Kaitlyn Bock is the Africa Operations Manager for the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from New College of Florida and has a diverse professional background in primate conservation, communications and volunteer management.

Kaitlyn has dedicated her career to serving threatened wildlife. In addition to conducting independent projects, she worked as a research assistant in the Peruvian Amazon, Sarteneja, Belize and Yellowstone National Park. Her passion for primate conservation started with internships at the Center for Great Apes and Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch. After working in animal husbandry, Kaitlyn moved to Indonesia to serve in a communications capacity for Orangutan Foundation International and Sun Bear Outreach, where she used her expertise in content creation to build bridges between field conservation projects and a global audience.

Kaitlyn created and edited video and digital content for over 14 countries in her capacity as an editor for the tourism arm of the U.S. government. All the while, she continued working in conservation, joining PASA as a volunteer in 2015 and as a staff member in 2017. She feels honored to work on behalf of PASA’s diverse member sanctuaries and the animals under their care.

Iris Ho is the Head of Campaigns and Policy for the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). A native of Taiwan and a naturalized American citizen, Iris Ho has over two decades of combined, diverse experience in campaign advocacy, animal welfare, wildlife protection, community outreach, and public policy. Before joining PASA in November 2021, Iris was wildlife policy director for one of the largest animal welfare organizations in the world, Humane Society International, where she worked for more than 11 years.

Iris has worked with governments and community advocates from around the world to promote social justice and animal welfare. She has designed and overseen outreach campaigns to protect elephants, pangolins, sharks, and rhinos in Africa and Asia, reaching millions of people and effectuating changes in policy and behaviors. She has testified in front of the U.S. Congress and state legislatures across the United States as well as parliaments overseas to advocate for stronger protection for imperiled wildlife. Iris has appeared in a BBC nature documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough, CBS Morning Show, Al Jazeera, the Washington Post, and other media outlets. She represents PASA at multilateral environmental treaty conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Iris is the happiest when she can view living wild animals in their natural habitats and connect with people who are dedicated to protecting them. She sits on the board of an African elephant conservation organization and is an advisor to a wildlife documentary.

Molly has worked in development and leadership capacities at diverse nonprofits and is thrilled to bring her versatile competencies to primate rescue. Molly’s leadership has earned nonprofits she directed rankings in the Best Green Places to Work for in Oregon and recognition from the City of Portland’s Making a Difference Award. To honor Molly’s work founding an organization focused on the intersection of community building, social justice, and the environment, Molly was awarded the 2013 Sustainable Business Portland’s Innovation in Sustainability Equity Award. With extensive experience as a nonprofit jill-of-all-trades, Molly is excited to further local and international support to protect endangered primates as PASA’s Development Manager. Molly is a lifelong vegan/ vegetarian who has worked and volunteered for numerous animal rescue organizations, most recently volunteering with two PASA member sanctuaries before joining the PASA team in 2020.

Jenny is the Development Specialist for the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. She is passionate about the welfare and conservation of primates and began volunteering for PASA’s Primate Care and Training program in 2020.

Jenny holds a PhD from the University of St Andrews in Scotland and began her career examining the cognitive abilities of capuchins and lemurs. She then spent four years studying learning behaviours in wild vervet monkeys in South Africa, before working with orangutans and gorillas at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. She has published many scientific articles and book chapters on primate behaviour and cognition, and has volunteered at sanctuaries in the US and South Africa.

After a decade of working in primate research, her knowledge of the dire threats faced by most primate species led her to search for a role which more directly supported their welfare and conservation. She is delighted to bring her diverse skills to the PASA team and to support the incredible work of the member sanctuaries.

Jean Fleming brings an extensive background in non-profit communications to her role as Communications Manager for PASA. She established the communications function for NWEA, a non-profit serving educators globally. There, Jean initiated the use of a public opinion research poll, conducted by Gallup, that established the organization’s thought leadership and helped shift perceptions on critical issues – while garnering significant media coverage, including the New York Times. She was a pioneer in using social media to build community and drive media engagement, and provided strategic oversight for the organization’s digital properties.

Her passion for the environment and wildlife was kindled early in outings to forests of her native Michigan. In college, Jean studied environmental science at the University of Alaska before graduating from the University of Michigan with a double major in English and History. She has travelled extensively to witness and support wildlife, including trips to Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa, Thailand, India, and Indonesia. Jean is also a published poet and novelist, and holds an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco.

Ruby works to raise awareness on the threats facing primates in Africa through her role as Digital Strategist for PASA. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from the Oregon State University’s Honors College and is particularly interested in engaging communities in conservation.

Ruby grew up watching nature documentaries and exploring the Pacific Northwest. When she was 6 years old, she wanted to be a biologist and work with wildlife. She was inspired to work in the field of African conservation after studying wildlife management in Tanzania with the School For Field Studies. In Tanzania, Ruby traveled to rural areas and researched community knowledge and attitudes regarding zoonotic diseases. 

Her journey with PASA began in 2018, when she worked as an Administrative Intern over the summer. Ruby joined as a staff member in 2019 and works to support the diverse work of PASA.

Lilija has always had a passion for wildlife conservation. While obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Evolutionary Anthropology, she found her love for primates as a research assistant studying the social behaviors of rhesus macaques. She has since held various positions in the nonprofit conservation sector, including conducting biological fieldwork, development, and fundraising.  

Working in conservation has taken Lilija across the globe from the lush redwoods of the Marin Headlands in California to the peat swamp forests of Borneo, Indonesia, where she implemented and led wildlife camera trap programs. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Biology, focusing on global conservation and community engagement. 

Lilija first got involved with PASA as a volunteer in 2020 and joined as a staff member in 2021. As PASA’s Projects Officer, Lilija supports all team members by completing diverse tasks in communication, organization, and research. She is elated to continue to work in primate conservation in a role that supports PASA’s programs to defend great apes and monkeys in Africa.

Michele Stumpe, Co-Chair of the PASA Board of Directors, is an attorney and partner in the Atlanta law firm of Taylor English Duma LLP. She began working with gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in the 1980’s as a zoo volunteer in the nursery at the Gladys Porter Zoo. Early in her legal career, Stumpe set out to combine her professional talents with her passion for conservation and great apes. Since 1999, she has volunteered at various sanctuaries in Africa and the US. She has also served on advisory boards to the Dewar Wildlife Trust, the only gorilla sanctuary in the USA, and the Great Ape Project, International. In 2005, Stumpe became a member of the Dewar Wildlife Trust Board of Directors.

As an entrepreneur who has created and run several successful companies, Stumpe is highly regarded in the legal and professional community for her integrity, insight and business sense. It was these qualities that led to her appointment in 2005 as the acting President of Great Ape Project, International – the umbrella organization for the Great Ape Project organizations throughout the world. In 2009, Stumpe and her husband started their own non-profit organization called Children of Conservation. This organization works closely with PASA sanctuaries and provides various benefits to the sanctuaries including a scholarship program that gives educational funding for the children of the sanctuary workers.

Michele Stumpe, Co-Chair of the PASA Board of Directors, is an attorney and partner in the Atlanta law firm of Taylor English Duma LLP. She began working with gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in the 1980’s as a zoo volunteer in the nursery at the Gladys Porter Zoo. Early in her legal career, Stumpe set out to combine her professional talents with her passion for conservation and great apes. Since 1999, she has volunteered at various sanctuaries in Africa and the US. She has also served on advisory boards to the Dewar Wildlife Trust, the only gorilla sanctuary in the USA, and the Great Ape Project, International. In 2005, Stumpe became a member of the Dewar Wildlife Trust Board of Directors.

As an entrepreneur who has created and run several successful companies, Stumpe is highly regarded in the legal and professional community for her integrity, insight and business sense. It was these qualities that led to her appointment in 2005 as the acting President of Great Ape Project, International – the umbrella organization for the Great Ape Project organizations throughout the world. In 2009, Stumpe and her husband started their own non-profit organization called Children of Conservation. This organization works closely with PASA sanctuaries and provides various benefits to the sanctuaries including a scholarship program that gives educational funding for the children of the sanctuary workers.

Meg Gammage-Tucker currently serves CEO of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.

She has served in a variety of positions in her 34+ year nonprofit career. Organizations that have benefited from her staff leadership include The Rhino Trust, the Museum of Texas Tech University, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Zoological Society, the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Wilds, and Zoo Atlanta. She also served as senior consultant for Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates and founded – and continues to serves as President & CEO – Build 4 Impact, Inc. in 2014. Build 4 Impact is both a nonprofit consulting firm serving clients in the fields of conservation, museums and cultural organizations, education, and social service agencies and, as a second line of business, builds traveling exhibitions for zoos and museums across the United States and Canada.

Dr. Gammage-Tucker completed her doctorate in political science and public administration at
Texas Tech University in 1996. She also maintains a bachelor of science in sociology from Illinois
State University, and masters of art and public administration, both from Texas Tech University.

In addition to being a faculty member of The Fund Raising School and adjunct faculty of the Lilly
School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, Dr. Gammage-Tucker has served in volunteer
leadership positions for the Association of Fund Raising Professionals and the American Alliance of
Museums as well as a number of other local, national, and international organizations.

Meg Gammage-Tucker currently serves CEO of the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota.

She has served in a variety of positions in her 34+ year nonprofit career. Organizations that have benefited from her staff leadership include The Rhino Trust, the Museum of Texas Tech University, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Zoological Society, the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Wilds, and Zoo Atlanta. She also served as senior consultant for Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates and founded – and continues to serves as President & CEO – Build 4 Impact, Inc. in 2014. Build 4 Impact is both a nonprofit consulting firm serving clients in the fields of conservation, museums and cultural organizations, education, and social service agencies and, as a second line of business, builds traveling exhibitions for zoos and museums across the United States and Canada.

Dr. Gammage-Tucker completed her doctorate in political science and public administration at
Texas Tech University in 1996. She also maintains a bachelor of science in sociology from Illinois
State University, and masters of art and public administration, both from Texas Tech University.

In addition to being a faculty member of The Fund Raising School and adjunct faculty of the Lilly
School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, Dr. Gammage-Tucker has served in volunteer
leadership positions for the Association of Fund Raising Professionals and the American Alliance of
Museums as well as a number of other local, national, and international organizations.

Dr Joshua Rukundo is the Executive Director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, an NGO that manages the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda. Ngamba Island is home to 52 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees, while the Trust also manages a chimpanzee conservation project for over 600 wild chimpanzees in Western Uganda.

Dr Joshua is a trained wildlife veterinarian, who has always had a passion for animals and stared working with wildlife from his early days volunteering at the local zoo while still in high school. After six years working in Local Government, he found his calling at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary as the Sanctuary Manager in 2010, progressing to Conservation Programs Director before eventually being appointed as Executive Director in 2020.

Dr Joshua Rukundo is the Executive Director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust, an NGO that manages the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda. Ngamba Island is home to 52 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees, while the Trust also manages a chimpanzee conservation project for over 600 wild chimpanzees in Western Uganda.

Dr Joshua is a trained wildlife veterinarian, who has always had a passion for animals and stared working with wildlife from his early days volunteering at the local zoo while still in high school. After six years working in Local Government, he found his calling at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary as the Sanctuary Manager in 2010, progressing to Conservation Programs Director before eventually being appointed as Executive Director in 2020.

Dr. Atencia is the Executive Director of the Jane Goodall Institute in the Republic of the Congo and is responsible for implementing the organization’s programs which range from the management of the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center to community-based education work, wildlife law enforcement, and the rescue and release of illegally trafficked animals such as Mandrills, parrots, and pangolins.

Dr. Atencia earned her Ph.D. thesis in Chimpanzee Physiology at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is originally from Ferrols, Spain. She has served as chief veterinarian at Aitana Safari Zoological Park in Alicante, Spain, as well as an advisory veterinarian for Sanctuary of Primates. Just before joining JGI, she served as a veterinarian and chief of camp for HELP-Congo. She also supervised their noninvasive research on wild chimpanzees in the Congo. Now, at Tchimpounga, she continues her noninvasive research of rehabilitated chimpanzees.

A qualified and active veterinarian, Dr. Atencia is a recognized expert in the field of chimpanzee cardiology and is involved in a number of active, non-invasive research projects with universities in Europe and the United States. Her knowledge and expertise are versatile and driven by her passion for our closest relatives.