about the sanctuary
The Board of Directors
Jessica Martinson, MS, President
Jessica Martinson began working with chimpanzees in 1999 as a graduate student at the Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute. In 2003, Jessica volunteered as the manager of IDA-Africa’s Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon, Africa. She is currently the chair of IDA-Africa’s Advisory Board and helps coordinate their annual fundraising event. She has 8 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations. Jessica holds an MS in psychology and primate behavior from Central Washington University and an undergraduate degree from Drake University. Jessica lives in Seattle with her two dogs.
Bruce Wagman, Esq., Vice President
Bruce Wagman is a partner at the San Francisco law firm Schiff Hardin LLP. His practice focuses on animal law, with a special interest in chimpanzee issues. Bruce works tirelessly as an advocate for animals, and has won major victories for shelter dogs in Georgia; chimpanzees in Hollywood, California; and nearly 1,000 dogs in hoarding situations in North Carolina. He is also the co-editor of the Animal Law textbook used in law schools across the country. Bruce graduated from University of California - Hastings Law School, and has undergraduate degrees from Columbia and Cornell.
Erica Knauf Santos, Esq., Secretary
Erica Knauf Santos is a Seattle attorney in private practice. Along with legal experience, Erica brings three years of experience caring for non-human primates from her time at the Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Great Ape Project and the Advisory Board for IDA-Africa, and is an at-large member of the Washington State Bar Association’s Animal Law Section. Erica received her BS in primate behavior and ecology and BA in psychology from Central Washington University, and her JD from Seattle University School of Law. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Enjay, and son, Nicolas.
Holly Harris Reid has a diverse background with 20 years of combined non-profit and corporate experience. She is the Controller for Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab , Utah . She has an MBA in Accounting and a BA in Journalism. Although conservation and primate welfare are her first loves, she chose to pursue her MBA which led her into business for several years. Prior to her accounting career, Holly was the Managing Editor for a multi-authored book, Wild Mammals in Captivity. Her special interest and affinity for the Great Apes took her to work for Zoo Atlanta and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. When the opportunity to work again for a non-profit in animal welfare came along, she happily said good-bye to the corporate world and has never looked back. Holly and her husband’s furry family include two dogs and two cats.
Mary Murray, MA (Past President)
Mary Murray brings more than a decade of experience in strengthening the efforts of nonprofit organizations. As founder of MEMconsultants, Mary provides a variety of consulting and training services designed to support community-based agencies to fulfill their missions. Additionally, Mary is a passionate advocate for primate conservation, and has served as a volunteer keeper-aide, providing care for great apes at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, and Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Mary holds a BA in psychology from Haverford College and an MA in community & prevention research from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Mary lives in Seattle with her husband, Derek, and son, Nathan.
In May of 2002, Keith LaChappelle read an article in Discover magazine about the lives of chimpanzees in biomedical research and the need for sanctuaries to care for them once they were released. Keith had always cared deeply about all life on this planet, and learning about the plight of these chimpanzees was a life-changing experience for him. He wondered if he could apply his professional skills of managing major construction projects to build a sanctuary home for chimpanzees. Keith carefully researched the feasibility of starting such a project. He spoke to many people and traveled to several sanctuaries - learning everything from policies and procedures to the gauge of steel used for caging. On one of these trips, he met Billy Jo, a chimpanzee who had finally found sanctuary after a lifetime of abuse in entertainment and research. Looking into Billy's eyes transformed Keith's desire to "do something" into the realization that he had found his calling. Keith has worked diligently not only to build the physical structures for the sanctuary, but also to build a sustainable non-profit that will carry the organization into the future.
Felicia Nutter is a wildlife veterinarian and conservationist, with more than 15 years of experience with great apes. She has worked with both captive and wild chimpanzees, gorillas and other primates in the US, Africa, and Asia. Felicia has a strong commitment to protecting the health of wild primates, and providing the best possible care for those in sanctuaries and other captive settings. With her husband Chris, also a wildlife veterinarian, Felicia has worked at both Gombe National Park in Tanzania, and with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While with MGVP, she helped establish the first interim sanctuary for orphaned mountain gorillas and Grauer's gorillas in the region. Her undergraduate degree is from Yale, she went to veterinary school at Tufts, and then completed an internship, residency, and PhD at North Carolina State University. Felicia serves on CSNW's Direct Care Committee.
Cyndi LaChappelle brings to CSNW five years of experience as a senior animal keeper for great apes, including chimpanzees, at the Dallas Zoo and Forth Worth Zoo. Her responsibilities included training and supervising new keepers, as well as daily animal care, including food preparation, behavioral enrichment, and basic medical care. Cyndi currently lives in Texas with her two daughters.
Julia Gallucci first began working with apes in 2000 and has since cared for both gibbons and chimpanzees in a variety of sanctuary settings. From 2004 to 2006, Julia was a caregiver at the Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University, where she also coordinated educational programs and presented lectures to the public on chimpanzee behavior, chimpanzee cultures, and the African bushmeat trade. In addition to serving on CSNW’s Board of Directors, Julia serves on the Advisory Board for IDA-Africa, a great ape protection organization that operates a chimpanzee sanctuary in Cameroon. She has a BA in anthropology from California State University, Northridge, and an MS in primate behavior from Central Washington University. Julia’s Master’s thesis examined gestural dialects in chimpanzees.
Sue Bartlett has more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, with a focus in fine arts and social services. She has served in a variety of roles, including marketing, fundraising, exhibitions management, retail, and administration. She is currently Director of Marketing for the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Asian Art Museum, and Olympic Sculpture Park. Sue holds a BS in finance and marketing from Marquette University and is committed to community outreach and education on behalf of great apes.
Tony Smith balances a professional career with his volunteer advocacy work on behalf of chimpanzees. As the design manager of a Montreal-based aircraft modification centre, Tony directs a group of engineers engaged in a wide array of aircraft engineering projects, both in North America and overseas. Since 1997, Tony has managed communications for Canada's only chimpanzee sanctuary, the Fauna Foundation, including Fauna's listserv, which regularly disseminates information related to primate protection to hundreds of people. Tony is also the president of Fauna Sanctuary, an American nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for the Fauna Foundation and other chimpanzee sanctuaries in North America.
Zibby brings over 15 years of marketing and communication expertise to CSNW, and has worked with a wide variety of companies including Lego, General Mills, the Discovery Channel and Microsoft, as well as leading non-profits such as PAWS, Born Free USA and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Her work spans the spectrum from producing one of the first-ever online "Astronaut Chats" for kids and coordinating media for the worldwide launch of Microsoft Windows 95, to creating and producing award-winning web sites and online communities for Discovery Kids, Humongous Entertainment, Cavedog Entertainment and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Zibby is currently Director of Public Relations for Born Free USA and also owns the communications consultancy, Z.Wilder Consulting + Creative.