Dr. Laly Lichtenfeld is the executive director of the People & Predators Fund and a research affiliate of Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She has over 10 years of experience in East Africa working with large carnivores, local communities and community-based conservation programs. Dr. Lichtenfeld received a Ph.D. from Yale University in 2005 for her research focused on combining wildlife ecology and social ecology in an interdisciplinary study of human-lion relationships, interactions and conflicts. She is a member of the African Lion Working Group and a recipient of the Fulbright Award.

Charles Trout is the director of programs of the People & Predators Fund. Raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he has spent the last 20 years living around the protected areas of Tanzania, including the Serengeti National Park and the Selous Game Reserve. Prior to PPF, Mr. Trout worked with several conservation and tourism companies, including Nomad Safari Guides. He has experience working in southern Tanzania developing village agreements with tourism outfitters and in managing human-wildlife conflict mitigation programs. Mr. Trout is a graduate of the Rossyln Academy in Nairobi, Kenya.

Saruni Moses is a research assistant and the program officer of the Loibor Serrit Livestock Predation Program. He joined PPF in 2002 as a research assistant participating in the collection of local attitudinal surveys. Mr. Moses is a community member of Loibor Serrit village and a member of the village environmental sub-committee.

Rosalie L. Ballantine, Treasurer. Ms. Ballantine is currently retired and devoted to environmental issues. She is serving her 3rd term as an environmental commissioner in the Bernardsville, NJ community. She also enjoys taking courses at Drew and Rutgers Universities. Prior to retirement, she worked for many years at the law firm of Pitney, Hardin, Kipp & Szuch in NJ. Ms. Ballantine holds a BA from Smith College and an MA from New York University in art & archeology.

Jonathan D. Meade, Secretary. Mr. Meade is the Vice President of Planning for the Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown, PA, which aims to preserve the natural and historic resources of the region through conservation and land acquisition programs. His work involves developing river conservation plans, open space plans, implementing outreach and education programs and strategic planning. His extensive experience in protected area planning, most recently with the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., includes management, business, strategic and financial planning. Mr. Meade received his MS from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and was a Fulbright Scholar in western Canada in 1996-1997.

Susan Babson, Director. Susan Babson is currently retired and focusing her energy on African conservation efforts. In addition to PPF, she is on the Board of Trustees of the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the New Jersey Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Mrs. Babson received her MS in biochemistry from the School of Medicine at West Virginia University. She and her husband, Arthur, live in Chester, NJ and share a home in the British Virgin Islands.

Jane M. Hamilton, Director

Mark L. Lichtenfeld, Director. Mark L. Lichtenfeld is a senior vice-president of wealth management for the Lichtenfeld Group at Smith Barney in NJ. He began his career at Bear Stearns in 1994 and continued with Prudential Securities before joining RBC Dain Rauscher (formerly Tucker Anthony) in 1997. He received a bachelor’s with honors from Rutgers College and was a Henry Rutgers Scholar. In addition to PPF, he is on the Board of Trustees of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Mr. Lichtenfeld lives with his wife, Laurie, in Bernardsville, NJ.