Belinda (also known locally by her Samburu name Nalaroi) was born and raised in Kenya. She has 22 years of experience working with Grevy’s zebra, of which 20 have been spent working with communities on Grevy’s zebra conservation. In 2003, she started the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program while working for the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and later, she worked for the Northern Rangelands Trust in its establishment phase. This grassroots approach engaged pastoral communities in Grevy’s zebra conservation and led to Belinda co-founding the Grevy’s Zebra Trust in 2007. Belinda has an MSc in Conservation Biology with Distinction. She is a member of IUCN’s Equid Specialist Group, sits on the African Conservation Leadership Network Committee, and is a 2022 fellow of Women for the Environment (WE) Africa. Under her leadership, the Grevy’s Zebra Trust was awarded the prestigious 2012 AZA International Conservation Award in recognition of the Trust’s practical and effective community conservation efforts. In 2022, Belinda was honoured with the Saint Louis Zoo Conservation Award in recognition of her community-centred work to conserve Grevy’s zebra.

Peter is from Oldonyiro in Isiolo District, Northern Kenya. He joined the Trust in November 2007, with a Bachelor of Environmental Science from Kenyatta University. With encouragement from the Trust to pursue his dream, he graduated with an MSc in Conservation Biology from the University of Kent, UK in September 2011, and also completed the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders course in 2012. As Director of Programs, Peter is a member of GZT’s executive leadership team. Peter’s work requires a huge amount of flexibility as we work in a complex and dynamic landscape. Peter is an exceptional conservation leader and with his advanced training in Conservation Conflict Transformation, is highly skilled in positively engaging communities in conservation and resolving conflict issues that arise over natural resources. In September 2019, Peter gained his certification as a Holistic Land and Livestock Management communal trainer at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe. In 2013, Peter was recognised as one of 14 Disney Conservation Heroes for his outstanding contributions to Grevy’s zebra conservation, and most recently was recognized as an Explorer’s Club Top Fifty.

David was born and raised in Kirinyaga on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya. He obtained his PhD in Range Science from New Mexico State University in 2017. David is broadly experienced in rangeland science and management, having studied elephant ecology and impact on woody vegetation for his Master’s degree at the University of Nairobi, followed by two years practicing rangeland restoration and monitoring across the Ewaso ecosystem. David has previously worked with the USDA-Jornada Experimental Range in New Mexico, as well as heading the Research department at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. His research and management interests include rangeland restoration, natural resource inventory and monitoring, use of technology for wildlife conservation, and the influence of patch-level climate, site, and soil characteristics on ecosystem structure and function. David joined in April 2021 and is responsible for overseeing the design and implementation of monitoring systems for individual programs, with emphasis on Rangelands and Research Strategies. He also supports other research and impact work related to GZT’s strategic goals, and manages our academic partnerships to address gaps and build on current activities that contribute towards GZT’s mission.

Lilian comes from Homa Bay County in Western Kenya. She joined Grevy’s Zebra Trust as our Administrator in June 2012, with a wealth of experience in accounting and humanitarian work with marginalized communities in Southern Sudan and Turkana. Lilian is a Certified Public Accountant with a Diploma in Human Resource Management. In 2021, she transitioned to focus on Operations and HR, applying her unique blend of humanitarian experience and practical organisational skills. In this capacity, she oversees the development of systems that support the seamless function of all operational and HR processes to enhance efficiency and impact across the organization.

Sarah Chiles specialises in environmental governance with the aim of harmonising grey and green infrastructure (built and ecological infrastructure) in economic growth corridors in Africa. She has over six years’ experience in East Africa working on conservation strategies and programs for areas of high biodiversity value experiencing significant investment in agriculture and infrastructure. These include the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor in northern Kenya. She has further experience in landscape-level planning in Uganda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Sarah is South African and previously worked on urban and peri-urban conservation projects in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. She is a member of the International Association of Impact Assessment and has co-facilitated training on environmental assessment in Kenya. She is also co-author of Growing Our Reach – An Intergenerational Leadership Toolkit for Conservation, and is passionate about optimising organisations to support young conservation professionals.

Andrew is from Archer’s Post in Samburu. Growing up next to the Samburu National Reserve, Andrew developed a passion for wildlife. He has a Diploma in Wildlife Management from the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute and joined the Trust in November 2011 as a Research Assistant. In this role, Andrew tirelessly sought out Grevy’s zebra on his motorbike to photograph their stripe patterns. Through this project, Andrew developed a passion for Grevy’s zebra, resulting in his promotion to Wamba Regional Coordinator, overseeing the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program where he supervised the scout team, verified Grevy’s zebra mortality and health issues, and engaged schools and communities. With the expansion of our rangelands work and the need to more deeply understand how rangelands management interventions that GZT supports are impacting Grevy’s zebra distribution and health, Andrew transitioned to a new role with the Research and Impact team as the Ecological Monitoring Officer in 2022. In this role, he is responsible for collecting ecological data on rangeland health and continues his first love of photo-monitoring Grevy’s zebra across the landscape. Andrew was recognized for his dedication to Grevy’s zebra conservation when he won the prestigious Houston Zoo Wildlife Warrior Award in 2017.

Joel Loongo’nyo is from Maralal in Samburu North. Joel has a Diploma in Environmental Management and joined us as Regional Coordinator for Laisamis in January 2013. He is currently studying a BSc in Dryland Management. Joel is the Regional Coordinator for El Barta, where he leads a team of 17 Ambassadors, 2 Radio Operators, coordinates the outreach of the Elbarta Conservation Council, and works closely with the newly established community conservancies focusing on conservation and peace in this historically troubled region.

Joshua is from Laisamis, in Marsabit County, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Community Development. He joined GZT in April 2016, and is responsible for supervising our 10-strong team of Grevy’s Zebra Warriors. He also liaises with our five partner communities in the region as well as Melako Community Conservancy, Kenya Wildlife Service, and Northern Rangelands Trust. Laisamis being the most arid region that we work in, Joshua’s work gets even busier during our dry season overseeing our water management activities and camera-trap monitoring project.

Andy is from Oldonyiro in Isiolo County and has a Bachelor’s degree in Dryland Agriculture and Enterprise Development. He joined GZT in October 2017, taking on a short-term challenging consultancy that brought out his excellent organizational and community liaison skills. From there GZT employed him as a Rangelands Officer where he pioneered the start of GZT’s expansion into restoration work, supporting Mama Grevy and our team of Grassland Champions. In 2023, he was promoted to Rangelands Manager, leading the team of Rangelands Officers and Grassland Champions. In September 2019, Andy gained his certification as a Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM) communal trainer at the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe and recently led a team to Zimbabwe for training comprised of GZT’s rangelands officers, Westgate and Meibae conservancy rangeland coordinators and leaders from Samburu County.

Lopsala re-joined GZT in March 2020. He is from Westgate Community Conservancy and in 2009, joined GZT as the Holistic Management Coordinator, seconded to the conservancy to manage the holistic planned grazing pilot project. Thanks to his leadership and coordination, the area under holistic planned grazing became a learning site to build the capacity of other communities and interested stakeholders and partners. Lopsala transitioned to working directly for the conservancy until 2012 when he moved to the Northern Rangelands Trust as their senior Rangelands Officer. In this capacity he oversaw the development of NRT’s rangelands program across 29 community conservancies. Lopsala has a BSc in Community Development from Chuka University and is currently earning his MA in Environmental Law and Policy at the University of Nairobi.

Tony is from southern Nyanza, Homa Bay county in the Lake Victoria basin region. He joined the Grevy’s Zebra Trust as a volunteer in October 2018 whilst studying a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce at Kenyatta University. He assisted with our Grevy’s Zebra Scout database management. In January 2020, Tony formally joined GZT as Research Officer. In this role he is responsible for managing the Grevy’s Zebra Scout data, providing technical oversight of data quality. He also manages our rain gauge data and processes our individual Grevy’s zebra identification data from all our operating regions. He is currently developing his GIS skills and will be the lead for GZT on our upcoming collaborative Grevy’s zebra collaring project.

Damaris Lekiluai comes from Sesia village in Meibae Conservancy, Samburu and lives in Wamba town. Damaris holds a diploma in Tourism and Wildlife Management from Moi University and a tour guiding and administration certificate from Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (centre for tourism, training and research). Damaris worked for Earthwatch Institute as Manager of their research centre. She joined Grevy’s Zebra Trust in 2016 as our Women’s Empowerment Officer, leading and managing the Nkirreten (reusable sanitary pads) project and providing emotional and mentorship support to our Grevy’s Zebra Scholarship students. Damaris is passionate about changing the lives of women and girls in her community alongside creating awareness on the conservation of flora and fauna. She has a deep knowledge and understanding of her culture and her community, making her a perfect fit for her role.

Janet hails from the western part of Kenya and joined Grevy’s Zebra Trust in 2018 as an accounts professional. Janet holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Accounting, which has equipped her with a strong foundation in financial management.

A diverse background that includes valuable experience in both the banking and NGO sectors has enriched her professional journey. She has had the privilege of working in various capacities within these sectors, gaining insights into financial operations and management.

Janet is a Certified Public Accountant, and her expertise extends to operations, where she plays a pivotal role in ensuring efficiency and effectiveness. Her commitment to the field of accounts and finance has allows her to contribute significantly to the financial well-being of organizations.

She is passionate about using her skills and experience to support Grevy’s Zebra Trust in its vital conservation efforts and overall mission.

David Muriira comes from Meru next to Mt Kenya. David joined the Grevy’s Zebra Trust as our driver in August 2007. David has taken exceptional care of the Trust’s vehicles over the years, which have had to cope with extremely rough terrain and yet remain in excellent condition thanks to David’s careful management. He has also been instrumental in taking care of the team when we are camping in the field by cooking us simple and incredibly tasty food! So, it was an easy decision when the role of Camp Coordinator came up to look towards David. As Camp Coordinator, David ensures the smooth running of the GZT camp in Westgate, supervising the camp staff, handling all camp logistics and maintaining camp infrastructure.

Redempta grew up in Murang’a County in central Kenya. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Botany and Zoology from the University of Nairobi, and is currently pursuing a master’s in Environmental Science at Kenyatta University. Her main interests are in spatial ecology and human-wildlife coexistence. Redempta’s previous experience includes working as a GIS and Data Coordinator and Northern Kenya Conservation Officer at Space for Giants. She has also worked with Kenya Wildlife Service as a Research Assistant. Redempta joined GZT in July 2022.  Her main roles are Monitoring and Evaluation of programs work and offering technical support. Her work supports improving the short-term effectiveness of GZT activities and informs GZT long-term impact at both the local and landscape level.

Moureen hails from Murang’a County in central Kenya. She holds bachelor’s degree in Business administration (specializing in Finance) from Kenya Methodist University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in finance from the Co-operative University of Kenya. She is also a Certified Public Accountant, section 6. Prior to joining GZT, Moureen worked as an accountant with the Northern Rangelands Trust for more than 8 years. Moureen joined GZT in July 2022 as an accountant before transitioning to her current role as Finance Manager, which involves overseeing daily finance functions, grants management, implementation of internal financial procedures and policies, preparing and reviewing budgets, and income and expenditure reporting for management decision making.

Peter comes from Korr, in Marsabit county. Coming from a pastoralist community in a highly degraded landscape in Northern Kenya inspired him to pursue rangeland management so he could become an agent of change his community. This drive and focus led him to study Range management, in which field he holds a Bachelor’s degree from South Eastern Kenya University. Peter joined GZT as an intern in 2022, before being hired full time as a Rangeland assistant and then transitioning to his current position as a Rangelands Officer. In his current role, Peter is based in Laisamis, where he supervises 10 Grassland champions as they seek to influence their community to implement Rangeland health improvement initiatives.

Gabriel was born and raised in South Horr, Samburu County. He is a graduate of the University of Eldoret with a BSc in Natural Resource Management. Gabriel first joined GZT as an intern, bringing with him a strong passion for conservation. Since then, Gabriel has worked on various projects for GZT, including being heavily involved with our critical supplementary feeding programmes that have sustained Grevy’s Zebra populations through a historic drought. Gabriel’s current full-time role involves providing facilitation support for various field programs with regards to Grevy’s zebra surveys, vegetation data collection, camera trap set up, image sorting and analysis, scout data entry, collar tracking and recovery support, and rain gauge maintenance and data download.

John is from Oldonyiro in Isiolo County. He has a BSc in Commerce (Finance option) from Egerton University. John joined GZT as an intern in the rangelands department, supporting our community-focused rangeland health improvement program. He was a critical member of our supplementary feeding team during the crippling two-year drought that Northern Kenya experienced. Lekishe formally joined our team in 2022 as our Wamba Region coordinator, overseeing a team of 26 scouts that collect Grevy’s zebra monitoring data crucial for decision-making. In his role, he is responsible for ensuring that we have up to date information on Grevy’s zebra distribution, challenges (e.g., water and forage scarcity, injuries, and mortalities) as well as giving updates on the scouts’ health, and work performance. He also serves as a liaison officer within the communities and schools where the scouts come from.

Pascal Kirion Esekon is a young passionate conservationist from Ngaremara in Isiolo County. He graduated with a BSc. Environmental Conservation and Natural Resource Management in 2018 from The University of Nairobi. He joined Grevy’s Zebra Trust as intern in 2021 and was later employed as a Program Officer. He plays a vital role in Grevy’s zebra conservation which includes; community and partners’ engagement, and monitoring Grevy’s zebra both in community areas and national reserves. Pascal’s passion towards conservation is a great inspiration to young and upcoming conservationists.

Dominic Lenet Leparmarai is from Sesia in Samburu County. He graduated with a Diploma in Human Resource Management from Meru National Polytechnic in July 2018 and joined Grevy’s Zebra Trust in July 2022.

He works as a Rangeland Assistant Officer assisting in rangeland work with the goal of achieving healthy rangelands. Since joining the team, he has been excited to see that familiarity with GZT and the organisation’s benefits to local communities, especially during drought seasons, has increased. He looks forward to continuing to support his home community.