2024 Parrot Crisis Summit Speakers

As an attorney with more than 15 years of experience in the animal protection movement, she oversees World Animal Protection’s US campaigns protecting wild and farmed animals from abuse. She also leads World Animal Protection’s work to end the sale of animals in pet stores through local legislation and corporate campaigns.

Amanda is responsible for operations at The New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary. With a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Rhode Island College, Amanda worked for nearly 20 years in education, research, animal behavior and husbandry with AZA zoos and aquariums. As one of Foster Parrots’ primary educators, she promotes an uncompromising educational message opposing societal standards that condone the keeping of wildlife in captivity.

Diana is a wildlife veterinarian at Itaipu Binacional, in Paraguay and head of Proyecto Canindeyú, a reintroduction project for blue and yellow macaw. She's also a member of the OEA team in Paraguay, assisting rehabilitation of confiscated parrots. 

LoraKim Joyner empowers the people saving the planet. She stands in solidarity and witness to the plight of the parrots and people where One Earth works with others – currently in Brazil, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Suriname. She is a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Loros Sin Fronteras, Parrot Researchers Group, and Parrot Conservation Alliance.

Dr. Latas works with the wild parrots of southern California. She serves on the Steering Team for Parrot Researchers Group and is Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Wild Parrot specialist Group. Her interests are wild urban parrots in conservation, the health and recovery of parrots confiscated from the pet trade, and the health, welfare, well-being, conservation and preservation of wild parrots across the earth.

Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert is a Professor of Caribbean culture and literature in the Department of Hispanic Studies and The Environmental Studies Program at
Vassar College, where she holds the Sarah Tod Fitz Randolph Distinguished Professor Chair. She received a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Puerto Rico and M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in Comparative Literature from New York University.

Katherine is a researcher at the Chamela Biology Station of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has conducted research on the ecology of parrots and macaws in the humid and dry tropical forests of South and Central America since 1987. Katherine has been studying the ecology of endemic and threatened parrots in the dry tropical forest of the coast of Jalisco, Mexico, for 25 years.

After 32 years in the real estate and financial fields Janet experienced a life event and motivating force that altered her path. Following her heart and desire to help at-risk parrots, she joined The Oasis in 2007, then becoming the 2nd generation Director in 2010.   The Oasis provides safe, stable and nurturing life-long sanctuary for displaced and exploited parrots. Their flock now numbers over 800 birds.

Karen oversees operations at Foster Parrots, Ltd. and The New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary, 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in Rhode Island. The largest bird rescue i the Northeast, Foster Parrots is dedicated to the rescue and protection of unwanted and abused companion parrots and other displaced captive exotic animals. 

Juan Carlos has worked on combating the illegal trade of parrots for the past 40 years. He was the main author of the report of illegal trade of parrots which was the basis for the 2008 parrot trade ban in Mexico. He is the author of various articles and reports on wildlife trafficking, birdwatching, environmental education and communication campaigns related to parrots. He is the author of more than 60 identification guides for parrots, birds, marine mammals, terrestrial mammals, sharks and sea turtles.

Kurt is a Guatemalan wildlife conservation and environmental protection professional with a strong academic background, including a Master’s in Wildlife Management and a Veterinary degree from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. Since 2019, he has served as the Wildlife Trafficking Officer for Mesoamerica and the Western Caribbean with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), based in Guatemala City. Previously, Kurt was the Technical Manager of the National Zoo La Aurora, where he led a team of 40 employees and managed a collection of over 2,500 animals. He has played a key role in international delegations, including CITES Conferences and the Convention on Biological Diversity, contributing to the inclusion of several reptile species in CITES appendices and advancing wildlife use agreements.

Dr. Lori Gruen is a leading scholar in Animal Studies and Feminist Philosophy. She is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including Ethics and Animals: An Introduction (Cambridge, 2011, second edition 2021), Entangled Empathy (Lantern, 2015), and Animal Crisis (Polity, 2022) co-authored with Alice Crary. She is the founder of Wesleyan Animal Studies.

Gail earned a Masters degree in Zoology, but for various reasons left the field. However, over many years Gail volunteered for the Wildlife Conservation Society, NYC Sierra Club, Gotham City Networking (leading their Gotham Green group), Climate Reality Project and Earth Regenerators. As a grant writing professional for 20+ years, she has worked with a number of animal welfare, wildlife, and environmental organizations. After Gail met LoraKim Joyner in 2014, she found her life’s work at One Earth Conservation.

Research interests include the survival tactics of plants and animals in changing habitats and landscapes. In charge of research and monitoring of waterfowl and their habitats, including impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on their populations and habitats.

Dr. Anthony Pilny completed an internal medicine and surgery internship at Florida Veterinary Specialists in Tampa, Florida and a residency in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine and Surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners certified in Avian Practice since 2005. He currently serves as vice chair of maintenance of certification for ABVP, chairs the Association of Avian Veterinarians Welfare Committee, serves on the advisory board of Medgene, and is a veterinary advisor for the House Rabbit Society. Dr. Pilny has lectured nationally and internationally about avian and exotic pet medicine and has published numerous scientific articles and book chapters on birds and other exotic species.

Hector’s professional interest is researching the broad concept of biodiversity, with a special interest in the ecology of populations and their assemblies, emphasizing parrots. He also studies forest fragmentation, linking landscapes to their ecological relationships. Topics of interest have been related to the composition, structure distribution, abundance, and diversity indices, as well as the effects of climate variations at local, regional, national and global levels. Hector works along the Caribbean coast of Honduras and in the Honduran Mosquitia region. In La Moskitia he has worked since the year 2000 to support community conservation processes related to monitoring and researching parrots.  His life's work is dedicated to the people and biodiversity of Honduras. Decades of work has taught Hector that we must take care of the people if we are to save the planet.  We must also train the younger generations to understand ecology and biology, and to guide them in caring and conservation. Hector’s hope is that we can accomplish all this through One Earth Conservation, and he is a member of their Board of Directors.

David's research focuses on how mutualistic interactions between vertebrates and woody plants affect forest dynamics, with a particular emphasis on seed dispersal in novel ecosystems. Additionally, I am interested in understanding how global changes affect bird conservation at various scales.

Bonnie Zimmermann started with the Indonesian Parrot Project in 2003 as the organization’s eco tourism leader. Currently she oversees multiple conservation, parrot rehabilitation and release programs in Indonesia.  To date, over 11,000 cockatoos, parrots and lories have been returned to their forest homes.