Who We Are
#SaveLACougars is a campaign of the National Wildlife Federation with core partners.
Our Team
BETH PRATT
REGIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, California, NWF
Beth Pratt, National Wildlife Federation’s California Regional Executive Director, leads the #SaveLACougars campaign, and has worked in environmental leadership roles for over twenty-five years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone. From working with wolves to bears, she says “nothing has inspired me more than helping to build this landmark crossing outside of Los Angeles to help save this urban population of mountain lions.”
She is also the author of the book, “When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors: People and Wildlife Working It Out in California” and featured the story of P-22 in her TEDx talk, “How a Lonely Cougar in Los Angeles Inspired the World”
LAUREN Gill
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, california, NWF
As a professional in education and communications, as a volunteer, an activist, and as an elected public school board trustee, Lauren works to further equity, foster coexistence, and expand the public good.
Lauren earned degrees in English and American Literature and in Religious Studies from Brown University. A Boston native, Lauren moved west to southern California to live among mountain lions, trading sculling on the Charles River for hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, and is a proud member of the #SaveLACougars team.
JOAHNA CERVANTES
OPERATIONS MANAGER, NWF
Born and raised on the California coast and spending summers in the rolling green hills of Michoacán, México, Joahna Cervantes developed a passion for exploring nature and a commitment to wildlife conservation. As an Operations Manager, Joahna leads the operations and financial systems for the National Wildlife Federation’s California Region, which includes #SaveLACougars. Before joining the NWF, Joahna managed programs at various research centers and nonprofits, such as the Center for WorkLife and Girls Inc. of Alameda County. In addition to her passion for wildlife conservation, she has a background in equity advocacy and research and hopes to incorporate her experience in her role with NWF. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Saint Mary’s College of California in the Bay Area.
When she isn’t in the (virtual) office, Joahna soaks up the sun at local beaches and hiking trails, visits new cities, explores fitness classes, and hangs out with her dog Duke.
Kim Basso
Volunteer Coordinator, NWF
Kimberly Basso is an author, educator and advocate delighted to be joining the California team at the National Wildlife Federation. She brings decades of public speaking and volunteer management experience to her role as Volunteer Coordinator for the docent program. A Girl Scout for many years, Kimberly maintains that early love for the natural world as a hiker, camper and now home gardener (she is happy to grow vegetables for you, but less inclined to eat them). Working with volunteers in a variety of non-profits, including hundreds at once as a theater and festival producer, gave her a deep appreciation for people who put their passion into action. Kimberly is excited to work with the docents for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing to share its incredible history and vision and eager to get everyone back onto the docent trail. We will have regular docent office hours, but Kimberly can always be reached at bassok@nwf.org.
COURTNEY SULLIVAN
DIRECTOR, REGIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, NWF
Courtney Sullivan (she/her) has been developing and managing programs that offer sustainable environmental education opportunities for communities for over twenty-five years. Courtney was born in Orange, California and then fell in love with nature on the shores of Puget Sound in Washington and then in Alaska – exploring the abundant environmental, outdoor, and cultural education career opportunities.
Returning to Washington in 2008, Courtney joined the National Wildlife Federation where she cultivates community stewards and education champions, advocates for conservation education policies, and works to build partnerships and coalitions to support sustainable environmental education in the Northern Rockies, Prairies, and Pacific region (WA, OR, HI, AK, ID, MT, ND, SD and CA too) as the Regional Director of Education and Engagement Programs. Courtney is dedicated to developing and supporting limitless opportunities for connecting families with nature, environmental education, and community stewardship.
TONI JOHNSON
toni michelle media
Toni Johnson, Social Media Strategist for #SaveLACougars and Founder of Toni Michelle Media, has a passion for creating memorable storytelling and meaningful connections through social media.
Before starting her career in Social Media Strategy, she studied Hospitality Management at Morgan State University in Maryland. From there, she successfully crafted a twenty-year career in leadership in the restaurant industry. Today, her joy is helping brands tell their stories through social media.
Whether it’s to help raise millions of dollars for the construction of the awesome 101 Wildlife Crossing or creating to executing a grassroots community-focused campaign for locally owned businesses, Toni’s goal is to always connect the audience to the client’s purpose and foster a relationship between the two.
Toni’s interests include spending time with her favorite fur babies: Sparty and her nephew-pup, Bazooka. She’s in heaven on almost any island beach and can usually be found with a Cafe Americano or glass of Argentinian Malbec in her hand, depending on the time and type of day.
Kristen Kunkle
DoGoodery
As DoGoodery’s Vice President of Social Science and Impact, Kristen leads research, strategic development, and impact evaluation for clients interested in creative pathways toward a more sustainable future.
Prior to joining DoGoodery, Kristen served as the Research Manager for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), overseeing research projects, evaluation capacity building, and professional development initiatives with university and federal partners.
Kristen honed her commitment to strengthening connections between people and places working as a park ranger and Master Naturalist in coastal Florida, where she later helped lead community-based oyster reef and shoreline restoration projects, co-managed education and extension activities for a $25 million climate change adaptation and mitigation project, and conducted research on engaging dismissive audiences in climate solutions.
Kristen works with #SaveLACougars on strategic communications and fundraising.
NADIA GONZALEZ
PUENTE STRATEGIES
Puente Strategies is a boutique communication, media relations and creative partnerships practice that has overseen successful efforts across social impact spectrums – from conservation and environmental justice, to empowerment and equity in sports and education.
Ms. Gonzalez was born and raised in Los Angeles and founded Puente Strategies after 10 years of experience working in journalism, media relations and social impact program development. Prior to launching her practice, Ms. Gonzalez worked with Spectrum Sports Networks and in close collaboration with the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Dodgers and LA Galaxy media and community relations teams.
Before that, she directed community affairs efforts for a Major League Soccer team in Los Angeles and prior to that, she was part of the communications team for the Partnership for LA Schools, led by the former Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. Very early in her public relations career, Ms. Gonzalez worked at the Los Angeles Unified School District at Univision KMEX TV Los Angeles and ABC Network News in Los Angeles.
MICHELLE HANSEN
#SAveLACougars RETAIL & WEB STORE CONSULTANT
Michelle Hansen is lucky enough to have lived and worked in four national parks and currently lives at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Prior to life in national parks, she worked for theme parks in Florida including Walt Disney World, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
She puts her extensive retail and marketing expertise to good use as Project Desert View, with retail consulting and an online retail business, Desert View Vintage. Michelle maintains the #SaveLACougars webstore and has a lot of fun developing new products to support the fundraising goals of the campaign.
Aliya Jasmine
Filmmaker, EarthTones
Aliya Jasmine (‘AJ’) has spent the last 2 decades as a prominent TV Host, Producer, and Environmental journalist (M.A., F.R.C.G.S.) who’s award-winning stories have been staple viewing on national and local networks including NBC News, NBCUniversal, CTV Bell Media, MTV News, IMPACT, Discovery Channel, and more.
AJ holds a Masters in Environmental Journalism from the University of Southern California, a Social Media & Digital Marketing Certification from Harvard University, and bilingual (French & English) BA in Comms from the University of Ottawa. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Nature Conservancy’s Canadian chapter, Nature United, and is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Jennifer Fearing
President, Fearless Advocacy
Jennifer Fearing runs Fearless Advocacy, a Sacramento-based advocacy firm specializing in advancing the policy agendas of mission-based and cause-oriented organizations. Over her nearly two decades of lobbying, Jennifer has helped nonprofit clients pursue hundreds of state and local legislative and regulatory successes. Recognized by many as the “go-to” nonprofit lobbyist, Jennifer authored a chapter on nonprofit lobbying in A Practitioner’s Guide to Lobbying and Advocacy in California and has been named multiple times by Capitol Weekly as one of the 100 most powerful people in the California capitol community. In 2019, she was honored with a Golden Bear Legislative Award for “Public Interest Lobbyist of the Year.” She holds degrees from UC Davis and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Jennifer serves on the board of Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, a leading environmental justice organization based in the San Joaquin and Eastern Coachella Valleys.
