Sean Cassidy joined the board of Born Free USA in 2016. He owns clothing stores in New York and San Francisco under the name of LAFAURIE. Sean is also a writer. He splits his time between Los Angeles, New York, and Paris.

Jessica Nelson’s experience includes a very long stint in advertising and marketing for brands such as IBM, Intel, Pepsi and Bali. Jessica then founded BrightZoo, a well-recognized mom marketplace where moms buy and sell secondhand kids' items. BrightZoo was innovative in that it also introduced weekly timed sales of new kids' items specifically targeting moms. A few years later, she launched CareGround, a resource for caregivers struggling to care for ailing elders. Today, Jessica is focused on her three children, taking a very brief and deliberate break from her entrepreneurial pursuits. She enjoys her dedicated role as a Born Free Board member, giving her the liberty to indulge in her passion of "saving animals", and raising awareness for animal rights. For Born Free, Jessica contributes marketing and press ideas that aide in brand development, and she also contributes towards New York City based fundraising events.

Will Travers is an internationally-renowned wildlife expert who has dedicated his life to wildlife issues, since he lived in Kenya with his parents, Virginia McKenna and the late Bill Travers, who starred in the film Born Free (1966). In 1984, he and his parents co-founded the wildlife charitable organisation now known as The Born Free Foundation, which works to stop individual wild animal suffering, protect threatened species worldwide, and keep wildlife in the wild.

Will has been involved in rescuing elephants, tigers, lions, and dolphins, and is always willing to share his experience and knowledge to further Born Free's vision for a more compassionate future.

Will is also a Board Member of Born Free, which he co-founded, and is President of the Species Survival Network (SSN), an international coalition of more than 100 organizations committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Will has participated in every CITES meeting since 1989 and advises on the precautionary application of Convention. He also advises the United Kingdom Government on matters relating to zoos, the use of wild animals in circuses, and international wildlife trade.

Will has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, speaking out against canned hunting of lions highlighted in the documentary, Blood Lions, the international ivory trade and the trade in chimps as exotic pets.

Jane joined our Board of Directors in December 2017. She brings a wealth of experience in building organizations and teams with a focus on marketing and branding. Jane is the owner/principal of Studio Lodato, an organizational brand, marketing, and advertising consultancy firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has worked with networks, celebrities, and companies such as Adidas, ABC, and Silicon Valley Bank. Jane enjoys partnering with smart, creative thinkers, and companies and organizations that are committed to making a difference. Born Free is pleased to have her innovative approaches, strategic and entrepreneurial thinking, wisdom and humor on our Board to help advance Born Free's vision and mission.

Michael Reyner is the Senior Partner of MWM Consulting, the leading Board-level search and advisory firm based in London, where he has worked since 2007. He previously spent 15 years at McKinsey, the global consulting firm, where he was one of the partners leading the Global Consumer Goods practice. He started his career in marketing, sales and general management roles in the consumer goods industry.

A graduate in Modern History from Oxford University, Michael has long been an active member of various animal welfare and conservation charities. In 2009, he became the Chairman of The Born Free Foundation, a post that he continues to fill today, and in 2018 also became Chairman of The Pangea Trust, a new organisation dedicated to establishing the first major elephant sanctuary in Europe.

Outside of these interests, Michael is Chairman of Beaconsfield Town FC, his local youth soccer club, and Deputy Chairman of the governors at a local school.

A frequent speaker and writer on key developments and cutting-edge legal issues, Rebecca is known for pragmatic, out-of-the-box solutions that support strategic growth. She is the Founding Partner at The Torrey Firm, PC. Prior to her law firm practice, Rebecca served as a Law Clerk for Chief Judge Deanell Reece Tacha for the Tenth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals.

Angela Grimes is Born Free USA’s Chief Executive Officer. She has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Inspired by observing wildlife living freely in their jungle homes while volunteering for a sea turtle project in Costa Rica, Angela moved from arts administration to wildlife protection, where she has served in senior and executive level positions since 2004. She has a degree from Drake University. She has served on the boards of directors of several arts and animal welfare organizations and is currently on the board of EarthShare.

Photo by Erielle Bakkum.

Katie Jennings, known as “Dr J” to the team, is the Born Free Primate Sanctuary veterinarian. She studied French, music, and biology at undergrad before going on to vet school at Texas A & M. After qualifying as a veterinarian, Katie worked for a short time with Wildlife Rescue, then joined the Born Free team in 2015. Katie, supported by our dedicated animal care team, delivers all veterinary care for the 500+ monkeys at our Sanctuary.

When asked what she enjoys most about her work with the sanctuary, she said it was the ongoing challenge of adapting traditional veterinary medicines and treatments to the specialized needs of the monkeys. Her vital work for the monkeys and necessarily innovative approach has led to her being called upon to share her expertise with other facilities around the country.

Karen has more than 14 years of experience in digital communications, website development and technology project management, copy writing, and content management. Before starting at Born Free in 2014, she worked as an independent consultant for a number of small academic and cultural nonprofits and as the Gallery Manager at an art gallery in New York City. She has an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the CUNY Graduate Center and a BA in Art History from Marymount Manhattan College. She enjoys spending time with her dog, Penny, traveling, and watching obscure documentaries on YouTube.

Gita is a dedicated advocate for animals and a catalyst for nonprofit growth. As the first Chief Development Officer of Born Free USA, she brings invaluable fundraising and leadership expertise to propel us forward. With a master's degree in nonprofit administration from USF and a bachelor's degree in international studies and political science from Pepperdine University, Gita has held esteemed leadership positions with organizations such as CARE USA, March of Dimes, and United Way of the Bay Area. Additionally, she is a certified equine assisted educator, imparting the transformative Diamond Model of Shared Leadership by TeachingHorse — a methodology rooted in the behavioral wisdom of wild horses. Gita's passion and experience fuel our journey toward continuous growth and impact.

Alice is a French lawyer specialized in international, environmental, and natural resources law. She has 16 years of experience leading Africa-based capacity building programs. Her current focus is developing the ability of African governments to fight wildlife crime and building consensus between African countries to conserve shared resources and implement international agreements.

Prior to joining Born Free in 2015, Alice served as the coordinator of the Francophone Africa Bureau of the Species Survival Network (2006 – 2015), an international coalition of more than 100 non-governmental organizations committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Alice also served as acting Secretariat and advisor to the African Elephant Coalition (25 African countries) between 2008 and 2015.

Before working for the Species Survival Network, Alice worked as a policy advocate for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (2004-2006), focusing her expertise on the conservation of marine mammals within a broad array of international fora, including the International Whaling Commission, the Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol), CITES, and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

Alice obtained a LL.M in natural and environmental resources law from Lewis and Clark Law School in 2001; a French D.E.A. (Diploma in Advanced Studies) from the University of Paris XI in 1999, and a Master’s Degree in International and European Law from the University of Amiens, France in 1998. She is bilingual in English and French.

After living in the United States for 15 years, Alice recently relocated to French Gascony (South West of France) with her husband and daughter. In addition to enjoying good wine and a life in the countryside, Alice uses her time to travel, sharing her passion for West Africa and the importance of conserving its natural resources with the world whenever the opportunity arises.

Liz did not begin her career working with animals. but found her way to her life's passion all the same! Early in her career, Liz earned a degree in law, while also working full-time at a financial PR firm in London. Realizing that the corporate world was not for her, she began to look around for opportunities that would allow her to fulfill her true life’s ambition – to work with animals. Liz was offered the role of Education Officer and Primate Keeper at a monkey sanctuary on the south coast of England. She jumped at the chance and never looked back!

Since that time, Liz has worked in the UK, Colombia, Spain, the Middle East, Bolivia, Ethiopia, and Peru. She helped to establish the very first locally-run sterilization program for street dogs in the Middle East, worked with local indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon to bring an end to the hunting of wild primates, ran a UK charity campaigning to end the exploitation of animals in circuses and zoos and, more recently, helped to design and plan a new rehabilitation complex for rescued monkeys at Born Free's Ethiopian Sanctuary, Ensessa Kotteh. She also continued to study while working and earned her doctorate in Animal Welfare Law in 2018.

Over the years, Liz has had the privilege to work with and learn from incredible animal advocates, rehabilitators, and conservationists around the world. About Born Free, she says, "Having seen the dedication of the team at Born Free's Primate Sanctuary, and their commitment to the animals under their care, I feel nothing but pride and excitement to have the opportunity to join their ranks as Sanctuary Director."

In August 2020, Liz published her book, Licensing Laws and Animal Welfare: The Legal Protection of Wild Animals, with Palgrave MacMillan/Springer Nature. The book outlines the findings of her doctoral research, which is the most comprehensive study of the legal protection of wild animals in English zoos carried out to date.

Rebecca graduated from Mississippi State University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in art. From there, she went on to work with chimpanzees for four years. She joined the team at Born Free in 2024.

Rebecca has a special focus in Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT). In PRT, animals are taught to present certain behaviors in exchange for a reward. This is especially useful for medical behaviors. Monkeys can be taught to actively participate in their own healthcare, giving them more agency in their daily lives. Rebecca is also interested in enrichment, and behavior overall. She enjoys taking pictures of the monkeys as well, focusing on displaying their unique personalities. Rebecca's favorite things about Born Free are how much freedom and space the monkeys have, how well staff are treated, and the beautiful location.

Shelley works as a consultant for Born Free USA. With more than 19 years of experience in wildlife conservation, she is a skilled diplomatic liaison with African governments and specializes in environmental policy development and implementation. Shelley has led illegal wildlife trade reviews and provided governments with support in the development of national and regional wildlife policies. She has specialist knowledge of CITES and issues relating to illegal wildlife trade and wildlife law enforcement in Africa. She served as acting Secretariat and advisor to the African Elephant Coalition group of 25 countries between 2008 and 2014. Shelley was also one of the key experts supporting ECOWAS countries with the development of the West Africa Strategy on Combatting Wildlife Crime.

Manisha joined the Born Free USA Operations/Finance team in October 2017. Manisha started off on a different career path, focusing on medical research. After the birth of her two lovely daughters, Manisha decided to be a stay at home mom for about 12 years. During that time, Manisha volunteered as the PTA Treasurer for 4 years and ran a Youth Sports Business, i9 Sports, with her husband for 5 years. Outside of Born Free, she enjoys puzzles, crochet, walks, and bike rides with her family.

Katie started working at the Born Free Primate Sanctuary as a primate caregiver in 2014 and was promoted to Sanctuary Manager in 2020. Katie has dedicated herself to working for animals for many years and, prior to joining Born Free, worked for a number of animal welfare, rescue, and rehabilitation organizations around the country and abroad. This included working for four months at a monkey sanctuary in Ireland and two years working caring for dogs, among other placements.

When asked what she loves most about working at the sanctuary, Katie said it was having the opportunity to play a part in supporting monkeys like Taz, a pigtail macaque who was previously kept as a pet, in their rehabilitation. Taz arrived at the Sanctuary not knowing what it was to be a monkey and demonstrating many abnormal behaviors. Thanks to the dedication, patience and care of the Sanctuary team, Taz now lives with others of his own kind and is a happy and well-adjusted monkey.

Wendy Coonrod is Born Free USA’s Advancement Officer and a member of the Development team. Wendy has dedicated her career towards helping nonprofits in a variety of capacities. She’s passionate about protecting wildlife and connecting supporters to Born Free USA’s mission and programs.

Wendy has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin and a MPA from Park University. When she’s not working, Wendy loves gardening and spending time outdoors.

Suzanne has several years of experience working for non-profits in various positions, with a strong background in event planning. She has a BA from Franklin and Marshall College and is a lifelong resident of the DC metro area. Aside from protecting wildlife her interests include theater, visual arts, and playing with her cat.

Sydney joined Born Free in 2024, bringing with her several years of experience in nonprofit communications and advocacy within the environmental and animal protection sector. She holds a BA from George Mason University, where she studied integrated marketing and nonprofit management. Sydney is passionate about wildlife conservation and is dedicated to leveraging strategic marketing strategies to connect individuals with causes that align with their interests and values.

She resides in the picturesque Appalachian mountains of Virginia. Beyond her professional pursuits at Born Free, Sydney enjoys live music, spending time outside, and spoiling her three adopted pets.

Vincent has a Master's degree in Ecology, Population Biology, and Biodiversity and has been active in wildlife conservation in Africa for 15 years, having lived in West and Central Africa from 2011 to 2021. Primarily active in supporting the management of protected areas, notably in Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Niger and Gabon, his core areas of expertise are wildlife population monitoring – mainly big cats and apes – and surveillance. He is also regularly involved in research and conservation activities on topics linked to wildlife trafficking, zoonoses (like the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola Outbreak), as well as environmental education.

Since 2022, Vincent has been working as a consultant, focusing his work on the fight against wildlife crime and the protection of African big cats.

Holly is a graduate of Central Washington University’s Primate Behavior and Ecology program. She graduated in 2017 with a double major in Biology and Primate Behavior. After graduating, she accepted a year-long internship at Pacific Primate Sanctuary of Maui, Hawaii. Once she completed her internship, she was hired as a caregiver at Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in 2019.

When asked what she likes most about working at Born Free USA, she stated it was the camaraderie the team has for one another, sharing interests, and the overall goal of caring for the monkeys at the sanctuary. This amity allows all members of the team to speak up when considering what’s in the best interest of the monkeys, meaning everyone’s viewpoints and experiences are taken into deliberation, sometimes producing solutions others never would have thought of.

Delphine has an MA in Anthrozoology from the University of Exter (UK) and extensive experience working internationally. While educated originally as vet nurse, she specialised on animal welfare and wildlife trade, and has been managing projects and activities related to both stray animal management and wild animal sanctuaries in Africa, Asia and Europe since 2005.

After 8 years in South-East Asia, working for international NGOs and governments on the management of confiscated wild animals, Delphine moved back to Europe in 2017, where she has been focusing on assessing and advising wildlife rescue centres, supporting research and policy work relevant to wildlife trade and welfare.

Delphine joined Born Free USA in 2022 to support the team in combatting illegal wildlife trade and developing capacity building activities in West Africa.

Devan began working with Born Free USA as a Primate Caregiver and Veterinary Assistant in 2015. Before Born Free USA, she graduated from Franklin & Marshall college with a degree in Animal Behavior with a captive exotic animal welfare focus. While at F&M, Devan had her first experience working with primates (including two colonies of capuchins and one colony of squirrel monkeys) as one of the enrichment team volunteers. She quickly realized her passion for these amazing individuals. During her junior year, she took her first wildlife conservation course and decided that merging the fields of animal welfare and wildlife conservation would become her ultimate career goal.

In the fall of 2018, Devan ventured to Oxford, England, to pursue her graduate degree in Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes University. She conducted her thesis on the trade and welfare status of the pig-tailed macaques used to harvest coconuts in southern Thailand. After achieving the MSc and traveling around parts of Southeast Asia and Europe, she returned to Born Free USA as the Lead Primate Caregiver from 2020 to 2021, where she was fondly reminded of how special witnessing the incredible transition of a monkey from a traumatic past, e.g. an ex-pet or ex-lab individual, from behaving fearfully and uncertainly to engaging in normal species-specific behaviors and thriving in a natural environment truly was. In May of 2021, Devan was offered a Campaigns Associate position with Born Free, and has been acting in this role ever since!

Rebecca joined Born Free USA’s development team in 2019. She is passionate about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into effectively running a charitable organization and loves working for an organization with such an important mission

While studying at the University of Virginia, Rebecca received both her BA and an MS in Commerce. As a student, she volunteered for three years with a student-run crisis hotline, eventually helping to direct it. This experience prompted her to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector.

Rebecca likes to spend time outside of Born Free singing and playing Dungeons and Dragons and she loves spending time with her three dogs May, Whidbey, and Luray. She grew up in Southern Virginia and enjoys calling the DC metro area home.

Kyliegh graduated from Eckerd College with a degree in Biology and Psychology, driven by a lifelong passion for animals. After traveling to the United Kingdom and Honduras to study the differences in animal care between countries, she knew that animal care was the right career path for her. She started her career in Florida and Georgia working with big cats, ungulates, and primates, which led her to Born Free USA in early 2021. So far, her favorite part about working at Born Free is being able to connect with the primates and create enrichment based on the needs of each monkey. Her goal is to eventually travel to Africa and be able to study these wonderful creatures in the wild. Kyliegh was promoted to Lead Primate Caregiver at the sanctuary in June 2023.

Jennifer Place is a Director at Tai Ginsberg & Associates, LLC, a government relations firm located in Washington, DC. In this role, she works with and assists Born Free USA with legislative and regulatory matters before Congress and the Administration. Throughout her more than ten years of professional experience in the private sector, Jennifer has worked toward the conservation of endangered species, the protection of marine and terrestrial wildlife from cruel practices both in the U.S. and abroad, and has defended bedrock conservation laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In 2022, she worked with Born Free USA on the successful passage and enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety Act. She works closely with congressional offices, federal agencies, corporations, small businesses, domestic and international fisheries, and non-governmental organizations. She received a Masters of Public Policy and a Masters of Science in conservation biology at the University of Maryland.