS and aerial survey experience.
Under Ian’s leadership, over the last 10 years CLZ has grown from 12 to over 80 employees and from supporting only foot patrols to now supporting specialised Dog, Rapid Response and Intelligence Units, an extensive environmental programme and a growing community programme combating the continuous human-wildlife conflict in the Lower Zambezi.

In 2014, Isa joined the newest emerging region of NRT in the Coast as a Senior Conservancies Development Officer. He has played key role in leading a wide and varied range of conservation and community development themes, including developing and implementing strategy, community-based fisheries management, resource-based conflict and peace resolution, institutional governance, development of management plans, enterprise development, securing operational funds and overseeing strong financial management. In 2015, Isa was appointed as the chief programs officer for NRT-coast in acting capacity. These roles and responsibilities have given him the opportunity to influence the development of seven community conservancies in the NRT-Coast Unit. In April 2021, Isa has been promoted to the Director of Governance and Capacity Building to replicate the success of NRT-coast region to the other 4 regionals restructured in NRT landscape.

Jo Taylor is the field ecology technician and digital media coordinator for Karingani Game Reserve in southern Mozambique where she manages social media platforms and guides and implements wildlife monitoring as well as various other projects on the 150,000 ha tract of privately managed reserve. She has been involved in numerous conservation projects in Namibia, South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique and has assisted in projects focused on wild dog, leopard, hyena, cheetah and rhino conservation. She currently is the Public Relations Group leader for the Wild Dog Advisory Group and a council board member for the Southern African Wildlife Management Association. She holds a BSc in Wildlife Management and Conservation Ecology from West Virginia University and a MSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town. Jo’s research interests include carnivore population dynamics and drivers of movement across landscapes.

With a background training in Anthropology and community development, John has worked with various communities across the country, especially in rural areas of Kenya, for over fifteen years. Currently the Director of the South Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO), In this capacity his mandate is to work with pastoral communities to promote biodiversity conservation through promotion of open and interconnected ecosystems, the Iconic Maasai culture which is the basis for sustained wild spaces and tourism in the region between the Maasai Mara and Amboseli in order to enhance livelihoods and better management of natural resources. He has also had first hand grassroots leadership experience with different communities. Because of his efforts in community conservation, he was awarded the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Conservation Leadership award in 2013 and the 2020 Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa.

Kyalo joined the Tsavo Trust as Head of Monitoring for the Trust’s Big Tusker Project. He is responsible for coordinating the Big Tusker ground monitoring unit in collaboration with the KWS Tsavo Research Centre. He has a degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Eldoret in Kenya and currently pursuing a Masters of Science degree in Geoinformatics. Kyalo did his internship with the KWS attached to Tsavo in 2012.
For over a year, Kyalo was a volunteer field assistant to the KWS working in the greater Tsavo Conservation Area. This saw him gain experience in various biodiversity research and monitoring projects including remote and ground monitoring of Elephants, Hirola and Grevy’s Zebra ground monitoring, animal censuses, vegetation surveys and basic GIS applications among others. He is currently pursuing an interest in use of GIS and Remote Sensing in determining effects of climate chage and unsustainable water provision on Tsavo’s vegetation and in extension, wildlife.

Josia co-founded IMPACT Madagascar, and currently manages the award-winning Sifaka Conservation programme aiming to protect fragmented crowned sifaka populations and its habitat. Using a landscape approach, she leads the creation of a new protected area to conserve unique ecosystems of wetlands and rare gallery forests in Madagascar. She also helps large scale industries and companies to run sound environmental & biodiversity conservation programs. She recently received the Nature-based Solutions Award to support programs that provide efficient climate mitigation at local level in various areas in Madagascar.

Julius Lekenit comes from South Horr in Samburu North, Samburu County and joined Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) in March
2012. Julius has a BSc in Environmental Science from Kenyatta University with previous work experience in participatory forest conservation. Julius’s personal story of how he got his education is inspiring, having come from an extremely humble background, to graduating with a Masters in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge in 2018.
Julius is the Deputy Director of Programs, responsible for overseeing Grevy’s Zebra Trust’s regional programs in the expansive Northern Kenya Landscapes and supporting the organisation’s Regional Coordinators to effectively implement the Grevy’s Zebra Scout, Ambassador and Warrior programs.
Julius also oversees GZT’s engagement in the peace-building process in El Barta and develops strategic partnerships with stakeholders in Grevy’s zebra range. Julius is a 2019-2021 cohort of African Conservation Leadership Network.

On the surface, Laila is a professional investment analyst with global experience of financial markets. Her passion from her early years has been in environmental conservation. After moving to Laikipia and having the opportunity to combine her passion for finance and conservation has been a dream come true. Laila’s extensive experience in management of finances, projects and people and her passion for natural resource management, added to the love for challenges.
Laila holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance, a Bachelor of Science degree in international relations, and professional training hosted by among others; The World Bank, DEG and GIIRs. This is coupled with extensive practical experience spanning over eight years in; project and finance management within an international donor funded and project driven ecosystem.

Originally from Ireland, Lynn has been extremely fortunate to have 16 years’ experience working in conservation projects in Western and Eastern Africa. Currently, she is the Director of Wildlife Action Group (WAG), a Malawian NGO, non for profit. WAG supports government by managing two important forest reserves rich in biodiversity including African elephant, buffalo and pangolin. It is now four years since they have recorded a single loss of elephant due to poaching. Their work includes law enforcement, community outreach projects to promote local livelihoods and reduce resilience on natural resources, mitigation of Human elephant conflict, education and outreach, development and restoration of the forests, research and rescue and release.

Matt is the CEO of the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), an organization dedicated to conserving large carnivores and ecosystems. We use a four-pronged approach to achieve our mission: 1) Conservation Science: Long-term research and monitoring aimed at identifying and evaluating the limiting factors and threats to the persistence of Zambia’s large carnivores and ecosystems; 2) Conservation Action: Addressing immediate threats, as identified by science; 3) Conservation Leadership: Helping Zambia become a model for locally-led conservation through well-trained, passionate, and committed conservation leaders; and 4) Coexistence: reducing the costs, and increasing the benefits, understanding and appreciation of conservation. ZCP currently works across 34,500 km2 of 7 national parks, 7 Game Management Areas and 5 ecosystems, and runs some of the region’s longest-running field-based projects in the Luangwa Valley, the Greater Liuwa Ecosystem, and the Greater Kafue Ecosystem.

Miguel Garcia is the Director of Conservation Programs at the CCC. With a bachelor in biology and a masters in conservation. He has worked with research and conservation projects around the world in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Nigeria, Myanmar and Guinea for over 10 years. At the moment he is in charge of all conservation activities at the CCC. These include: environmental education, community development, park protection, in close collaboration with the authorities of the High Niger National Park, and the CCC’s research programs (camera trapping, surveying potential release sites).

In 2014, Olivier designed a unique conservation project to abolish the illegal trade of the endangered Grey Crowned Cranes in Rwanda and won the Rolex Award for Enterprise which allowed him to start implementing the work. He established Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association in 2015 to build on the work with Grey Crowned Cranes and expand research and conservation efforts to other endangered and threatened species in Rwanda. As a National Geographic Explorer since 2015, Olivier has also been a finalist in the 2016 Tusk Conservation Awards, received the 2017 National Geographic Buffett Award for Leadership in Conservation in Africa, winner of the 2018 Whitley Awards, the 2019 Future for Nature Awards and the 2020 McKenna-Travers Award for Compassionate Conservation. Olivier is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and has a Master of Veterinary Science, Conservation Medicine from the University of Edinburgh, UK.

A graduate of Stirling, Edinburgh and Bangor universities in the UK, Penny has a BSc in Environmental Science, MSc (Dist.) in Biodiversity & Plant taxonomy, Adult Training and Development and Project Management qualifications. A research career in the 90’s explored forest dynamics, disturbance and recovery in tropical ecosystems, a specialist in ecology and identification of juvenile trees, and communication of these subjects within and across knowledge domains (formal-informal knowledge and expertise). For 20 years, she has focused on developing, testing and implementing techniques, resources, and process for building conservation values, practices and lifestyles that support healthy, viable, and sustainable human and wildlife communities. She works with and in schools, education authorities and informal education providers, receiving training at OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and designing teacher training programmes. Penny’s home was in Cameroon from the 1990’s-2016. She used PACE widely in Cameroon, and has been coordinator since 2016, deeply committed to keeping it relevant, up to date, and a support to Conservation.

Much maligned and persecuted to the edge of extinction through prejudice and ignorance, the enigmatic painted dog captivated me as an eight-year-old boy growing up in northern England. I believe that changing an individual’s life, one day at a time, is the key, be it an individual painted dog’s or a person’s life can and does make a difference on the front line of conservation.

Peter is a conservation educator with over 10 years’ experience in conservation education field. Currently, he is the Assistant Manager and conservation education programmes and outreach coordinator (Bongo surveillance Projects). Under his leadership the organization has been able to establish 60 bongo wildlife clubs in four mountain ecosystems. Peter has successfully delivered conservation education curriculum to 86 different schools, and reached out to more than 2000 community members under his leadership. He has successfully founded the Bongo Wildlife Clubs and Community Conservation Champions which have been successful and replicated to other conservation ecosystems in Kenya. His efforts have seen the mountain Bongo population increase in operational areas. He is currently pursuing a diploma in projects monitoring and evaluation at Kenyatta University.

Rachel McRobb was born and raised in Zambia and after schooling in Swaziland and South Africa, she returned to Zambia to work at first in the tourism sector and then in conservation.
Twenty years ago Rachel made the Luangwa Valley her home and is the CEO and co-founder of Conservation South Luangwa, a local NGO working to protect wildlife and support people in South Luangwa Valley. Under the guidance and leadership of Rachel, CSL employs over 110 staff from the local community. Their holistic approach includes a wide range of protected area management support including community-based rangers, law enforcement training and equipment, K9 teams, aerial support, a wildlife veterinary rescue unit, a large-scale human wildlife conflict co-existence program, community snare patrols and community game drives.
Rachel is a WE Africa fellow from the first cohort of 2021 selected Women for the Environment.

Ronnie Sibanda joined Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) in 2017. He has been instrumental in developing and implementing a Marketing and Communications strategy for PDC and manages its social media platforms and website. He also plays a critical role in developing and executing fundraising campaigns for different programs at PDC. Ronnie holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Media and Society Studies degree from a local university in Zimbabwe and certificates in Digital Marketing and IT Support. He is born and bred in Hwange, home to Zimbabwe’s biggest national park and where PDC is headquartered.

Tanzanian born and raised; Sam is a Wildlife Management graduate of The Sokoine University of Agriculture. Sam Joined Honeyguide in 2014 to establish Honeyguide’s monitoring department. Promoted to programs manager in 2017, responsible for Honeyguide’s overall program management, overseeing program delivery, planning, and monitoring. He is leading a team of over 40 Tanzanians at one of the leading Tanzanian conservation organizations whose core goal is proving that sustainable community-based conservation is possible and critical to wildlife survival in Africa.
Sam has recently been listed among the Top 100 Young African Conservation Leaders and is pursuing the MBA for conservation leaders at the African Leadership University.

Sara Vieira is a marine biologist with over 12 years of experience in marine biodiversity research and. Over the past 10 years she has been dedicated to the management of environmental projects, particularly developing, implementing and managing conservation and research projects in the field of sea turtle biology, ecology and conservation in several countries in Central America and in the African continent. She has extensive experience in managing community-based conservation projects, implementing alternative livelihoods programs and engaging key stakeholders in the management and conservation of endangered species. Since 2014, she has been coordinating the Sea Turtle Conservation Program on São Tomé Island, (Programa Tatô). She is currently the vice president, scientific coordinator and one of the co-founders of the Association Programa Tatô, a PhD student at University of Algarve and a member of the IUCN Sea Turtle Specialists Group.

Simson joined SRT in the early 1990’s and has been at the head of the organisation since 2015. Simson has played an important role in establishing the communal rhino custodian as an effective tool to combat poaching and achieve rural development goals.
Simson’s commitment and dedication was honoured at the 2021 TUSK awards where he received the Prince William Award for lifetime achievement in conservation. The award confirms Simson’s impact on rhino conservation in Africa. Simson has an Msc in Conservation Biology from Kent University.

Ms Theresa Sowry, CEO of the Southern African Wildlife College, holds a Master of Science Degree in Botany from the University of the Witswatersrand, South Africa. She gained conservation experience while employed by South African National Parks working on their rare antelope programme in the Kruger National Park. Starting in the education field as a Training Manager and Lecturer in Natural Resource Management, she was later promoted to Executive Manager: Training and more recently to CEO of the Wildlife College.
Theresa’s latest passion is taking to the skies and piloting a Savannah S, Light Sport Aircraft. She has been able to successfully integrate this passion into a joint SAWC/KNP project, and monitors the rhino distribution pattern on a weekly basis across the Kempiana property.

Tjipo studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities at the University of Botswana, majoring in Sociology and Environmental Science. Since graduating, she has pursued a career in children’s education, working mostly with primary school children and various programs. To fill a need, she spearheaded her own outdoor education initiative called Campfire, before she joined Coaching Conservation in 2019, where she is now the program facilitator for Botswana. Tjipo has led her growing team of CC coaches, who have now delivered the Vulture RAP to over 1000 grade 6 students in the North West region of Botswana during the year 2021. The thrill of seeing a child’s face when they learn something new, or seeing an animal in its natural habitat for the first time, is magical. She is passionate about children and conservation.