BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Alex Chunga
Alex Chunga currently serves as a the Assistant Director of Parks for the Malawi Department of National Parks. Alex has risen through the ranks through hard work and dedication to the conservation and management of Malawi’s wildlife heritage. Alex joined the Department as a Park Ranger in 1993 after completing a two year Wildlife Management Training. In 1996 he was awarded a scholarship for further studies at the College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka in Tanzania. Prior to his position as Assistant Director of Parks, Alex was the Head of Law Enforcement and has led many successful investigations and prosecutions of transnational wildlife crimes.
Service in the wildlife sector has taken Alex across countries and continents where he has participated in various capacity building sessions to broaden and enrich knowledge.
Alex is an inspiration to the Game Rangers of Malawi DNPW and remains committed to serving to save the country’s precious resources for the benefit of present and future generations. WITA has relied on Alex's expertise and guidance in conducting many trainings.
Chuks Unamba-Oparah
Chukukere Unamba-Oparah provides Consulting, Media, Communications, and Business Development services across Africa, with over twenty-five years of experience of working with governments, various governmental agencies, Non-Government Organisations and private sector players. He has long-term country experience in the United Kingdom and in sub-Saharan Africa, providing visioning and strategic direction, stakeholder engagement, corporate communication, and business development, services facilitating access to various sectors as applicable.
Chuks is the Programme Director and Country Coordinator for Kenya for the Attorney General Alliance-Africa (AGA-Africa) a Director at Syber Intel, and the Founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Artikulate Company Ltd. based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Chuks has held several senior management and regional board positions, including Managing Director South and East Africa for a global serviced office group, Head of Management Process (Change Management), Head of Retail networks, Corporate Client Director and e-business Solutions Director for a global distribution group.
Chuks has been a speaker at a number of African key government / private sector engagement forums including the UCLG Africa (United Cities and Local Government) Conference Abuja, Microsoft African Heads of Government Forum South Africa and various interviews across a number of media platforms.
More recently Chuks has worked on assignments providing consultancy and program management services to core organizations in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and the UK, supporting organizations in key areas including, Corporate Strategy, Strategic Engagement, Media relations, Project Management, Human Resources and Capacity Building, Public Sector Service Improvement, SME development, Tourism, Property, Retail, Agribusiness and ICT/ e-government sectors.
Chuks holds a BA in Social Science & Economics and an MBA from Middlesex University Business School, United Kingdom.
Demetria “Demi” W. Herman
Demi Herman is a career prosecutor currently handling felony level criminal cases as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Nebraska, United States. Demi has prosecuted a wide range of cases, including theft, assault, and drug cases to child victim crimes, domestic violence and sexual assault. She has a particular interest in protecting the well-being of the vulnerable and victims who must testify in Court. She holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota and a J.D. from William Mitchel College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Since becoming a prosecutor in 2001, Demi has worked in Nebraska and Arizona, prosecuting felony cases, and serving as a mentor in for multiple agencies. Demi served as a Chief Deputy in Platte County, Nebraska from 2008-2013 and as the Chief Deputy in Saunders County, Nebraska, from 2013-2022. In 2022, she joined the Douglas County Attorney’s Office as the CVSA (Child Victim/Sexual Assault) team lead. There she oversees a dedicated team specializing in the prosecution of crimes of sexual violence and serious harm to children.
Demi joined WITA as an instructor in 2018, and joined the Board of Directors in 2022. Since 2016, Demi has worked with the Attorney General Alliance to build capacity and improve trial skills for her colleagues in Mexico and Africa.
Demi enjoys volunteering with Victory Riding Academy, a non-profit organization bringing therapeutic equine services to military veterans and first responders and their family members. She is the proud mother to two children.
Farith Lozano
Farith is a dedicated Accounting Specialist, Tax Expert, and Finance Consultant with a passion for helping businesses thrive. His expertise includes accounting cleanups, bookkeeping, tax filing, and CFO services.
Farith earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from UT Martin, where he played 4 years of college tennis. He completed a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Finance from Middle Tennessee State University, and went on to complete a Master’s in Conflict Management from Lipscomb University.
Farith's mission is straightforward: to help organizations like WITA maximize their productivity and achieve their goals through efficient and professional consulting services.
Farith's fluency in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and experience across South America bring a global perspective to our Board. Outside of his professional life, Farith loves playing tennis and golf and has a deep respect for wildlife and reducing animal cruelty worldwide.
Gohar Petrossian
Dr. Gohar Petrossian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, and the Deputy Executive Officer of the Criminal Justice Doctoral Program at CUNY Graduate Center.
Dr Petrossian’s research focuses on the empirical application of crime science theories to wildlife crimes. She has published over 65 scholarly articles, book chapters, and reports on this topic. She is the author of the book The Last Fish Swimming: The Global Crime of Illegal Fishing, published in 2019.
In the past two years alone, Dr Petrossian has been invited by renowned institutions and organizations as a keynote and guest speaker to discuss her research.
Dr Petrossian’s work has been featured by Global Fishing Watch, Yale University’s Environment Review, National Geographic, PBS Nature, The Center for International Maritime Security, U.S. Naval Institute, and CUNY Newswire.
Jim Karani
Jim Karani is an attorney at law who advises on environmental and animal law. He works in the courts and with policymakers for communities to ensure wildlife is protected and traffickers of endangered species are brought to justice.
Before joining WITA, he headed the legal team at WildlifeDirect Kenya, engaging in environmental public interest litigation and following up on major elephant ivory trafficking court cases. He also managed the Eyes in the Courtroom program in partnership with Kenya’s Judiciary to monitor and analyze the effectiveness of law enforcement in handling wildlife crime in courts. Data from this program was used to guide reforms in wildlife law and build the capacity of law enforcement to significantly strengthen Kenya’s response to wildlife crime. He also was directly involved in the training of over 1,000 police officers, investigators, prosecutors, and judicial officers on best practices for handling wildlife crime and the development of legal texts, guides, toolkits, and reference materials for law enforcement in various countries in Africa.
In addition to his work with WITA, Jim is currently doing a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at John Jay College in New York.
Judy Muriithi
Judy Muriithi is a passionate environmental conservation attorney with a proven track record in combating illegal wildlife trafficking.
Judy brings a unique blend of knowledge in wildlife forensics, data analysis, and risk assessment. This technical skillset, coupled with her deep understanding of CITES regulations, makes her a valuable asset in the global fight against wildlife crime. Her active participation in international forums demonstrates her commitment to sharing insights and fostering collaboration to strengthen regulations and enforcement mechanisms.
Judy has led capacity building initiatives that review and analyse the investigation techniques by law enforcement to promote sound governance and accountability among law enforcement institutions when it comes to financial investigations in illegal wildlife trade cases.
Judy's passion for wildlife conservation, collaborative spirit and her dedication to innovative solutions, makes her a force for positive change in the fight to protect our precious wildlife.
Lauren Friedman
Pic & bio coming soon