Emmanuel Sulle has over fourteen years of research experience on a range of topics that include natural resources governance, community-based conservation-tourism initiatives, policy and stakeholder analysis, new partnerships for sustainability, and inclusive business models in Africa. Over the years he has conducted research projects commissioned by or in collaboration with grassroots, national and international organisations in various subjects and programmes. He holds a master’s degree in Public Policy majoring in Environmental Policy and is currently completing his Ph.D. on Land and Agrarian Studies. He developed an interest in community conservation initiatives after years of researching wildlife management areas and other community-based conservation areas in northern Tanzania. Emmanuel coordinates ICCAs – territories of life activities in eastern and southern Africa. He enjoys evening jogging and hiking in forests and mountains.

Rufo Roba is a conservation enthusiast working with the Northern Rangelands Trust as the Tourism and Communication Officer. Her role is to drive community empowerment through tourism, BeadWORKS, and vocational training, with a view to building the foundation for self-reliance. As a professional in communication and project planning and management, Roba is passionate about working with communities to shape their mindset and diversify their livelihoods and in turn contribute to sustainable development. Her focus is to gather information on community actions and share it with the world for indigenous community voices to be heard, highlight experiences to inspire others, and influence policies. Roba is a Conservation international fellow in 2019/2020 who pursued a research on influence of Women participation on the sustainability of the community conservation project implemented by Jaldesa Community Conservancy in Marsabit County, Kenya.

Nelson Reiya is the founder of Nashulai, the first Maasai-owned Conservancy in the Maasai Mara that shares Adumu’s vision of conservation that integrates people and wildlife together in the same ecosystem. Nashulai is located in a key part of Kenya; it is a 5000 acre triangle of land abutting the Mara National Reserve on one side and two other large conservancies on the others. Thus, Nashulai is a critical migratory corridor of the Maasai Mara ecosystem. Growing up on the land, Nelson saw the combined pressures of climate change, habitat depletion, external development, land commodification, and poverty increasingly imperil the area’s capacity to sustain life-human, pastoral, and wild. Land was being fenced and sold off at an alarming rate. With Nelson’s leadership, the landowning families of Nashulai came together to form the conservancy to regenerate the habitat.

Maggie Reiya is the Director of Family, Gender, and Education at Nashulai. She says, “I was lucky to have a father who believed in education and the capacity and dignity of the girl child and all women. This has been my life’s work. Children need education and equality to thrive. It is a guiding principle for Nashulai. And the way our community has rallied on behalf of our beloved children is nothing short of amazing.” Nashulai has advanced opportunities for all children -- including initiatives to reduce infant mortality, eliminate female circumcision and early marriage; create equal opportunity for access to education; and build local youth capacity and leadership. They have built two new schools within Nashulai as well as provided scholarships for 62 boys and girls from the community to attend secondary school and university.

David Baptista is the Co-Founder and Director of Teaching and Learning at the Latin American Leadership Academy (LALA). LALA is a non-profit institution that seeks to promote shared and sustainable prosperity in Latin America by finding, developing and connecting a new generation of LatAm leaders. David's passion is helping students develop the essential dispositions, skills, habits and values that support lifelong learning and wellness. His quest to understand education has taken him on an 18-year teaching journey. He has taught STEAM, philosophy, history, theater, SEL and trained teachers and consulted for schools across Brazil. Cognitive science sparked his passion for education, and he is broadly interested in understanding the impact of self-regulatory and decision making practices in multicultural contexts. David is a 2018 Echoing Green Fellow and he is hopeful that socially-conscious innovation and conservation can help better the world.

Kevin Kitrell Ross is a south side Chicago native and personal protégé of the late Reverend Dr. Johnnie Colemon. He is the Senior Minister of Unity of Sacramento, the first Unity church in the State of California. Ross is regarded as a respected interfaith social justice leader, committed to building bridges of understanding and cooperation across race, culture, class and religious lines. His work has taken him globally as a keynote conference speaker, workshop facilitator and advisor to business and political leaders. Whether in his role leading one of our nation's most diverse and integrated congregations, conducting diversity and implicit bias experiential trainings, or being an outspoken activist for healing the crisis between law enforcement and communities of color, he is dedicated to strengthening communities through dialogue, direct encounter, and education.