SSC Chair's Office

The main priority of the Chair and the SSC office is to provide support and leadership to the extensive global network to help stimulate conservation action on the ground. Any requests for additional groups to become established, together with the appointment of the Chairs of the Specialist Groups, must be endorsed by the SSC Chair in consultation with the SSC Steering Committee.

Other responsibilities of the SSC Chair’s office include working with governments to address particular urgent species conservation issues, providing input to regional and national consultations and policy initiatives, consolidating and strengthening the SSC’s partnerships with other organizations, building collaboration with other Programmes and Commissions of IUCN, and fundraising for all SSC species related work. The SSC Chair’s Office works closely with the Global Species Programme in the IUCN Secretariat to support the SSC network, and to push forward the species conservation agenda within IUCN.

Contact

SSC Chair's Office
For inqueries about our work please email us to ssc@iucn.org

 

See here the SSC Chairs' Office organizational chart.

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Prof Jon Paul RODRIGUEZ

Chair

Jon Paul Rodríguez has been working for the conservation of Venezuelan species and ecosystems since he was a biology undergraduate at Universidad Central of Venezuela (UCV) in the late ...

Chair

Jon Paul Rodríguez has been working for the conservation of Venezuelan species and ecosystems since he was a biology undergraduate at Universidad Central of Venezuela (UCV) in the late eighties. With other students he co-founded Provita in 1987, an NGO that has championed numerous evidence-based projects, including several editions of the Red Book of the Venezuelan Fauna and of the Red Book of Terrestrial Ecosystems of Venezuela. After graduating from UCV in 1991, he went to Princeton University for a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology (1999), and a Certificate on science, technology and environmental policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (2000). He currently Chairs the IUCN Species Survival Commission, is Professor at the Center for Ecology of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigations (Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas ― IVIC), and continues to be active in Provita as the organization’s President. He defines himself as a biologist that is interested in generating information useful for informing conservation policies, without being a politician. Jon Paul is author in more than 230 publications, including books, chapters, and peer-reviewed articles in major international scientific journals.

Dr Rima JABADO

Deputy Chair

Dr Rima Jabado is the Deputy Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and Chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. As a scientist and conservationist, she has spent ...

Deputy Chair

Dr Rima Jabado is the Deputy Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and Chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. As a scientist and conservationist, she has spent over 20 years developing and working on conservation initiatives globally. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between science and policy to ensure issues such as bycatch, threatened species conservation, and illegal trade are tackled. Her research has been instrumental in influencing decision makers to implement meaningful measures for the protection of species across a range of fisheries. She is now leading the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project to ensure sharks, rays, and chimaeras are considered in area-based management initiatives around the world. She is a member of the IUCN Marine Conservation Committee, serves as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Appointed Scientific Councilor for Fish, and sits on the Advisory Committee for the CMS Sharks Memorandum of Understanding as the representative of the Asia region. She has also founded the Elasmo Project, a non-profit initiative that encourages and supports work in data-poor areas focused on investigating shark and ray fisheries and trade.

Kira Mileham

Kira Mileham

Director of Strategic Partnerships. Dr Kira Mileham is a science communicator with a focus on collaborative partnerships, human behaviour change and species conservation. Kira specialises in working ...

Director of Strategic Partnerships. Dr Kira Mileham is a science communicator with a focus on collaborative partnerships, human behaviour change and species conservation. Kira specialises in working with diverse global communities to identify shared visions, develop systems and unite action towards a more positive future for wildlife, wild places and people. As the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC), Kira is globally responsible for strengthening collaborative species conservation efforts of IUCN SSC’s extensive network of 10,000+ scientific experts by connecting them with NGOs, Corporate partners and Government Agencies. Kira holds degrees in Conservation Ecology, Public Relations and a PhD in human behaviour change and impact evaluation from the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Nahomy

Nahomy De Andrade

Executive Director SSC Office Caracas. Nahomy is an economist from Universidad Central de Venezuela with a Master’s degree in public management from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración ...

Executive Director SSC Office Caracas. Nahomy is an economist from Universidad Central de Venezuela with a Master’s degree in public management from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, and additional courses in leadership and coaching. She has a leading role in managing the activities of the Chair’s Office in Caracas. In that sense, Nahomy supports, guides and facilitates the activities of the SSC staff.

Egard Yerena, SSC Network Coordinator

Edgard Yerena

Network Coordinator. Venezuelan. Biologist and Lawyer. Worked for the Venezuelan National Parks Service and the Environment Committee of the Venezuelan Congress. Designed several designated National ...

Network Coordinator. Venezuelan. Biologist and Lawyer. Worked for the Venezuelan National Parks Service and the Environment Committee of the Venezuelan Congress. Designed several designated National Parks and lead several approved management plans. Pioneered the implementation of connectivity corridors and criteria between Protected Areas. Promoter of alternative non-govt PAs.

Jafet Nassar

Jafet Nassar

Species Report Coordinator. Jafet M. Nassar is a Professor Associate Researcher at the Center for Ecology of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigations. At present, he is the General ...

Species Report Coordinator. Jafet M. Nassar is a Professor Associate Researcher at the Center for Ecology of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigations. At present, he is the General Coordinator (2016- 2019) of the Latin American and Caribbean Bat Conservation Network.

Levi Mendoza - Monitoring and evaluation Coordinator

Levi Mendoza

Monitoring and evaluation Coordinator. Levi Mendoza holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, a master’s degree in public management from ...

Monitoring and evaluation Coordinator. Levi Mendoza holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Universidad Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, a master’s degree in public management from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, and additional courses in data visualization tools.

Lila García

Lila García

Species Report Officer. Lila is a biologist from Universidad Central de Venezuela, specialized in shark ecology and nature conservation. She has been involved with the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem ...

Species Report Officer. Lila is a biologist from Universidad Central de Venezuela, specialized in shark ecology and nature conservation. She has been involved with the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) as a member of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Thematic Group. As the Species Report Officer, Lila will manage and support the preparation and publication process of the stand-alone reports of all the SSC Groups.

Mayerlin Ramos

Mayerlin Ramos

Partnerships and Grants Coordinator. Mayerlin is a lawyer who graduated from Universidad Metropolitana with a Master’s degree in public management from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de ...

Partnerships and Grants Coordinator. Mayerlin is a lawyer who graduated from Universidad Metropolitana with a Master’s degree in public management from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración and additional courses in leadership and social projects development.

Aritzaith Rodriguez, Communication Officer

Aritzaith Lambright

Communication Coordinator. Aritzaith is a journalist graduated from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello with a postgraduate study on Corporative Communication from Universidad Monteávila, Venezuela, and ...

Communication Coordinator. Aritzaith is a journalist graduated from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello with a postgraduate study on Corporative Communication from Universidad Monteávila, Venezuela, and additional courses in Marketing. Her experience encompasses communications and journalism, social media management, content creation in Spanish and English, and strategy design for different audiences. She has skills for team leadership, time management, networking, event organization and alliance development. As the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Communication Coordinator, she is in charge of developing and implementing communications strategies and products for SSC, in close collaboration with IUCN's Global Communications Unit.

Milangela

Milangela Dell’Aquila

Administrative Officer. Bachelor's Degree in Statistical Sciences from Universidad Central de Venezuela, with Master's degree in Business Administration from Universidad Católica Andres Bello, and ...

Administrative Officer. Bachelor's Degree in Statistical Sciences from Universidad Central de Venezuela, with Master's degree in Business Administration from Universidad Católica Andres Bello, and additional courses in Economics and Business Marketing.

Simeon

Simeon Bezeng

Regional Red List Programme Officer. Based in BirdLife South Africa; his position is National Red List Programme Officer. Simeon will be promoting National Red Lists and KBAs in African countries, as ...

Regional Red List Programme Officer. Based in BirdLife South Africa; his position is National Red List Programme Officer. Simeon will be promoting National Red Lists and KBAs in African countries, as well as providing key support to the Red List Committee and the National Red List Working Group Alliance.

 

Anwar

Anwar Purwoto

Sumatran Rhino Coordinator. Anwar is a Forestry Engineer in Forest Management from Bogor Agriculture University, with a Master of Science in Environmental Management from Griffith University. The ...

Sumatran Rhino Coordinator. Anwar is a Forestry Engineer in Forest Management from Bogor Agriculture University, with a Master of Science in Environmental Management from Griffith University. The Sumatran Rhino Coordinator is SSC's representative in Indonesia regarding the Sumatran Rhino Recovery Project.

Jeff

Jeff Holland

Sumatran Rhino Senior Advisor for Training, Husbandry and Capture. Jeff is a Zoologist working as a Zoo & Wildlife Consultant, with an undergraduate degree in zoology from the California State ...

Sumatran Rhino Senior Advisor for Training, Husbandry and Capture. Jeff is a Zoologist working as a Zoo & Wildlife Consultant, with an undergraduate degree in zoology from the California State University of Pomona. He has over 30 years of extensive experience working with the captive management of wildlife both in zoological facilities & in the field.