Speaker Bios

Combating Wildlife Trafficking:
Communicating, Connecting, and Evaluating Challenges and Solutions for
Policy Development and Implementation
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Speaker Bios
Crawford Allan
Senior Director
TRAFFIC
Crawford Allan is an international expert on wildlife trafficking and trade, with 24 years’
experience in wildlife conservation, policy and regulation. Most recently he was selected for the
Advisory Council to the U.S. Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking. He has led
TRAFFIC’s black market investigations internationally in dozens of countries and has directly
supported strong enforcement action, including some of the largest seizures, major arrests and
prosecutions internationally. He is the TRAFFIC leader globally of the joint WWF and
TRAFFIC Wildlife Crime Initiative. He was the leader of phase 1 of WWF’s Wildlife Crime
Technology project – the recipient of a $5 million Google Global Impact Award Grant. The
author of several publications and numerous papers on wildlife trafficking, species conservation, improving wildlife law
enforcement and building strong enforcement partnerships, Crawford guides the development of innovative approaches
to wildlife trade challenges. He helped to pioneer regional wildlife enforcement networks, including the ASEAN WEN
and the Central American WEN. He sums up his career evolution as a path starting out as a bit of a nerd (he was
Chairman of the UK government’s Forensics Working Group of the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime), and
then realizing that we have to bring about a sea change and that needs high level political motivation. He feels proud to
be part of that push in recent years to get wildlife trafficking recognized at the highest levels of government and the
environment agenda. He received a BSc in Environmental Studies from the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Mary E. Blair
Assistant Director for Research and Strategic Planning
American Museum of Natural History
Mary E. Blair, PhD, is the Assistant Director for Research and Strategic Planning at the Center
for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). She
studies the conservation biology of primates and has 10 years of field research experience in
Latin America and Asia, where she studies the evolutionary processes that generate primate
diversity to inform the spatial prioritization of conservation actions. Most recently, she is
studying the diversity of slow lorises in Vietnam and the patterns, scales, and drivers of illicit
trade in these and other animals through an NSF Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES)
Fellowship. In 2013, she co-edited Primate Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques, published by Oxford
University Press, and her blogs for the New York Times’ Scientist at Work and AMNH’s From the Field have reached a
global audience. Dr. Blair is Affiliated Faculty at Columbia University and the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the
AMNH, and is President of the AMNH Chapter of the Association for Women in Science. She received her B.A. from
Swarthmore College in 2005 and her M. Phil and Ph.D. in Evolutionary Primatology from Columbia University in 2011.
Science & Technology Policy Fellowships
American Association for the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005 USA
Tel: 202 326 6700 |Fax: 202 289 4950
fellowships@aaas.org | aaas.org/stpf
Dirck Byler
Acting Chief, Africa Branch, Division of International Affairs
Program Officer, Great Ape Conservation Fund
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Dirck Byler is Acting Chief of the Africa Branch, Division of International Affairs at the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). He is also the program officer for the Great Ape
Conservation Fund and he coordinates USFWS technical assistance in West and Central Africa.
Mr. Byler previously worked for the USFWS National Wildlife Refuge System in the Division
of Conservation Planning and Policy, providing national-level support in conservation
planning and policy analysis. Prior to joining the USFWS in 2003, Mr. Byler worked at
Conservation International (CI) as a Senior Director for Africa programs. While at CI, Mr. Byler led the conservation
priority-setting team at the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science, providing scientific and technical support for
landscape scale conservation planning. Mr. Byler has worked in Lesotho as an adviser to the Ministry of Education and
World Food Program to administer a program of technical assistance in agriculture, environmental management, soil
science, poultry production, and micro-project management. Mr. Byler has also held positions with the Department of
State, The Nature Conservancy, Yellowwood State Forest, and Indiana University.
Jon Epstein
Veterinary Epidemiologist
EcoHealth Alliance
Dr. Jonathan Epstein is a veterinary epidemiologist at EcoHealth Alliance, an NGO based in
New York City. His research activities are focused on the ecology of emerging zoonotic viruses
such as Nipah virus, Ebola virus, SARS CoV, and most recently the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. He
currently works under the USAID-funded Emerging Pandemic Threats: PREDICT program, a global effort to enhance
surveillance for emerging viruses with pandemic potential. He directs the One Health Alliance of South Asia (OHASA), a
transdisciplinary, multilateral science and policy network which includes Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In 2004,
Dr. Epstein was part of a team that discovered that bats were the reservoir for SARS coronavirus in China and in 2012-13
he joined a Columbia University-led investigation of the origins of MERS CoV in Saudi Arabia. He has been an invited
speaker for US and international agencies including the World Health Organization, the Institutes of Medicine, and the
National Institutes of Health, on emerging zoonoses. Dr. Epstein’s work has been published in several leading scientific
journals including Science, Nature, Cell and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; and featured in various
media including The New York Times, National Geographic, on 60 Minutes, NPR, and The Discovery Channel.
Grace Gabriel
Regional Director, Asia
International Fund for Animal Welfare
Grace has been the driving force behind IFAW China from its inception, nurturing protection
for both domestic animals and wildlife in a country where policies regarding conservation and
animal welfare were lacking. Projects initiated by Grace include establishing the first raptor
rescue center in China, initiating anti-poaching operations to protect the Tibetan antelope and
participating in the development of China’s first Animal Welfare Law. Grace was instrumental
in linking wildlife protection with development in rural Yunnan province in China where the
remaining Asian elephants roam. IFAW’s project helps to alleviate human-elephant conflicts,
raise conservation awareness and motivate local communities to live in harmony with wildlife.
The project was featured in the Animal Planet documentary “China’s Last Elephant”. Grace is a strong voice in the fight
to reduce the devastating impact wildlife trade has on tigers, elephants, bears and many other endangered species. She
has testified before the European Union Commission on protecting wild tigers and was invited to speak at the INTERPOL
Wildlife Crime Working Group meeting regarding controlling global online trade in wildlife and wildlife products. Grace
has also testified on the escalating global wildlife crime before the UK Parliament Environmental Audit Committee.
Valerie Hickey
Practice Manager, Environment
World Bank
Valerie Hickey is Practice Manager of the World Bank Group’s Environment and Natural
Resources Global Practice. Valerie joined the World Bank as a technical specialist in East Asia
and the Pacific, working on biodiversity projects in Cambodia, China and Lao, and on
environmental safeguards, including on the Nam Theun II hydropower operation in Lao PDR.
Valerie has since worked across the Bank’s regions providing design and implementation
support to a variety of operations, including in fragile states, where she led the Bank’s
environment portfolio in Haiti following the earthquake in 2010. As chair of the biodiversity
and wildlife crime communities of practice, Valerie convenes the Bank’s deep technical
expertise in pursuit of providing policy advice and implementation support to improve the role
of natural resource management in poverty alleviation and green growth. Valerie represents the World Bank in
international conventions related to biodiversity. She also leads the Bank’s work on two global biodiversity grant-making
operations, namely the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and the Save Our Species Program. Before joining the World
Bank, Valerie worked for World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society and the U.S. National Park Service where
she managed invasive species programs in Lake Mead, the reservoir to the Hoover Dam. Valerie holds a Ph.D. in
Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University and a Masters of Arts in negotiations from Notre Dame.
Craig Hoover
Chief, Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Craig Hoover is the Chief of the Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch in the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service's International Affairs Program in Falls Church, Virginia. His office is
responsible for developing and implementing U.S. policies, regulations, and procedures related
to wildlife trafficking and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
His office develops U.S. submissions and negotiating positions for meetings of the CITES Conference of the Parties and
technical committee meetings. He is actively involved in Fish and Wildlife Service efforts to implement the National
Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking, including strengthening controls on trade in elephant ivory, rhino horn and
other protected species and products.
Beth Kerttula
Director, National Ocean Council
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Beth Kerttula is the Director of the National Ocean Council. She came to that position from
Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions, where she was a visiting fellow working to bring
together policymakers from multiple disciplines to discuss the critical interplay of oceans,
climate change, and society. She is a 15-year veteran of the Alaska House of Representatives,
where she served as Minority Leader from 2006 to 2013, and has held positions in the State of
Alaska Attorney General’s Office.
Beth was the original sponsor of landmark cruise ship pollution legislation as well as other important environmental bills.
She also led efforts to defend and improve the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program and supported research efforts
by the University of Alaska on ocean acidification and community sustainability. Beth was also a member of the State of
Alaska's first Arctic Policy Commission, which is currently creating Alaska's first Arctic policy recommendations for the
state legislature.
Susan Lieberman
Vice President, International Policy
Wildlife Conservation Society
Dr. Susan Lieberman has worked in international biodiversity conservation, at the intersection
between science and policy, for more than 25 years, with a great deal of experience in all
aspects of wildlife trade. She is currently Vice President, International Policy for the Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS), where she works to direct policy engagement in multiple
intergovernmental fora in support of WCS’ conservation programs to conserve wildlife and
wild places. Most recently, she led WCS’ efforts at the IUCN World Parks Congress. In 2013,
she was appointed as a member of the U.S. Presidential Advisory Council on Wildlife
Trafficking. Prior to joining WCS, Lieberman worked as Senior Director, International Policy at
the Pew Charitable Trusts, focusing on marine issues. From 2001 to 2009, she was the Director
of the Species Programme of WWF-International, based in Europe. She led all programmatic,
scientific, and communications aspects of work on endangered and threatened species at the global level, as well as all
international policy issues pertaining to species, including international wildlife trade. Lieberman worked for the US Fish
and Wildlife Service (including as Chief of the Scientific Authority) from 1990-2001. She conducted postdoctoral research
on tortoises in Mexico and on prosimians. Her Ph.D. research at the University of Southern California focused on tropical
ecology, and amphibians and reptiles in Costa Rica. Her B.Sc. was in Biology and Ecology, from the Hebrew University in
Jerusalem.
Kim Reuter
Research Fellow
Conservation International
Kim is a hybrid biologist and international development professional, who has used her skills
to make a measurable impact on communities through healthcare, education, and conservation
initiatives. Kim currently works as a Fellow in the Moore Center of Science & Oceans at
Conservation International in Washington, DC.; she also serves as a consultant on international
development and data analysis projects, is the Director of Outreach and Content at the Lemur
Conservation Network, and is a member of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. In the
past, Kim's work as Executive Director of The Ladybug Project (2010 - 2013) impacted communities in two African
countries. In addition, her ongoing work through her National Science Foundation funded PhD research focuses on
conservation in Madagascar and how biodiversity issues intersect with food security and socioeconomic drivers of
natural resource use. She also studies the in-country ownership of pet lemurs as well as aspects of the mammalian
bushmeat trade.
Mary Rowen
Senior Biodiversity Policy Advisor
U.S. Agency for International Development
Mary Rowen is the Senior Biodiversity Policy Advisor in USAID's Bureau for Economic
Growth, Education and Environment, having joined USAID in 1997 as a AAAS Fellow. Mary
has 25+ years experience working on ecoregional, protected area, and site-specific
conservation, primarily in savanna and semi-arid ecosystems. She received a Doctor of Forestry and Environmental
Studies from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Both her doctorate and post-doc focused on
endangered species conservation in drylands. Currently, Mary leads coordination of USAIDs efforts to Combat Wildlife
Trafficking. Mary is on the US Delegationsto the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention on Biological
Diversity, and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
AAAS S&T Policy Fellows
Daphne Carlson Bremer
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Dr. Daphne Carlson Bremer is a veterinarian and an epidemiologist currently serving as an
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy
Fellow at the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Division of International Conservation, Africa Branch.
In her fellowship capacity, Daphne supports the Service’s efforts to conserve wildlife and their
habitats in Central Africa through species and regional programs and interagency activities to
combat wildlife trafficking. Daphne also utilizes her background in global and public health to
investigate issues of human and animal health which impact conservation. Prior to her
fellowship, she was an Assistant Professor at the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health conducting research relevant to
the human-animal-environmental health interface. Daphne received her BA in Chemistry and Marine Biology from
Boston University, a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Tufts University, and a Masters of Preventive
Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis.
Roberto Delgado
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
National Science Foundation
Roberto Delgado is currently serving as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the
National Science Foundation, focusing on Arctic science policy relating to environmental
conservation, indigenous peoples issues, and sustainable development. He is a trained
biological anthropologist with expertise in animal behavior, conservation biology, and
evolutionary ecology. For his doctoral research at Duke University, he examined the function
of adult male long calls on social organization and reproductive strategies among wild
orangutan populations in Borneo and Sumatra. His subsequent research while at Hunter
College CUNY and USC addressed the demographic and ecological sources of behavioral
flexibility, geographic variation, and local adaptation by non-human primates in response to anthropogenic threats and
climate change. In addition to extensive fieldwork throughout the Neotropics, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa,
Roberto is actively involved in wildlife conservation and management issues, and co-chairs the AAAS Biodiversity
Affinity Group. He has also worked closely with indigenous communities on land-use planning and biological
monitoring, and has policy interests in biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, environmental sustainability, and
international development.
Nathan Gregory
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
U.S. Agency for International Development
Nathan Gregory is an ecologist with more than 16 years of experience in conservation research
and practice. He is currently a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of
Forestry and Biodiversity at USAID where he works on combating wildlife trafficking,
including the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, and other biodiversity conservation initiatives in
Uganda, Brazil, the Philippines, Kenya, and Mozambique. Before coming to Washington,
Nathan worked for a non-profit wildlife organization on the monitoring and management of
endangered and threatened species. He completed his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology at Princeton University and also worked there as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer. He conducted his
dissertation research in Kenya where he studied the effects of land use change and traditional management practices on
biodiversity. Prior to beginning his PhD program, he worked on wildlife issues for local and federal land management
agencies in Colorado, Hawaii, and Alaska. He holds a BA from the University of Colorado.
Catherine Workman
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow
U.S. Agency for International Development
Catherine Workman has dedicated her career to the protection of wildlife through research, the
public understanding of conservation issues, and government action. Her work has spanned
the globe- from studying critically-endangered langurs in northern Vietnam to developing
collaborative strategies to stop the killing, trafficking, and demand for elephant ivory, to
serving National Geographic's scientific efforts in BioBlitz, a citizen science initiative occurring
annually in national parks across the United States. Currently, Catherine is a Biodiversity
Specialist in the Office of Forestry and Biodiversity at USAID, where she supports government
efforts to address biodiversity conservation and natural resource management, including
unsustainable fishing, illegal logging, and wildlife trafficking. Catherine received her BA and
MA in anthropology at the University of CO-Boulder and a PhD in evolutionary anthropology
from Duke University.