All directors are independent voting members of the governing body. Board composition effective 9/22/2011.

Charles Knowles - Executive Director
Charlie retired early as a successful Stanford-educated entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. He founded Mountain View software company Rubicon Technology in 1989 and sold it in 1994. His retirement lasted six days, until he launched full-time into applying his business acumen and experience to the field of wildlife conservation. In the 1990s, Charlie helped the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Snow Leopard Conservancy grow into world-class, community-based conservation programs. In doing so, he recognized the opportunity for a new model of wildlife conservation, and in 2002 he co-founded the Wildlife Conservation Network to identify, qualify and invest in the best and brightest conservationists around the world. The synthesis of creativity and practicality in Knowles' approach has inspired thousands of passionate donors, as well as a rising generation of conservation pioneers.

John Lukas - Director
John, who is currently Director of White Oak Conservation Center and President of the International Rhino Foundation, has over 20 years of international conservation experience. From his work with okapi in the Congo to saving rhinos in Sumatra, John has seen first-hand the importance of integrating local people into conservation strategies.

Akiko Yamazaki - Director
Akiko, who developed her passion for wildlife and wilderness areas during her childhood in Costa Rica, believes that the goals of conservation are best served by a combination of entrepreneurial energy and commitment to local involvement and development. Akiko and her husband, Jerry Yang, founder of Yahoo, are active supporters of a number of philanthropic organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Akiko is a board member serving on the Executive Committee of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. An avid horsewoman, she also serves on the National Advisory Committee of the United States Equestrian Team Foundation. Additionally, she and her husband are ardent supporters of their alma matter, Stanford University, having co-chaired the $1 billion Campaign for Undergraduate Education and provided the naming gift for the Environment and Energy Building.

Christine Hemrick - Director
Christine retired as an executive of Cisco Systems after 30 years in the high technology industry. She is an avid conservationist and a Trustee of the African Wildlife Foundation. She is also a leading supporter of the Andean Cat Alliance, a multinational group of researchers and conservationists dedicated to conserving the Andean mountain cat.

Rebecca Patton - Director / Chief Operating Officer
After 20 years in the private sector in Silicon Valley, Rebecca joined The Nature Conservancy in 2001 to pursue her life-long interest in conservation. As a Regional Director she oversaw conservation programs in many parts of the world, from China to Peru to the western United States, and developed a deep appreciation for the importance of community-based conservation. Then as the Chief Conservation Strategies Officer she led TNC's global policy and science initiatives. She joined WCN in 2010 to contribute her experience to WCN's innovative and effective model for wildlife conservation. She is on the boards of several other conservation organizations, and in her free time, she also enjoys hiking adventures.

Jean-Gaël "JG" E. Collomb, Ph.D. -
Director of Conservation Programs
JG* has always been passionate about wildlife, and caught a travel bug early on in life. Originally from Paris, France, JG has spent most of his adult life between the U.S. and Africa. After getting his B.S. in Biology, he set off for a remote national park in Gabon working with inspiring ecologists studying chimps, gorillas, mandrills and dodging the occasional elephant, while learning that wildlife conservation also required some "bush mechanics" and a good dose of people skills. He focused on the latter, and spent the next six years with the World Resources Institute, coordinating an NGO network to monitor logging companies in Central Africa, and subsequently with the Wildlife Conservation Society providing technical assistance to help the development of national parks and ecotourism in Gabon. This led to JG's interests in rural development issues and their interface with wildlife conservation, taking him to Namibia to study the effects of tourism on people's wellbeing in the Caprivi strip for his Ph.D. dissertation. JG is thrilled to combine all of his interests through his work at WCN. Since he recently moved from the east coast with his family, he is eager to discover all the outdoor and culinary delights northern California has to offer.
* JG is actually pronounced in French, which sounds close to "GJ"... but he's very tolerant of people getting confused about it.

Elaine Iverson - Chief Financial Officer
Elaine worked in the high-tech industry for 17 years in various departments including accounting, sales, legal, product management and information technology. While pursuing a lifelong interest in wild cats, she became involved with the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Snow Leopard Conservancy and joined WCN as a volunteer in 2002. Her participation on an Earthwatch expedition trapping carnivores in the Argentine Pampas convinced her to follow a different career path, and she now manages the finance, accounting and information technology needs for WCN. In her spare time she enjoys hiking in the hills above the WCN office.

Eve Schaeffer - Program Manager
Eve is the Program Manager for Save the Elephants, Snow Leopard Conservancy, Saiga Conservation Alliance, the WCN Scholarship Program, Internship Program and Solar Project. She has worked with many environmental groups and presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center. After receiving her B.A. in Native American Studies at Harvard, she worked as an advocate for people facing the death penalty. On the weekends she laces up her running shoes and works as a Coach for the AIDS Marathon Training Program. She is thrilled to pursue her lifelong passion for wildlife and wild places with WCN.

Kelly Wilson - Program Manager /
Event and Volunteer Manager
Kelly has been an avid animal lover all her life. After many years working in Environmental Education, her career path led her through the world of Zoos and Aquariums where she was inspired by those making a difference in the field of conservation. Kelly has a Masters of Public Administration in Nonprofit Management and enjoys using her knowledge to help those in the field. As a Program Manager at WCN, she feels fortunate to be able to put her skills and her passion for animals together. When she is not at the office she can be found enjoying the company of friends or at the park with her dog, Sherman.

Tracy Elsen - Marketing and Communications Manager
Tracy’s love of conservation stems from her travels around the world, and she is excited to combine her marketing skills with her interest in developing practical solutions to protect wildlife and its habitats. Tracy previously led marketing, strategic communications, and outreach for New Ventures, a global network for environmental entrepreneurs at the World Resources Institute. Prior to joining New Ventures, Tracy worked as the New Media & Publications Manager for the Australia-based Climate Institute, and spent several years working in the magazine publishing industry in editorial, marketing and advertising roles. Tracy received a BA in American Studies from Cornell University and an MA in Media from The University of Sydney. Outside of work, she is happiest doing just about anything that involves being outside, especially if there are mountains or an ocean nearby.

Joyce Wang - Grant Writer / Program Manager
Joyce spent her childhood watching the nature channel instead of cartoons, and convincing her parents to allow various rodents, birds, reptiles, and amphibians into their home. Before joining WCN, Joyce spent three years as an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP working on M&A and strategic corporate transactions on behalf of private and public company clients. She also represented several non-profit organizations, including Humane Society of the United States and Animal Legal Defense Fund, on a variety of regulatory and litigation matters. She received a B.A. from UC Berkeley and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School, but her best education has come from observing wildlife in their natural habitats of Uganda, the Galapagos, Madagascar, and underwater reefs. When she isn't writing grants at WCN, Joyce enjoys exploring the outdoors of the beautiful Bay Area with her dog and weekend trips to Napa.