International Rhino Foundation Board of Directors

The IRF Board consists of 15 individuals from three continents and many major conservation organizations:

Rick Barongi - The Houston Zoo - Houston, Texas, USA - Vice President
Rick Barongi is the Director of the Houston Zoological Gardens and has served as IRF’s Vice-President since 1998.  He has been working in the zoo and wildlife conservation field for over 35 years. He has a B.S. from Cornell University and M.S. from Rutgers University.  Prior to Houston, Rick held the position of Director of Animal Programs for Walt Disney World. He played a key role in the design, construction and opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom, a one billion dollar theme park. He created the first Disney Advisory Board for the Animal Kingdom park and helped to engineer the concept and formation of Disney's Wildlife Conservation Fund. Prior to Disney, Rick held managerial positions at the San Diego Zoo and the Miami Metrozoo. He currently serves on several AZA and conservation boards, has consulted on numerous international conservation projects, and has led over 25 ecotours to Africa and Central America. 

Lee Bass, Lee M Bass Inc. - Fort Worth Texas, USA - Treasurer
Mr. Bass’ business interests include ranching, oil and gas production as well as various public and private investment vehicles.  He has been active in conservation, serving six years on the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission (six as its Chairman) and was named Chairman Emeritus in 2002.  He serves on the board of The Peregrine Fund and is active in several other conservation organizations.  His South Texas ranch is home to the most successful breeding programs for Black Rhino in North America.

Evan Blumer - The Wilds - Cumberland, Ohio, USA
Evan S Blumer, V.M.D., M.S. is the Executive Director of the Wilds, a large scale (10,000 acre), conservation, research and education center.  Evan has extensive experience with rhinos in both captive and free-ranging settings, including:   veterinary care, immobilization, transport/translocation, and many aspects of relevant scientific research.  Dr. Blumer also serves on the Steering Committee of the IUCN / Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG), the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group, and was the Chair of the AZA Rhinoceros Advisory Group (RAG) for 10 years.

Patrick Condy - Fossil Rim Wildlife Center - Glen Rose, Texas, USA
Dr. Patrick Condy, born and raised in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, is the Executive Director of Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.  Pat worked for the National Parks and Wildlife Department of Rhodesia in the early 1970s, then lived in South Africa for six years conducting research on Antarctic seals and whales before becoming the director of scientific research in the South African Antarctic Program.  From 1992 to 2000 he was director of the Johannesburg zoo. He and his family came to the USA in 2001, when he worked as Program Dean for The School for Field Studies in Beverly, Massachusetts, associated with Boston University. Dr. Condy helped found and served many years on the board of the Pan African Zoo and Aquarium Association (PAAZAB), and served as scientific advisor on the South African delegation to the Antarctic Treaty system, and as national representative on the International Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Dr. Condy has authored many scientific publications and co-authored a number of books on the ecology and conservation of the Antarctic.

Don Farst  – Gladys Porter Zoo - Brownsville, Texas, USA
Don Farst, DVM, is the retired Director of the Gladys Porter Zoo which specializes in endangered species including rhino.  Don is the former Species Coordinator in North America for the SSP program for the Black Rhino and is a Vice-Chair of the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group (Rhino TAG).

Michael Fouraker - Fort Worth Zoo - Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Michael Fouraker is the Executive Director of the Fort Worth Zoo, which manages three species of rhino:  black, white, and Indian.  He is member of the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group (Rhino TAG).

Peter Hall – Hunter Hall Investment Management – London, United Kingdom
Peter Hall is the executive chairman of Hunter Hall Investment Management, Australia’s largest ethical investment fund manager with A$2.8 billion under management. Hunter Hall has donated over A$4 million to charities since listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2001. Peter is also a Trustee of ABC Trust, a charity working to assist underprivileged children in Brazil and Patron of the Asian Rhino Project.

Matthew Hohne - Disney's Animal Kingdom, Orlando, FL, USA
Matthew Hohne is the Animal Operations Director at Disney's Animal Kingdom and joined the IRF Board of Directors in November 2009. 

Diane Ledder – Houston, Texas, USA
Currently retired, Diane Ledder most recently served as Director, Community Relations, for Walt Disney World Co., leading the company’s charitable giving and community relations strategy.  She previously was the Manager of Public Affairs, where she coordinated business communications, issues management and crisis communications for Walt Disney World Co. as well as serving as a spokesperson for the company with local, national and international media.  Prior to Disney, she also held positions are Curator of Zoology at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, employee training and development specialist at the San Diego Zoo and associate director of education for the Zoological Society of Florida at the Miami Metrozoo.  Diane holds bachelors and Master of Science degrees from the University of Miami.  She has served in adjunct faculty positions at the University of Miami, Florida International University and Palomar College.  She holds a lifetime instructor credential in the California Community College system and has acted as a consultant for zoos in the United States, Central and South America.

John Lukas - White Oak Conservation Center - Yulee, Florida, USA - President 
John Lukas is an internationally recognized conservationist.  He is the General Director of White Oak Plantation and White Oak Conservation Center (WOCC), a 300 hectare private facility in Florida for propagation and research on endangered species, including rhinos, okapi, cheetah and many other rare species.  As President of Gilman International Conservation Foundation, he is involved with in situ conservation around the world, most notably the Okapi Breeding and Research Center and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Ituri Forest in the DRC, and the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and in situ programs in Indonesia.  John also serves on the board of the Wildlife Conservation Network and the advisory boards of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Cheetah Conservation Fund.

Olivier Pagan - Zoo Basel, Basel, SWITZERLAND
Olivier Pagan, DVM, is the Executive Director of Zoo Basel and joined the IRF Board of Directors in November 2009.

Randy Rieches, San Diego Wild Animal Park, San Diego, California, USA
Randy Rieches is the Curator of Mammals at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, where he has worked for almost 30 years.  Randy is the Vice-Chair of the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group, is the Species Coordinator for the AZA Indian Rhino SSP (Species Survival Plan), and a member of the IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group.  

Terri Roth, Ph.D. - Cincinnati Zoological Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Terri Roth. is the Vice President of Animal Sciences at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which maintains three species of rhino:  black, Indian and Sumatran.   She is an eminent reproductive biologist who has led the major breakthrough in the science of successfully reproducing the Sumatran rhino in captivity.  Terri is also the Research Coordinator for the AZA Rhinoceros Taxon Advisory Group.

Bill Warren - Reedy Creek Improvement District, Lake Buena Vista, Florida USA
Bill Warren is Deputy District Administrator for the Reedy Creek Improvement District in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.   He was previously President of Public Affairs for the Walt Disney World Resort and was responsible for developing and executing internal and external communications strategies for the Disney's Animal Kingdom.  Bill helped the company build relationships with international animal and conservation organizations and facilitated more than $10 million in total giving through the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund. In 2003, he was named Florida's Public  Relations Professional of the Year by the Florida Public Relations Association.