Who We Are

Wildlife Research Alliance, Inc. was founded in 2022 by Executive Director Amber Lea Kincaid. Amber Lea saw a need for equity in the conservation research field and decided to do something about it. After working in marine animal stranding response for five years, she was ready to get back into the behavior field, so she married her loves of conservation behavior and mentorship to create an organization that would fight for newcomers to the field who are not traditionally represented. We aim to level the playing field by offering paid internships to those who would not otherwise be able to enter the field because of financial needs. With diversity comes better science and discovery. It is our hope that this change takes hold and every aspiring scientist has someone to look up to with a shared identity.

Meet our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors is comprised of individuals who bring a wide range of skills and experiences to the Wildlife Research Alliance with the common goal of a more equitable world.

Amber Lea Kincaid

Executive Director

Amber Lea has an MA in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College in New York, NY, which she put to use in a five-year marine animal stranding career before creating the Wildlife Research Alliance. She is committed to justice, equity, and representation in all spaces, especially in STEM fields. Her dream in life is to harness the excitement we feel for science as small children and use that to save the world.

Elizabeth McLaughlin

Secretary

Liz brings almost a decade of experience as a project and operations manager in marketing, driving success across a spectrum of clients, including B2B, B2C, and non-profit organizations. Holding a BFA from Manhattanville College affords her ability to combine creative intuition with strategic prowess to deliver innovative marketing solutions. Originally from New England, Liz is dedicated to forging impactful connections and achieving excellence for the WRA’s digital marketing campaigns

Jouvay Pantophlet

Board Member

Jouvay has an MA in Animal Behavior and Conservation with a thesis focused on innovative solutions to Naked Mole-rat husbandry and improved welfare in captive settings. They have 10+ years of experience in animal care and 5+ years of conservation field experience for local NYC species.

They also help facilitate the American Association of Laboratory Animal Enrichment's Virtual Journal Club and have a long history of organizing and participating in events that advocate for Queer, and especially trans, rights.

Kerry Sánchez

Board Member

Kerry has a BS in Biology from the University of South Florida, and she has 12 years of conservation education and stranding response experience. Kerry has served as a mentor to countless interns, advocating for experiential education in conservation and integrative biology. A Florida native, Kerry specializes in manatee and cetacean stranding response, including rescue, rehabilitation, and necropsy.

Diversity Statement

The Wildlife Research Alliance was founded to address the need for equity and access in the conservation behavior field. We know that scientific discovery is better and faster with a diverse array of contributing minds, so we believe everyone should have a seat at the table, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, or ethnicity.