Peter Knights
Co-Director, WILDAID

Peter Knights co-directs WildAid, a group instrumental in persuading consumers not to buy endangered species products, equipping rangers with the proper technology to protect marine reserves, supporting anti-poaching patrols around the world and much more. Knights was formerly a program director and investigator working on illegal trade in endangered species for the Global Survival Network and a senior investigator for the Environmental Investigation Agency.

Randy Hayes
Founder & President, RAN

As President of Rainforest Action Network, Hayes is a leader in the efforts to halt destruction of tropical rainforests and to fight for the rights of indigenous people. He is fighting to confront the over-consumption of wood, calling for a 75% reduction of wood and wood based paper in the US. He works with organizers and regional networks worldwide in building a movement for effective social change. His "500 Year Planning Process" spells out a vision of a sustainable society and how to get there.

Michael Soule
Founder, The Wildlands Project

Michael Soule is a Research Professor in Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Science Director of The Wildlands Project. TWP protects and restores ecosystems across the nation. After receiving his Ph.D. at Stanford, Soule went to Africa to help found the first university in Malawi. He has done field work in Africa, Mexico, the Adriatic, the West Indies, and Colorado. Soule was a founder of the Society for Conservation Biology and The Wildlands Project and has been the president of both. He has written and edited a number of books on biology, conservation biology, and the social context of contemporary conservation.

Steve Gatewood
Executive Director, SER

Steve Gatewood is currently the Executive Director for the Society of Ecological Restoration, a group supporting over 2,500 programs worldwide to restore damaged ecosystems and wildlife. Gatewood received a BS in Forestry/Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida in 1973. He has a 30 year career in the natural resources field, including employment with state and local government, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and as a private consultant. His areas of expertise involve plant community ecology and mapping, watershed planning, preserve management, wetland restoration, reserve design, and project management. Gatewood spent 14 years with The Nature Conservancy of Florida.

Mike McGettigan
Founder, Sea Watch

In 1994 McGettigan founded Sea Watch, an organization dedicated to exposing the destruction in the Sea of Cortez to the Mexican people and to the world. Sea Watch video and television has brought the slaughter of Giant Pacific Mantas and Whalesharks to the attention of Mexico and as a result they are now fully protected. Sea Watch also has initiated the first artificial reef program in Mexico with the sinking of two large vessels outside La Paz, Mexico in November of 1999. McGettigan currently heads all projects ran by SeaWatch.