Lisel Alamilla has been the Executive Director of Ya'axché since the organization was formed in October 2008. She was previously program director of Fauna & Flora International country program in Belize.

With more than fifteen years of experience with some of Belize's most important conservation, development and tourism organizations, Lisel has worked as an educator, consultant, project manager and director. She has extensive experience working in southern Belize, alongside other local NGO partners and community organizations, and in collaboration with government and other national level institutions.

Committed to the principle of community participation and consultation, she values the importance of traditional knowledge and cultural values. Lisel participates in numerous advocacy campaigns that promote the inclusion of community leaders in decision-making, especially in regards to issues that will have negative impacts on the ecological integrity of natural areas and undue economic hardship.

Bartholomew Teul was a founding member of Ya’axché in 1998 and has been with the organization ever since. Having been the point person of Ya’axché as programme coordinator for the last nine years, he is now programme manager for the advocacy and community outreach and livelihoods programs. His keen interest is in community well being, linking conservation to development and empowering local community leaders. He is also a strong advocate for indigenous peoples’ rights over lands and resources.

Ansel is working with Ya’axché until August 2010.

As Protected Areas Manager, Lee Mcloughlin oversees the two protected areas Ya’axché manages: the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve and the Bladen Nature Reserve.

With a MSc in Protected Area Management and a BSc in Marine Biology, Lee benefits from experience with both terrestrial and marine protected areas. Extensive experience gained from conservation initiatives in Australia, Central America and the UK have helped Lee to stregthen management of Ya’axché's protected areas to assist the organisation in building a sustainable future for southern Belize. Lee is also responsible for the management internationally funded projects.

Rachael Carrie is a chartered environmentalist with more than ten years experience working as an aquatic ecologist for the private and public sectors in temperate and tropical environments. Specialist knowledge developed in monitoring programme design and management is being applied to measure the condition of rivers within the Maya Mountain Marine Corridor and reduce sedimentary and poor water quality run-off from the wider landscape.

Ginny Fuhs is an experienced educator with an M.A.T. in Science Education. More recently, Ginny earned an MS in Biology, with an emphasis in marine mammalogy. Her international research experience includes working for Oceanic Society as the field coordinator/field biologist in Belize and research assistant in Suriname.

Julio has been developing and implementing educational activities with Ya’axché since 2003. Among his responsibilities, he coordinates community meetings and open forums, our summer camp, reforestation efforts, school presentation, field trips and cleanup campaigns. He is currently earning his associates degree in natural resource management, and is also a licenced tour guide and special constable.

Kenny was previously the community outreach officer with Plenty-Belize and Sustainable Harvest International. He has coordinated gardening programs and provided training in cacao farm management, and in the construction of various environmentally-conscious technologies for use in the field. He is currently earning his associates degree in natural resource management.

Aretha has more than 15 years of experience working as an accountant and overseeing financial management of projects. She has worked for Belize Ministry of Natural Resources as well as for Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM).

Ivanny maintains Ya'axché's project finance system. She has an associates degree in Accounting and Economics from Corozal Junior College and two bachelor’s degrees, the first in Accounting and the second in Business Management/Administration, both from the University of the Ozarks, USA.

Coming soon...

Before joining Ya'axché in May, Chris spent six months volunteering with Ya'axché's partner organization, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), working on various protected area, biodiversity and freshwater projects. He brings research and field experience from the UK where he has worked as a land-use surveyor and a volunteer ecologist. Chris has an MSc in International Rural Development and a BSc in Geography. While at Ya'axché, he will be leading the development of our multi-disciplinary Research, Inventory and Monitoring Strategy for the Maya Golden Landscape.

Gareth is originally from Coventry, in the UK. He is an award winning communications journalist, web editor and occasional photographer. In his career he has worked with third sector organisations, membership bodies and blue chip corporations. For the past year he has been studying an MSc in Environmental Management, at Coventry University, and he plans to combine his new found knowledge in environmental best practice with his journalistic skills at Ya'axché. Outside of work he enjoys reading, swimming and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek.

Hilary Lohmann is a recent graduate of Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Originally from New Jersey, she has her undergraduate degree in both animal behavior and Spanish. She recently spent six months studying tropical ecology in Ecuador, and plans to go back to school for a master's degree in coastal and marine management. Hilary is in charge of researching potential funders and drafting grant proposals for Ya’axché.

She likes elephants, travel, and peanut M&Ms.