Ray Victurine - President

Mr. Victurine focuses on the development of market opportunities and sustainable funding mechanisms to support biodiversity conservation long-term. He serves as Director of the Conservation Finance Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society. In this role, he offers technical assistance in innovative market and financing opportunities to worldwide field projects. Mr. Victurine has worked in conservation and economic development for over 25 years, and has extensive experience throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia. He holds a B.A. from Georgetown University, and a M.S. in Resource Economics from Texas A&M University. In addition, he holds a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Washington, and has carried out Ph.D. studies in Conservation Biology and Economics.

Ann Koontz - Vice President

Ms. Koontz specializes in business development that is environmentally responsible while reducing poverty and improving overall sector sustainability and efficiency. As Technical Assistance Department Director of EnterpriseWorks/VITA, Ms. Koontz has worked on sector development for agriculture, forestry, light industry, handicrafts and furniture, tree crops, personal care, energy, water, and ecosystem services products with producer groups and businesses in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Her experience includes capacity building for local organizations, enterprise-based biodiversity conservation, market analysis, public-private deal-making, certification, and monitoring and evaluation. Ms. Koontz has a B.A. from Stanford University in International Relations, and a M.B.A. from the George Washington University.

Julie Stein - Secretary

Ms. Stein has served as a consultant to large carnivore conservation and endangered species conservation issues in Greater Yellowstone and Africa for over 10 years. She has examined conservation and community conflict for Jane Goodall Institute’s Congo Basin Program, served as Community Reconciliation/Conservation Conflict Fellow for the Andrus Family Fund, and acted as Science and Policy Coordinator for the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force. A founding member of the Human Wildlife Conflict Collaboration, she contributes to a Conservation and Conflict training program for wildlife professionals around the world. Ms. Stein holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of Virginia, and a M.E.S. in Conservation Biology from the Yale School of Forestry.

David Bell

Mr. Bell works in nonprofit program management. His experience includes 5 years in Namibia, during which he helped develop Cheetah Country Beef, an ecolabel for farmers using wildlife friendly practices, on behalf of the Cheetah Conservation Fund. In this period, he developed the program’s field verification system and created market linkages with local and European retail outlets. He also worked in London, where he researched and developed strategies to help African beef achieve higher prices and gain market priority. He currently serves as Northwest Regional Director of Operation HOPE, an organization that provides vital life skills to at-risk youth. Mr. Bell holds a B.A. in Business Communications from Point Loma University.

Abigail Breuer

Ms. Breuer works with ranchers and herders on means to fit wildlife and livestock on the landscape and monitor the impact of agricultural practices on rangelands, with 15 years experience in the U.S., Russia, and Central Asia. In her current role as Program Director of Keystone Conservation, Ms. Breuer seeks to resolve human-wildlife conflict on lands surrounding Yellowstone National Park, where abundant wildlife, livelihoods, and recreational interests intersect. She manages the organization’s Predator Friendly® certification program for U.S. farms and ranches pioneering wildlife friendly production practices. Ms. Breuer holds a B.A. in Biology and Economics from Pomona College and a M.S. in rangeland ecology from the University of California at Davis.

Steven Dupuis

With decades of experience in strategic branding, Mr. DuPuis excels in helping companies understand how to communicate visually with consumers. As Founder and President of The DuPuis Group, a strategic brand design firm with offices in the U.S. and Europe, Mr. DuPuis oversees the strategic design development of branding programs for some of the company’s premier clients including Nestlé, Quaker, Kellogg’s, ConAgra and Lance. Mr. DuPuis helps clients differentiate themselves from their competition to realize—and often exceed—their marketing goals. He is a frequent contributor to design and business periodicals, speaker at professional forums, including the Kellogg School of Management, and has work in the permanent collection in the U.S. Library of Congress. Mr. DuPuis holds a B.F.A. in Visual Communications from Long Beach State University.

Mike Korchinsky

Mr. Korchinsky works in the sale of Avoided Deforestation Carbon Offsets, now known as REDD (Reduced Emissions from Degradation and Forest Degradation) and has developed Wildlife Works, Inc. and Wildlife Works Carbon, LLC to provide people in wildlife rich areas of the world with sustainable economic alternatives to poaching and slash and burn agriculture. In prior work, Mr. Korchinsky co-founded and built Axiom Management Consulting, overseeing the company from start-up through high growth and liquidity. Mr. Korchinsky now applies his business acumen to conservation. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham.

Dr. Helen Crowley

Dr. Crowley promotes and develops entrepreneurial approaches to biodiversity conservation. As Associate Director of the Market-based Conservation Initiatives program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, she supports field conservation programs around the world and develops private sector partnerships for conservation. Her experience encompasses a range of wildlife ecology and conservation efforts, including research with Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions and improvement of corporate best practices through environmental management systems. She has spent over 15 years working on conservation in Madagascar and Africa. Dr. Crowley holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Zoology and Biochemistry from the University of Tasmania and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the Australian National University.

Terry Blumer

Mr. Blumer promotes social, ecological and species conservation activities by harnessing the power of merchandising and conservation commerce. He is Retail Sales and Merchandising Manager for Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, and has served as president of the Museum Store Association. Mr. Blumer has over 25 years of experience in the commercial and special interest retail industry. He has also prepared interpretive projects for Western museums, and conducted workshops in community-based arts and eco-tourism options in Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Mr. Blumer holds a B.A. in Architecture from the University of New Mexico and a Certificate in Museum Studies from Arizona State University.

Sophie Townsend

Ms. Townsend develops innovative biodiversity tools and services to assist industry in reducing its environmental impacts. She is the Zoological Society of London’s Business and Biodiversity Programme Manager. In this capacity, she also oversees the organization’s internal Sustainability Programme managed through an ISO14001 certified Environmental Management System, and received an Environmental Excellence award from Camden Council for her contribution to the organization’s environmental performance. Her experience includes the management of field projects in Gabon, the Philippines, Brazil, Tanzania, and South Africa. She holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) Ecology & Conservation from Sussex University and a M.Sc. (Dist.) in Sustainable Development (specializing in Biodiversity & Conservation) from Imperial College.