An excellent team is nothing without you as well!
Valerie Kosheleff, MSc
Founder & Director
With twenty-five years in wildlife conservation and environmental leadership, a Masters and published research in evolutionary biology, and a thorough background in sustainability, primatology, environmental policy and technology entrepreneurship, Valerie has spent most of her life working in science and sustainability leadership all over the world from heading several environmental organizations in California to living in the forest studying wild chimpanzees in Uganda.
Dating back to 1990, Valerie witnessed first-hand the tragedy that accompanies poaching as all the rhino, in her then-home of Zambia, were poached to extinction and the slaughtered elephants strewn across the landscape. Raising money at her US high school, Phillips Exeter Academy, using the saying "Save A Horny Friend" from 1993 - 1995, and after spending a year in Tanzania and Kenya independently researching the poaching crisis from 2013-2014, it became clear that the formation and stewardship of this non-profit project to use drones and other new technology to save wildlife, was inevitable. With several publications under her belt, she continues to work on a book about her time researching this project and traveling East Africa alone in search of answers.
John Brooks
Wildlife Advisory Board Member
John's 30-year successful career as an Inspector, Agent and Specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made him an expert in wildlife identification and investigation, and is complimented by his commitment to reducing human-wildlife conflicts, especially of endangered species. In a remote area of Nepal in 2011, John learned of the presence of undocumented tigers. With a commitment to study and protect these endangered creatures he formed the ongoing nonprofit, The Nepal Tiger Project.
Following his candidacy for the U.S. Congress in 2012, Mr. Brooks now spends most of his time as an author, musician, running his nonprofit, and heading his own videography company, Canis Lupus Productions, in California and Europe. Books about environmental issues written by John Brooks can be found at 11th Hour Books.net, and can be contacted at: John@nepaltigers.org
Philip Gahn
Strategy Advisory Board Member
Phil Gahn has 25 years of global business development experience with government contractors, manufacturers, architectural and engineering firms, and non-government organizations. He has worked in a wide range of industrial sectors including environmental engineering, construction management, telecommunications, energy and critical infrastructure, predominately in austere regions.
Specifically, Mr. Gahn has worked on environmental projects focused on sustainable fisheries and agriculture, endangered species protection and governance of tribal lands. He has extensive experience in public-private partnerships development working with all levels government and is a certified grant writer. He is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, American Society for Industrial Security and is currently the Senior Policy Advisor for National Security, Crisis Management and Emergency Planning at Harvard Medical School, Operational Medicine Institute.
Gordon Gus
Marketing Advisory Board Member
Gordon Gus is a high-tech entrepreneur, author, guest speaker, engineer, and eco-warrior. He has raised capital for startups and is the founder and CEO of several online businesses including a web marketing firm and online retail store. For the last 20 years, he has been a devoted conservationist and animal welfare advocate.
He has held leadership and advisory roles for organizations such as Greenpeace, IFAW, Oceana, Project Wildlife, and Pachamama Alliance. He is a graduate of UCLA, where he studied philosophy with an emphasis on animal and environmental ethics. Mr. Gus has written books and articles on starting a business, fundraising, and adventure travel. In his free time, he enjoys videography, sailing, diving, flying, hip hop and teaching his dog to surf. He is currently writing a book on e-commerce and starting a software company for non-profits.
Peter Hogel
First Mate in Africa & Chief Photographer
Peter Hogel has been a professional photographer for the last thirty years, first in fashion, studio, and estate; and most recently in his passion and forte - wildlife. Explore his exquisite photography: PeterHogel.com. When not a pro photographer, Peter is an adventurer, safari guide and conservationist. His interest in wildlife drew him out of his home in Sweden and on adventures from Costa Rica to Cuba to Australia and eventually landing him in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.
The three years running a safari company in East Africa, the love of nature, a successful business and a dynamic woman finally settled him down in lovely Uganda. Through his safari adventure company, Eden Adventures, he runs not only traditional land photographic safaris, but also guides tourists on his curated "Endangered Species Tour" from hikes with the elusive mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, to exhilarating boat trips up the Nile River to the hypnotic Murchison Falls where Bogart and Hepburn filmed the historic, The African Queen!
Global Friends of Elephants and Rhinos
Without the hundred or so people in California who have assisted in the launch this nonprofit, and the hundred thousand people around the world who have marched on Oct 4, 2013, Oct 4, 2014 and Oct 4, 2015, in the name of elephants and rhinos, this movement could not exist. Nevertheless, there is much work to do and we greatly honor those of you who selflessly donate - thank you all for participating, please keep up the good fight and please donate again!
