Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund was founded in 1978, and "is dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitats in Africa. We are committed to promoting continued research on their threatened ecosystems and education about their relevance to the world in which we live. In collaboration with government agencies and other international partners, we also provide assistance to local communities through education, health, training and economic development initiatives."

Projects
Pierre Kakule Vwirasihikya] "was cited for creating the 220,000-acre (88,000-hectare) Tayna Gorilla Reserve, the DRCs first community-run nature reserve, and the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology (TCCB), the first DRC university devoted to conservation. Both are funded by Conservation International (CI) through its partnership with the Dian Fossey Gorilla International Fund (DFGFI)...

"In 2001, Vwirasihikya first approached DFGFI for support. Two years later, CI entered a partnership with DFGFI to provide funding for Tayna and the TCCB and other area projects from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) CARPE program and its own funding agency, the Global Conservation Fund...

"The combined efforts of CI and DFGFI, with their Congolese partners ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservacion de la Nature) and UGADEC (Union des Associations de Conservation des Gorilles pour le Dveloppement Communautaire lEst de la Rpublique Dmocratique du Congo) will provide protection and scientific monitoring for fauna and flora, conservation education for local people, and capacity building for Congolese institutions."

People (2010)
Accessed May 2010:

Honorary Chair
 * Sigourney Weaver

Trustees
 * Christian Bale
 * Sibi Bale
 * Gil Boese
 * Mike Crowther
 * Lawrence Ellison
 * Nickolas Faust
 * Glenn L. Felner
 * Wayne Ferguson
 * Lynn Flanders, Treasurer
 * William R. Foster
 * Gilbert M. Grosvenor
 * Richard A. Horder, Chair
 * Judith Harris
 * Terrance Harps
 * Dennis Kelly, Secretary
 * Manuel Mollinedo
 * Ruth Musgrave
 * Jackie Ogden
 * Craig Piper
 * Sandy Price
 * Rebecca Rooney
 * Andy Serkis
 * Janice Gleason Skow, Vice-Chair
 * Gary Strieker
 * Daniel K. Thorne
 * Joanne Truffelman, Vice-Chair


 * Mary G. Smith, Honorary Life Trustee
 * Terry L. Maple, Ph.D., Emeritus
 * Judge R. Kenton Musgrave, Emeritus

Rwanda Representatives
 * Romain Murenzi, Ph.D., Minister, President’s Office in charge of Science, Technology, Scientific Research and Information Communication Technologies
 * Rosette Rugamba, Director General, Office of Tourism and National Parks, (ORTPN)

Senior Staff
 * Clare Richardson, President and CEO
 * Alecia Lilly, Ph.D., Vice President, Africa Programs
 * Katie Fawcett, Ph.D., Director, Karisoke Research Center
 * Tara Stoinski, Ph.D., The Pat and Forest McGrath Chair of Research and Conservation
 * Bryna Griffin, Co-Director, Democratic Republic of Congo
 * Pierre Kakule Vwirasihikya, Co-Director, Democratic Republic of Congo
 * Mika Inamahoro, Administrative Director, Kigali headquarters
 * Felix Ndagijimana, Deputy Director, Karisoke Research Center
 * Jean Bosco Bizimuremyi, Field Operations Coordinator, Karisoke Research Center
 * AnnyMuyisa,M.D., Coordinator, Ecosystem Health and Community Development Program, Democratic Republic of Congo
 * Jean Paul Shabantu, Focal Point for National Parks Conservation Projects, Democratic Republic of Congo
 * Dieudonné Busanda Changwi, Technical Coordinator for Community Conservation Programs, Democratic Republic of Congo
 * Elyese Christensen, Director of Development
 * Erika Archibald, Ph.D., Communications Director
 * Nina Mallard, Director of Finance and Administration

People (2007)
Accessed November 2007:

Board of Directors
 * Honorary Chair - Sigourney Weaver

Executive Committee
 * William R. Foster, D.V.M., Chair
 * R. Kenton Musgrave, Vice Chair
 * Gerald Borin, Vice Chair
 * Sandy Price, Past Chair
 * Joanne Truffelman, Secretary
 * Lynn Flanders, Treasurer
 * Judy Hanenkrat, Nominating

Board of Trustees
 * Christian Bale
 * Sibi Bale
 * Gil Boese, Ph.D.
 * Moses Brown, Jr.
 * Keith Crisco
 * Lawrence Ellison
 * Glenn L. Felner
 * Wayne Ferguson
 * James M. Fowler
 * Clayton Freiheit
 * Gilbert M. Grosvenor
 * Terrance Harps
 * Richard A. Horder
 * Dennis Kelly
 * Terry L. Maple, Ph.D.
 * Manuel Mollinedo
 * Ruth Musgrave
 * Andy Serkis
 * Janice Gleason Skow
 * Gary Strieker
 * Daniel K. Thorne
 * Rosalie S. Wyman

Honorary Life Trustees
 * Mary G. Smith

Staff and Specialists in the United States
 * Clare Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer
 * Tara Stoinski, Ph.D., Director, Research and Education Partnerships
 * Elyese Christensen, Director of Development
 * Erika Archibald, Ph.D., Director of Communications
 * Athena Buchanan, Director of Marketing and Online Fundraising
 * Susan Piribek, Director of Finance
 * Elizabeth S. Morford, CFRE, Fundraising
 * Laurie Foley, Ph.D., Webmaster
 * Shiree Mott, Development Assistant
 * Laura Nichols, Executive Assistant, Finance
 * Kristine Rogers, Executive Assistant

Contact

 * Web: http://www.gorillafund.org

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Albertine Rift Conservation Society
 * Ian Redmond
 * Jim Fowler
 * Environmental Systems Research Institute
 * Nicholas Faust
 * Earth Search Sciences
 * Louis Leakey
 * Friends of Rwanda
 * Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe