Meet the Board
What does the board do?
The board is responsible for overseeing the long-term governance of Wild Animal Initiative. The two major responsibilities of board members are to hire and manage the Executive Director, and to approve financial decisions. Board members also provide feedback on the strategic plan of the organization, while the Executive Director is responsible for its day-to-day implementation. Occasionally, the board gives input on other issues that affect the health of the organization.
The board also serves as a check on the power of the Executive Director. Staff are encouraged to speak to board members at any time, and especially if they have issues at work they do not believe they can address with the Executive Director. Anyone who would like to contact the executive members of the board directly without visibility to the Executive Director may do so by emailing board@wildanimalinitiative.org.
Nikolai Gates Vetr
board president & Interim secretary-
Nikolai graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University, where he majored in Ecology, Evolution, & Organismal Biology and Earth & Environmental Sciences. For his PhD, he attended the University of California, Davis, where he developed statistical models to explore the evolutionary relationships linking living and fossil species. Currently, he is a postdoc at Stanford University working in computational biology. In his free time, he enjoys all manner of outdoor activities, especially hiking and backpacking.
Anam Nguyen
board Treasurer-
Anam is based in Los Angeles and has previously lived in New York City, Switzerland, and Germany. Along with her career focus on finance and tech, she has been dedicated to animal protection for most of her life. She is passionate about farmed and wild animal protection, welfare, and justice. She was active in the animal protection and effective altruism movement, mostly in New York City, where she focused much of her activism on the intersections of animal justice with race and gender. She lives with her wife, Steph, and two cats, Mochi and Cebu.
Anam is a member of Wild Animal Initiative’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee.
Yolanda Eisenstein
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Yolanda is an animal lawyer with a focus on wildlife law. She is President of the Animal Law Commission of Paris-based Union Internationale des Avocats, a global association of lawyers. She is a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law (cum laude) and former adjunct professor of animal law. She holds a master’s degree in Philosophy (summa cum laude). She is the author of Careers in Animal Law and The American Bar Association Guide to Dog Laws; co-editor of Representing Animal Protection Organizations and Wildlife Law & Ethics; and a contributor to Animal Cruelty: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding and the Elgar Encyclopedia of Animal Law. Yolanda is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
August Hochman
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August serves as the CEO of Ark Philanthropy, an advisory and grantmaking institution that partners with individuals, families, and foundations to help them maximize the impact of their giving. She is passionate about animal welfare, particularly in farmed and wild contexts, and previously co-founded the Centre for Aquaculture Progress to expand evidence-based interventions to improve conditions for farmed fish in Europe. August is a born-and-raised New Yorker currently splitting her time between the United States, Europe, and London.
Ignacio Moore
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Ignacio is a biologist at Virginia Tech. He completed his B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Arizona, his PhD in Zoology at Oregon State University, and a postdoc in Zoology and Psychology at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the ways animals physiologically and behaviorally adapt to their unique social and physical environments. He has worked primarily on birds and reptiles but does not discriminate based on species.
Liz Specht
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Liz Specht, PhD, has a BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD in Biological Sciences from UC San Diego. She is currently an emerging technology policy fellow with Horizon Institute for Public Service, based in Washington, DC. Previously, Liz served as the Senior Vice President of Science & Technology at the Good Food Institute, a global nonprofit think tank that serves as a field catalyst for the alternative protein sector. Liz has contributed to dozens of analyses of the alternative protein field and served as an advisor to companies, nonprofits, research consortia, and government agencies and initiatives.
Jake Wilson
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Jake’s career has spanned several industries, including engineering, corporate finance, farmed animal welfare, and, most recently, NGO finance and operations. He is a passionate defender of and advocate for animal welfare, and regularly volunteers his time to pursue a future where animals of all kinds are treated with equality and compassion. In his free time, you can find him doing chores at a nearby sanctuary, on a road trip to a new destination, or going for a long hike. Jake is based in Fort Worth, TX, and has spent time all over the United States.
Let us know what you think.
Share anonymous feedback with the executive committee of our board
This form can be used by anyone to share anonymous feedback with the board. Wild Animal Initiative staff do not have access to the form submissions.
Share anonymous feedback with our Executive Director
This form can be used by anyone to share comments about Wild Animal Initiative directly with our Executive Director. All feedback is welcome, including information about our Board of Directors or reporting of incidents of harassment or discrimination, which will be responded to promptly by management.
Meeting notes
Notes from quarterly Wild Animal Initiative’s quarterly board meetings are available to the public. You can download them on our Transparency page.