Gerry Ellis
Founder, Executive Director & Board Secretary
Gerry Ellis founded GLOBIO as an outgrowth of his Wild Orphans elephant filming project in the late 1990s. That project culminated 15 years of international filming and witnessing first-hand the rapid loss of global biodiversity, and its impact on human and non-human lives. Working for many of the top conservation NGOs Gerry saw firsthand the power of visuals in educational, and value in connecting kids and people through wildlife to global issues we all face. GLOBIO became a natural step in his commitment to inspire in others greater understanding, and steps of personal action to create positive change.
Gerry built his career as an international wildlife film-maker, photographer, and writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, the New York Times, Ranger Rick, and more. Gerry is the author of more than a dozen children’s books. His current work is featured on the GLOBIO YouTube channel Apes Like Us, which he also hosts.
“I don’t believe in pixie-dust hope, we have enormous capacity to be kind and do the right thing for all life — we often just need to fully understand the impact of our actions, and know we aren’t going it alone in creating positive change. GLOBIO could be that support.”
— Gerry Ellis,
founder of GLOBIO
Our Board of Directors
Chair of the Board – Douglas Gastich
Doug is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience building online education experiences. He believes deeply in the power of story, combined with novel interaction, to engage and inspire.
Board Treasurer –Todd Trzcinski
Todd is a native of Seattle with a degree from Whitman College and graduate studies in accounting at the University of Washington. He is a licensed CPA and served in several companies, both large corporations and startups, in particular focusing on the high tech service sector. In addition to the Pacific Northwest, he has lived and worked both in Europe and Rwanda and is an avid cyclist and traveler. Todd is currently a resident of New York City, and is consulting to US-based companies doing work in East Africa.
Board Member – Colburn Shindell
Colburn is a former secondary school educator and head of school who now focuses his teaching on adult literacy. An avid traveler and passionate conservationist, he spent 2017-2018 traveling through Africa learning first-hand the challenges facing wildlife. His experience fund-raising and leading non-profits complement his dedication to and love of wildlife. He and his family live in Reno, Nevada.
Our Team
Programs Director – Meg Stark
Meg is a lifelong lover of all primates – with a special place in her heart for gorillas and guenons. Her years in primate sanctuaries management in the US and South Africa, coupled with research and volunteer trips to other African sanctuaries have helped prepare her for her current role as Programs Director at GLOBIO. Through this position, Meg handles GLOBIO programs development, in addition to donor management, communications, media production, and general monkey business. When off-duty, she is probably playing with the office cat Squirty or in the kitchen, baking up a storm.
Our Team in the News
We’re Talking Apes in 2021
Did you know it’s really Survival of the Friendliest NOT the fittest? Unless your fitness comes from being friendly, I suppose. Did you know that apes migrate? Or that orangutans sing? How about non-human apes can’t swim because their bones are too heavy? Or which...
In the Shadows of a Tragic 2020
Has there been a more chaotic year? Perhaps not since being plunged into world war, notably the first war, with a pandemic in its wake, has a year been felt by more people in more places. Certainly, the Coronavirus pandemic takes top honors on most lists, dominating...
Earth Day Turns Fifty: A Gift of Trees
A low humid fog hangs over the river, shrouding the tops of the surrounding rainforest, an invisible bathing of microdroplets. This morning the river world is a monochrome grey-green, the sunrise still a half-hour away. Across from the tired wooden dock a pair...
Jane Goodall – Happy Birthday!
Birthdays are special times of celebration and unless it’s one of your first four or five they’re also an opportunity to reflect. A chance to cast your mind back to birthday punctuation marks, milestone birthdays, even tipping points. Famed primatologist, Jane...
Backyard Burning: Australia and a Planet on Fire
The devastating bushfires of Australia are reeking death and destruction across huge portions of the country; these fires are expected to burn for months, fueled by strong winds and extreme weather, leaving a staggering environmental toll. I launched my photographic...
Boomerang Places
Where is Gerry now? Now I find myself back in Zambia, at the end of the Copperbelt. A desolated piece of Earth robbed of virtually all life by the greed of a world desperate for copper. Copper for everything from electrical wires, and cooking pots, to electronics and...
Gerry Ellis Chimpanzees in Africa with LUMIX at Pro Photo Supply
Join us for a captivating talk as award-winning wildlife photographer and filmmaker Gerry Ellis talks about his equipment while in the field; why and how he films based on subject, destination and need. He will discuss how he uses his content online and for social...
Oregon Zoo Pub Talks kick off with Gerry Ellis and GLOBIO’s Apes Like Us project.
The Oregon Zoo Pub Talks series, presented by Pro Photo Supply, offers a chance to hear from conservation experts in a casual setting. Each month a conservation, animal care or wildlife science professional will share their knowledge and experience saving animals...
Gerry Ellis Recognized with the Global Conservation Prize.
This year’s gala spotlighted the issues facing gorillas in the wild, addressing the impact of climate change and palm oil on endangered species. The gala also officially launched 2015 as the “Year of the Gorilla”, a zoo-wide commitment of resources designed to...
Meet Local Visionary, Gerry Ellis
by Daven Mathies (The following is a two-minute trailer video interview with our Founder — thanks to Pro Photo Supply) It’s been a while since our last video, but we’re back! A couple of months ago, I sat down with local documentary photographer Gerry Ellis to talk...