Meet The Team

Leadership Team

  • A woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a navy blue t-shirt, smiling outdoors in a green landscape with trees and hills.

    Dr Claire Okell (BVSc, PhD)

    CEO & FOUNDER

    After completing her PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health she worked for several years in the humanitarian and development sector in South Sudan, northern Kenya and Somalia.  Her interest for Pangolin was sparked by the lack on information on them and that they were clearly the underdog of the wildlife world. After working as an independent researcher she founded TPP in 2020.  Today she is passionate about space for  biodiversity,  building teams that are inspired and equipped to save the natural world and using a data led evidence base to create support. 

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  • Woman in red T-shirt and sunglasses smiling outdoors in a green, wooded area.

    Beryl Makori 

    CONSERVATION MANAGER

    Beyrl grew up in western Kenya. Her father was hugely influential in inspiring her to believe and care about nature.  After graduating from the University of Karatina, Beryl worked across Kenya on the research and protection of bats with conservation greats including Paul Webala. Beryl joined TPP in 2020 as a lead researcher and has grown with the project. Her passion is community led conservation. 

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  • A smiling man with glasses in a red shirt standing outdoors with crossed arms and greenery in the background.

    MICHAEL KOSKEI

    CONSERVATION MONITORING MANAGER

    Michael grew up in south of the Rift Valley in Kenya; in the county neighbouring the Maasai Mara Ecosystem. As a young boy he visited his uncle who was working in Massai Mara and was intrigued to see “the big five” of Kenya. Michael has a Bachelors in Geography and a Master of Science in Geospatial Information Systems and Remote Sensing and joined our team in June 2024 after 10 years working on monitoring of elephants.

  • A man in a red T-shirt with arms crossed standing outdoors in a grassy area with trees and blue sky in the background.

    JOEL SIOLOLO

    SENIOR HABITAT PROTECTION OFFICER

    Joel is the longest serving employee of The Pangolin Project having met Claire in 2019. Armed with a camera trap Joel collected the first camera trap footage of Temmincks Ground Pangolin in Kenya. Joel is from Ol Derkesi conservancy and grew up alongside Pangolin. Joel led our feidl research activities from 2020 – 2022 but his passion is for community engagement and he works tirelessly to engage every individual in the conservation of Pangolin and their habitat.

  • A woman with braided hair smiling outdoors in a park or garden, wearing a gray vest over a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a watch on her left wrist, and a multicolored beaded bracelet on her right wrist.

    DOUG BRAUM

    CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

    Bio coming soon

  • A young woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a blue jacket, smiling slightly with one eye closed against a plain white background.

    EBONY ESCALONA

    HEAD OF DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNITY

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FIELD TEAM

  • A man wearing a blue fleece jacket standing outdoors in a grassy area with trees and a blue sky in the background.

    JULIUS MEPUKORI

    MONITORING OFFICER

  • A man with short hair and a goatee, wearing a red T-shirt with a logo that says 'The Pangolin Project,' standing in a green forest.

    JEREMIAH MUSUKA

    MONITORING OFFICER

  • A young man outdoors in a grassy, green area with trees, wearing a light gray T-shirt with 'The Pangolin Project' logo, smiling at the camera.

    WILSON PARKESUI

    HABITAT PROTECTION OFFICER

  • Smiling young man with crossed arms in a forested area, surrounded by trees and sunlight filtering through leaves.

    PAUL NANGIDA

    MONITORING OFFICER

  • Group of African men standing outdoors, smiling and wearing blue jackets.

    WILLIAM KIRONKAI

  • A man wearing a red shirt standing outdoors in a lush green landscape with trees and hills in the background.

    JOB SEUREI

    ORGANISATION DRIVER