Dr James Dannof-Burg

Sofa Leader Dr James Danoff-Burg is a founding member of ConsComm and an educator, conservation strategist, and biodiversity scientist focused on the human dimensions of conservation. For the past 25 years he has helped document and then reduce the negative effects of human activities on biodiversity in 35 countries through community-based conservation interventions. In the ConsComm community Dr James provides inspiration for creative collaborations that proactively support conservation programmes and their communities. Dr James is the Director of Conservation Engagement and Learning at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan, and M.A. and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Kansas and was recently a Fulbright Specialist in India.

Aidée Sánchez Ramírez

Aidée Sánchez Ramírez is Assistant Coordinator and Community-based conservation Educator of The Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Program (PPRP). As a child Aidée was deeply involved in biodiversity conservation through her parents life work, this has been a core priority in her life. It was in 2010 that she formally became an active workforce for the Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Program (PPRP) as an Administrative Coordinator and Community-based conservation Educator. With more than 10 years of experience serving on a variety of goals to improve and fortify the PPRP, including administrative management, community-based conservation education, population management & records-keeping, strategic planning, research, public outreach and social networking.

Adam Senior

Sofa Leader Adam Senior is the managing director of both CREW Training and ConsComm. At CREWtraining.uk.net Adam and his team help organisations in the leisure and attractions industry to engage their audiences more effectively. By developing communication confidence and engagement skills in individuals and creating consistent strategies across teams they enhance visitor and virtual experiences, maximise income, donations and support. In the ConsComm.com community Adam plays a key role in creatively collaborating with zoos, aquaria, museums, gardens, NGO’s and ethical commercial partners to support global conservation and sustainability through developing best practice, audience engagement, content development and income generation in an increasingly challenging and virtual world.

Jeff Vanek

Jeff Vanek is the director of human resources at Utah’s Hogle Zoo were the human species in the workplace environment is his field of expertise. For nearly twenty years he has studied and counselled this species on compliance and culture building. At one point in his career, he was offered a human resources job because of his legal background. He ended up staying in the human resources field for the challenge and the thrill of building culture in the workplace. Jeff has worked in a variety of industries, from technology to his most recent positions in the zoo and aquarium worlds. Besides a law degree, Jeff has a master’s in environmental science with a sustainability emphasis.

Andrew Fischer

Sofa Leader Andrew Fischer is a seminal member of ConsComm and the Vice President of Sustainability & Conservation for the SSA Group, a cultural attraction retail commerce, culinary, and ticketing operations organization. For the past 16 years he has been an accomplished sustainability and conservation program professional with diverse knowledge of business operations, organizational collaboration, cultural establishments, and product marketing in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. In the ConsComm community Andrew provides expertise for creative commercial collaborations that commercially support conservation programmes and their communities.

Beth Armstrong

Beth Armstrong is Chair of the ZAAC – Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation. Beth spent twenty years at the Columbus Zoo as a keeper/head-keeper and then as their first Field Conservation Coordinator – a job that enabled her to help shape the zoo’s conservation philosophy, approach and commitment. She then became the Brevard Zoo’s (2000-2010) conservation coordinator jumpstarting and overseeing the development of their commitment to field conservation. In both institutions, a preference was given to partnering with field projects that embraced a holistic approach to conservation that incorporated buy-in, involvement and benefits to local communities (i.e. employment, schools, health clinics, libraries, crafts), combined with good science and an proactive education component.

Beth is the founder of The Gorilla Workshop (1990) and co-founder of the 1995 ZACC (Zoos and Aquariums: Committing to Conservation) conference – both biennial events continue to be hosted by various zoos to this day. She is currently the chair of the ZACC steering committee. In 2016 Beth founded the event, Finding Your Voice: Inspirational Stories From Women who Protect Wildlife and Wild Places as a way of sharing stories with a younger generation in the hope of inspiring and encouraging them towards a life of conservation. Beth’s first book, Voices From The Ape House was published by Trillium, an imprint of Ohio State University Press in March of 2020. She has an undergraduate degree in anthropology.