BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rachel D. Guthrie
President & Founder

Rachel is a Midwesterner native to the Ozarks. Currently an environmental attorney in Kansas City, Rachel double-majored in Biology & Environmental Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and worked on commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea of Alaska as a National Marine Fisheries Service-trained Pacific groundfish observer, and as a primate zookeeper intern at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans before receiving her J.D. with Certificate in Environmental & Natural Resource Law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR. She is a past Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Endangered Species Committee, formerly served a 3-year appointment on the Kansas City Environmental Management Commission, co-chaired the KC Metro Bar Association's Environmental & Energy Committee, and was a member of the Midwest Innocence Project's NextGen Advisory Board.

Julie Meyer
Treasurer

Julie is the Director of Finance at the Kansas City Zoo. She is a Kansas City native, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She brings over 20 years of non-profit Finance experience and is a licensed CPA in the State of Missouri. Through her time spent at the KC Zoo, Julie has gained knowledge, compassion and a drive for helping threatened species. She enjoys spending time with her family and running with friends.  

PROF. Deborah Williams

Deb is Professor and Chair of the Johnson County Community College (“JCCC”) Environmental Science Department is a lifelong learner and career educator. She has a very broad, multidisciplinary academic background and holds advanced degrees in ecology, Indigenous studies, education, philosophy and law with a J.D. and certificates in Natural Resources and Environmental Law and Tribal Law from the University of Kansas. Her Master’s project in Ecology and Evolutionary biology at KU examined legal and ecological issues facing wolf recovery in the United States. Deb currently serves on the Kansas-NEA Board of Directors as the Higher Education Representative. Deb has a successful record of leadership and advocacy, having served three terms as the JCCC Faculty Association President and as the regular Lead Faculty Negotiator. She enjoys advocating for conservation and higher ed issues and creating ways to spotlight higher education and higher ed educators.

ADVISORY BOARD

Kayla Campbell

Kayla is a Kansas City native passionate for animal welfare, education and conservation. She earned her B.S. in Animal Science from Kansas State University in 2010. Currently she is a Behavior Consultant at Great Plains SPCA where she advocates for animals by helping people better understand animal behavior and how to manage it positively. After graduation, Kayla worked at the Kansas City Zoo for 7 years, where she lead a team of keepers managing polar bears, North American river otters, trumpeter swans, four species of penguins and numerous species of fish and invertebrates. While at the Kansas City Zoo, she assisted in the 2016 Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) census in Peru through a consortium with Brookfield Zoo and St. Louis Zoo. She also helped Kansas City Zoo enter the AZA Species Survival Plan Program for trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) and partner with Iowa Department of Natural Resources to release captive-bred trumpeter swans into their historic breeding territory in Southern Iowa. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their many pets, as well as birding, SCUBA diving, cooking and gardening.

Maggie Mann Harrison

Maggie  is the Behavior Team Manager at Great Plains SPCA (GP SPCA). One of her favorite things about GP SPCA is the big-picture focus the organization brings to population control, including spay and neuter programs, helping people manage hard behaviors in-home and training people to keep pets out of the rescue system. Before GP SPCA, Maggie spent 10 years in conservation. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point with a Major in Wildlife Research and Management and double minors in Biology and Captive Wildlife, Maggie completed 3 internships focused on charismatic mega fauna at AZA accredited zoos around the country, followed by 5 years at the Kansas City Zoo and the Sedgwick County Zoo (SCZ) in Wichita, KS. While at the SCZ, Maggie assisted with Species Survival Plan ex situ care of Mexican gray wolves and actively participated in 2 years of in situ conservation of black footed ferrets in the hills of Western Kansas.

Sean McCue

Sean is the User Interface & Graphic Designer for the University of Missouri-Kansas City where he is responsible for designing and building web interfaces and marketing material for the Libraries Division. One of his favorite things about his work is improving access, navigation, and awareness of both the digital and physical spaces of the libraries. He is an all-season bicycle commuter, a life-long vegetarian, and an ardent supporter of wildlife conservation. He enjoys spending time with his family, making music with his friends, and riding bikes with everyone.

Prof. Chris Serenari

Chris is an Assistant Professor in Human Dimensions of Wildlife at Texas State University. His research explores ways to improve wildlife governance, with a focus on imperiled species, landscape scale conservation, and private lands. He has spent nearly 20 years in the environmental field. In search of novel ways for humans to live in harmony with their planet, his studies have taken him to remote communities in the biodiversity hotpots of India, South Africa, Chile, and North Carolina. Chris obtained his B.S. in Environmental Health from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and a M.S. in Natural Resources and Ph.D. in Forestry and Environmental Resources from North Carolina State University.  He served as a social scientist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for four years. In that span, he led the first rigorous and multi-year scientific study exploring the social dimensions of red wolf recovery and served on the Red Wolf Recovery Team in 2016. He has discussed his red wolf research in peer-reviewed outlets, classrooms, meetings, workshops, and conferences throughout the United States.

John Aaron Stark

Aaron is a lawyer and environmental steward based in northwest New Jersey at the foot of the Kittatinny Ridge and the Appalachian Trail. Raised as a hunter, angler, and avid outdoorsman in the northeast, Aaron obtained a B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Science at Penn State University in State College, PA. He worked as a watershed biologist for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection through AMERICORPS, and as a commercial fisheries observer with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Honolulu, HI before receiving his Juris Doctorate and Environmental & Natural Resources certificate from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR where he also served as an associate editor of Environmental Law and a student board member of the Northwest Environmental Defense Center. Aaron then went on to serve five years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. He is the president and founder of Hike Toward Healing and a founding trustee and officer of the Delaware Water Gap Defense Fund. Aaron is licensed to practice law in Oregon, California, and New Jersey and spends his free time in nature and creating art.

VOLUNTEERS

Jenny Ackerman-Ortega
Marketing Assistant

Jenny is a Kansas City local pursuing her B.S. in Marketing at Western Governors University. Originally from the coasts of North Carolina, she developed a deep compassion for animals and has advocated for them since a young age. Going into adulthood, she has nurtured her passion by working with the Kansas City Zoo for over 4 years educating the public and working with the Shows Team (sea lions, birds, and ambassador animals). She hopes to take her experience and continue to advocate for animals and the environment through marketing with conservation organizations. She enjoys running, biking, rock climbing, playing recreational league sports, and hanging out with her dog and friends in her free time