Beth is a passionate advocate for policies and practices that promote well-being for people, animals, and the planet. With more than 25 years of experience in conservation, animal welfare, and community development, she knows that our well-being depends on how we rebuild a post-COVID world with all beings in mind. Her mission is to help people recognize, value, champion, and act to protect the well-being and interconnection of all beings and the planet.

Before founding OneNature, Beth was the US Director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.  She led a team of conservation and animal welfare experts, and conceptualized, established and led IFAW’s work integrating animals and human well-being to create system change. Starting in 2014 Beth began to research, publish reports and papers, and develop partnerships on the topic of wildlife and well-being, presenting her findings at international summits such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Conference of the Parties in Cancun and Egypt and policy venues like the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.  She has held briefings for Congressional and UN audiences, and authored published, peer-reviewed articles on the topic that have been quoted in the media.

Beth is proud to serve on several advisory boards including the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) and Gross National Happiness – USA. She is a member of the Conservation Solutions Lab. Beth represents OneNature in relevant coalitions and consortia like the Animal Net International Policy Forum and the Well-being Economy Alliance.  Beth is also a member of several groups, including the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commissions, the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP.), the Commission on Ecosystem Management Commission, and the World Commission on Protected Areas.

Earlier in her career, Beth was the Senior Policy Advisor for International Government Relations at The Nature Conservancy. Prior to that she was the Congressional Liaison and the Government Aid Agency Liaison at the World Wildlife Fund. Beth has also worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Caribbean and Latin America Bureau, Peace Corps Headquarters, and The National Wildlife Federation.

Beth holds a Master’s of Science degree in Business from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs (with minors in Economics and Italian) from James Madison University. She is married to Andrew Brown, a talented musician/luthier/house restorer.  They have a tween daughter, Katie, who is a creative and inventive middle-schooler, and share their home in Maryland with two cats.

Taylor Mann is a Research Fellow at OneNature. She has always had a strong passion to protect animals and their natural environments. Throughout college, she interned with a variety of animal welfare organizations, where she focused on research related to genuine progress indicators, wildlife trafficking, predator poisons, exotic cats in captivity, and the link between animal and human violence. In her current role, she analyzes research related to the well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. She is currently pursuing her J.D. at William & Mary Law. She holds B.A. from Boston University, where she majored in philosophy and minored in public health.

Heather Haines is currently the Global Event Manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), overseeing the organization’s convenings, ranging from webinars to fundraising galas. Previously, she served as Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships with the END Fund, which is focused on fighting neglected tropical diseases. As part of her role in managing the “adventure fundraisers,” Heather successfully climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and less successfully “ran” the Victoria Falls Marathon. At Meridian International Center, Heather worked closely with the diplomatic community and US Government in her role as Vice President of Public Programs. Prior to that, she ran over 100 events annually at D.C.-based think tank, Center for Global Development. Other positions in the literary and cinematic realms included stints organizing author events at the downtown D.C. Barnes & Noble and reading scripts for Miramax Films in New York City. Heather has a Bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma University, a Masters in Literature from the University of North Texas, and completed coursework for a PhD in English Literature from the University of Oklahoma. She is a stalwart volunteer at the Humane Rescue Alliance and a Board member of Pigs & Pugs Project, which shares micro-grants to pig sanctuaries and pug rescues. Heather has three dogs, including Dakota, a street pup from Tanzania who is faster in her wheels than her whippet siblings. 

Anna Rathmann leads the Great Plains Foundation as its inaugural Director. As the charitable arm of Great Plains Conservation, the Foundation identifies and implements sustainable wildlife, land, and community conservation initiatives throughout Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. Ms. Rathmann began her career in conservation as a Park Ranger in Yellowstone National Park and later spent more than a decade with the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. Ms. Rathmann is currently an MBA candidate at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, bridging the business world with the conservation industry. Through all her work, Ms. Rathmann leverages her deep understanding of the philanthropic landscape with an ability to conceptualize and facilitate complex funding strategies and partnerships that preserve and protect some of the most fragile and threatened ecosystems in the world. OneNature’s mission builds upon critical aspects of conservation that Ms. Rathmann is honored to support.

Shawn Sweeney is Associate Vice President of Communications at Jane Goodall Institute.  He is committed to mission-driven communications and marketing to advance wildlife conservation and humane education. His specialties include strategic communications planning, integrated marketing, brand management, storytelling, development and community engagement with partners, media and corporations. At Jane Goodall Institute he works to create connections among the organizations staff, constituents, supporters and the wider world. Shawn has a Masters of Education in Humane Education.

Kate Wall is the Senior Legislative Manager with the US Office of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), representing wildlife and habitat conservation, wildlife trafficking, and appropriations priorities before the federal legislature. Before joining IFAW, Kate was a senior lobbyist with The Humane Society of the United States where she managed a large and diverse policy portfolio focused on wildlife protection, animal testing, and agriculture. Kate received a B.S. in biology with a concentration in fine art from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA, and a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC. She is a past member of the League of Conservation Voters Scorecard Advisory Committee and a member of Women in Government Relations. Kate and her husband Ben live in Mount Rainier, MD with their rescue cats.