WHO
WE ARE

Incoming Board of Trustees

Benneth Obitte

Dr. Benneth Obitte is a Post Doctoral Researcher in Dr. Kingston's lab at Texas Tech University, where he focuses on human dimensions of bat hunting across southern Nigeria and contributes significantly to an integrative NSF-funded disease ecology project. Ben has conducted multiple surveys in Nigeria and is very committed to working with local people on community-participatory solutions to conservation issues. Ben has mentored multiple graduate and undergraduate students in Africa and the United States. He co-founded SMACON and oversees the conservation programs by relying heavily on carefully collected evidence. Ben is a National Geographic Explorer.

Iroro Tanshi

Dr. Iroro Tanshi is a multiple award-winning African woman conservationist who focuses on saving Afrotropical biodiversity in the lower Guinean Forest and coastal forests of the Gulf of Guinea islands. Iroro also co-founded and leads the SMACON. She is committed to strengthening and raising in-country capacity in Africa, which is pivotal for sustainable action.

Sharon Ikeazor

Sharon Ikeazor is a distinguished environmental advocate and former Minister of State for Environment in Nigeria. During her appointment as Minister of State, she led initiatives that successfully forested over 6,000,000 hectares of land through the Green Bond project, collaborating with key stakeholders such as the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria and the Nigeria Conservation Foundation. In recognition of her efforts, she was appointed as the chair of the Elephant Protection Initiative's Leadership Council in May 2024, joining a group of eminent Africans dedicated to wildlife conservation. Her tenure as Minister of State for Environment was marked by a steadfast dedication to environmental conservation, policy advocacy, and the promotion of sustainable practices across Nigeria.

Godleads Adams

Dr. Godleads Adams is an environmental management professional working in the environment management remediation and restoration sectors in Nigeria. He has worked with the Niger Delta Biodiversity Technical Advisory Group as project team member with the responsibility to restore oil pollution sites. His work on site identification and development of regeneration plans has led to action plans implemented for forests regrowth, mangrove preservation, protection of spawning grounds for marine fauna and much more. He takes great pride in this.

Lucia Guaita

Lucia is an environmental sociologist with an MSc in International Development from Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Over her career, she has worked for European foundations and internationally with nature conservation NGOs as a grant manager, knowledge coordinator, and communicator on terrestrial and marine conservation initiatives. Lucia is Director of Conservation at Lookfar Conservation, a US-based NGO advising philantrophic foundations on nature conservation strategies and supporting local conservation groups in improving their institutional capacity and increasing their fundraising success. She is also Senior Fundraiser at Both ENDS, a Dutch NGO working at the interface of biodiversity protection and sustainable development.

Cullen Geiselman

Dr. Cullen Geiselman is a bat ecologist and conservationist who has primarily focused on bat-plant interactions and launched a project (batplant.org) that has become a valuable resource to the global community of ecologists. Dr Geiselman sits on the boards of some conservation NGOs and a former Board Chair at Bat Conservation International. With many years of philanthropy, Cullen has demonstrated long-term support for students in tropical areas and continues to support developing country scientists, especially in Africa. Her experience supporting on the ground conservation efforts across the world is a valuable resource to our operations at SMACON.

ADVISORY BOARD.

Dr. Grace Kia

A Veterinarian with a passion for Wildlife ecology who has studied zoonotic diseases in Nigerian bats. An Assistant Professor at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr Kia is committed to mentoring young Nigerians in zoonotic disease risk assessment and prevention. She is affiliated with the African Center of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Disease and Forensic Biotechnology, and founded the NGO War against Rabies (waragainstrabies.org). Her interest in bat conservation and commitment to sound science in Nigeria aligns with our capacity-building policies at SMACON.

Dr. Tigga Kingston

Dr. Tigga Kingston is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock. Her interests encompass community ecology and the conservation of paleotropical bats. Tigga has worked in Southeast Asia for nearly three decades, during which she has made groundbreaking discoveries including "harmonic hopping" - a form of acoustic differentiation that drives speciation in bats and raised local capacity through her non-profit Southeast Asia Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU). As a direct result of her training and research in the region, she has inspired a new generation of local bat biologists, who now drive bat research in Southeast Asia. Tigga has been a long term advisor for SMACON.

Dr. Paul Bates

A bat/rodent taxonomist who has published extensively on the diversity, distribution, and ecology of both groups in Asia, Arabia, and Africa. Dr. Bates is the Director of the Harrison Institute (Harrison-institute.org), who together with his wife, Beatrix Lanzinger, co-supports ecotourism/conservation, and biodiversity science projects in Myanmar. His current focus is developing capacity among in-country university/museum staff and students across Asia and Africa, notably as the manager of an EU-funded environmental education project in Myanmar (https://www.myanmar-edu.org/). Paul is also an international mentor on SMACON Research Fellowship program.

THE TEAM.

Chief Operations Officer

Eze Ajali has volunteered in SMACON since 2019 in the areas of logistics, procurement, and administration, and joined SMACON fully in 2021. He currently oversees SMACON activities in Benin and implements management systems to improve workflows and staff productivity at SMACON. Eze also contributes to our long-term strategic goals through fund-raising and managing donor expectations.

Chief Partnership and Engagement Officer

Dr. Akelachi Kejeh brings extensive experience in digital and broadcast communications, as well as stakeholder engagement to SMACON. Her passion for communications and her academic degrees in forestry and environment, creates the perfect nexus as she focuses on building collaborative relationships with stakeholders to support small mammal conservation initiatives across West Africa, and on promoting conservation through effective communication strategies and public engagement.
Her passion for wildlife preservation aligns with SMACON's mission to safeguard biodiversity. She is a Bridge fellow of Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and a strong advocate for youth participation in development.

Programs Manager, Conservation

Inieke Udokang has been a bat conservationist since her undergraduate thesis project on the roosting behavior of fruit bats in southern Nigeria. She has a bachelor's in Zoology and a master's in Ecology and Environmental Biology. As the Community Engagement and Research Manager at SMACON, Inieke protects bat habitats with community members living on the boundaries of protected areas in southeastern Nigeria.

Programs Manager, Science

Juliana Adeola Labiran worked as an Environmental Specialist at Hayat Kimya Nigeria. An alumnus of the Tropical Biology Association field course (2017/Amani) she was Secretary of the Nigerian chapter (2020 - 2023). Her curiosity and passion for field research and conservation led her to volunteer on multiple bat surveys at SMACON, giving her first-hand experiences with the indigenes and landscapes where we work. She joined SMACON fully in 2022. In her current role, she oversees field surveys, project planning, monitoring, and evaluation. She also manages specimen samples and equipment loans.

Science and Engagement Coordinator

Oluchi F. Agodi is a graduate of Animal and Environmental Biology from the University of Benin. She blends effective communication with her passion for conservation, while always eager to study and learn more about bats and other small mammals. She also enjoys capturing nature’s beauty through photography.

Wildlife Veterinarian

Preston Nwafor holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Abuja. He is very passionate about wildlife conservation, research, breeding, genetics, and public health. He has contributed to several research initiatives, including an NSF-funded disease ecology project, where he worked as a veterinarian. He believes in the power of community engagement, supported by actionable plans, as a key tool for effective conservation. At SMACON, Preston manages the health and well-being of the organization’s farm animals—part of a project aimed at reducing poaching by providing alternative livelihoods. He also trains local communities in animal care and develops strategies for disease prevention and control during ecological research and surveys.

Intern, Field Officer

Chinaza Blessing Ukwueze graduate of Zoology and Environmental Biology from the University of Nigeria. She has a driven passion for nature and her commitment to learning led her to participating as a volunteer in a research work titled “ parasite diversity and conservation of cave dwelling bats in Enugu state, Nigeria’, where she assisted in bat sampling in caves, data collection procedures and conservation outreaches. She currently joined SMACON as a field officer and she hopes to explore the intricate workings of the environment by her commitment to her roles.

Intern, NYSC

Akudi Nwauzor studied veterinary medicine and found bats intriguing. Akudi intends to become a conservationist and researcher – exploring the world of research in bats and other small mammals.

Consultant

Amy Price

Amy Price has been fundraising for nonprofit missions for more than three decades. During her tenure with Bat Conservation International she generated unprecedented revenues for the conservation of bat species and their habitats. Her work securing corporate funding for international public/private conservation projects was recognized by the US Forest Service with the “Wings Across the Americas” Conservation Award, the only time this “boots on the ground on the ground” award has been given to a fundraiser. Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine published her feature about bats with photos by Merlin Tuttle. A native Texan, she now calls the Central Coast of California home.

Foghor Tanshi

Foghor Tanshi is a Workflow and AI Consultant, and volunteers with SMACON as an operations analyst, leveraging her expertise to optimize our operational efficiency. With a strong background in workflow optimization and AI-driven automation, Foghor enhances our operations through innovative solutions. Her skills include streamlining processes, improving workspace layouts, and managing automation tools. Additionally, she provides industrial accident analysis and expert testimony.