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ABOUT AAC > OUR TEAM

MEET OUR TEAM

Lauren is the co-founder of Animal Advocacy Careers. 

 

In her spare time, she also mentors people at Magnify Mentoring and previously in the FAST community. She is a strategic advisor to Tälist, the AVA summit & EACN.

 

Prior to AAC she worked as a consultant at a global data intelligence organisation and volunteered for the good food institute and the humane league. She is also a qualified yoga instructor and proud doggy parent to a rescue dog from Romania.

Lauren Mee

(she/her)

CEO & Co-founder, Treasurer

Aneeha Patwardhan

Aneeha is an operations and management consultant with a background in engineering, business consulting, and programme leadership.

 

She helps mission-aligned organisations become more effective by building and streamlining their back-offices. Aneeha also consults for and oversees global operations at several leading nonprofits. She is passionate about ending animal suffering and has over a decade of experience with animal protection in India.

Aneeha Patwardhan

(she/her)

Senior Director of Operations

Engin Arıkan

Engin is a co-founder at Kafessiz Türkiye (cage-free Turkey) and is involved in animal advocacy since 2014 after he finished his master's thesis on animal rights.

 

He has a Ph.D. in public law and is an assistant professor in the philosophy and sociology of law department at Turkish-German University in Istanbul.

Engin Arıkan

(he/him)

Researcher & M&E Manager

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Ana has a marketing management bachelor and over 6 years of experience in start-ups, NGOs and digital marketing agencies.

Ana loves using ethical marketing to drive positive change. As a T-shaper marketer, she has experience in channels like email marketing, digital advertising and SEO. On her spare time, she also volunteers to manage the Google Ad Grant of other animal charities.

Ana Barreiro

(she/her)

Senior Marketing Manager

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Executive Director, Clement Isong Foundation and Strategene Limited

Board Member, Reformers of Africa

State Lead, West Africa Network on Peace Building

Author and Management Consultant

 

Elkanah Oluyori brings over a decade of expertise in social impact and sustainable development, with a proven track record in diverse sectors.

He finds joy in fundraising for Global South Development and expressing ideas through writing and inspirational speaking, coaching and mentoring.

Elkanah Oluyori

(he/him)

Programme Associate

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Patrycja has 5+ years of experience working with start-ups, businesses, and non-profits.

 

She is a driven and proactive strategist who specialises in course development, community management, and live session facilitation.

 

Patrycja's alma mater, the innovative Minerva University, deeply inspired her to create engaging learning experiences. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with animals, mentoring youth, and ice bathing.

Patrycja Wierzchałek

(she/her)

 Learning & Community Manager

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Nayan is based in Gurgaon, India. She's interested in content creation, activism and other projects. With 4 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she's committed to driving positive change.

 

Nayan enjoys binging on vegan delicacies and experimenting with Korean food, spending time with her adopted dog Chaanu, and unwinding with Kdramas, creative stuff or nature walks. She holds a bachelor's in History and a Master's in Animal Protection Laws.

Nayan Agarwal

(she/her)

Marketing Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Taylor Ford

(he/him)

Board Chair / President

Taylor Ford is a nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience advocating for food system reform and animal protection.

 

He has led efforts to convince some of the country’s largest food companies, such as Starbucks, Kroger, Aramark, and General Mills, to improve animal welfare in their supply chains. He brings expertise in developing new programs, culture change, and managing a large team. 

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Sanjay has been a trustee of several charities, including Peace Brigades International UK, MOSAC, and Crew 2000.

 

He has also provided consulting support relating to financial management and strategy for several NGOs globally. He has worked in finance and strategy consulting, and currently has interests in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors in finance.

Sanjay Joshi

(he/him)

Vice president and secondary finance official

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David has been the community director for EA London since 2017, having previously worked in operations since 2010.

 

He has given over 100 one on one career advising sessions. He co-founded the Effective Animal Advocacy London group in 2016 and has mentored people in a variety of EA and Animal advocacy organisations.

David Nash

(he/him)

Secretary

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Karolina Skowron-Baka

(she/her)

Board Member

Karolina is the Executive Director and President of the Board of Akcja Demokracja, Poland’s biggest multi-issue, progressive campaigning organisation.

 

Previously she was the Country Director of the Polish branch of the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, working for farmed animal rights. She is an expert and speaker on the connections between animal rights and women’s rights and has been bringing the two movements together in numerous initiatives. Her book on this issue will be out in Polish in the upcoming months.

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Alexandria is the Director of Marketing and Co-Owner of Meta Burger, a vegan restaurant chain in Colorado.

 

For more than five years, she managed the Open Wing Alliance coalition and department at The Humane League, with a focus on institutional farmed animal welfare reform. She specialises in leadership and management, grantmaking, international collaborations, project and event planning, and photography

Alexandria Beck

(she/her)

Board Member

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Elly is a Co-founder and Director of Animal Alliance Asia, building an animal justice movement that’s more inclusive, effective and sustainable in Asia by supporting initiatives and cultivating leadership across Asia.

 

Prior to founding AAA, Elly worked for 10 years in filmmaking and media, and applied this experience to become one of the first Japanese language educational content providers for vegan advocates in Japan.

Elly Nakajima

(she/her)

Board Member

ADVISORY BOARD

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Nicole Rawling

(she/her)

Board Member

Nicole is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at the Material Innovation Initiative. Nicole has a BS in international politics from Georgetown and a law degree from Northwestern.

 

She has been in the animal protection movement for decades, working at the Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and the Good Food Institute. She is also a mentor through Wanbam.

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Pia is co-founder and board member of CellAg Germany, an association to accelerate cellular agriculture in the Germany. She also co-founded and managed an EA local group for two years. She holds degrees in organisational psychology and general management.

 

As a consultant and project manager she has been providing solutions for clients from different industries. Her areas of expertise include recruitment, personnel selection and development, employer branding, and organisational development. 

Pia Voltz

(she/her)

Board Member

Edie is CEO and co-founder of the UK's first animal protection law firm, Advocates for Animals.

 

She is a solicitor specialising in animal protection law and has advised many animal protection organisations and individuals on a wide range of issues, from farming and wildlife through to animal experiments and entertainment. She is also a trustee of The Humane League. She often speaks on animal protection issues and has done so in the UK Parliament, the French Senate, and the East African Legislative Assembly.

Edie Bowles

(she/her)

Board Member

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Meghan is Partner and Director of The Greenbaum Foundation.

 

In her role she focuses primarily on domestic and global projects to end factory farming and promote plant-based lifestyles.

 

Meghan is passionate about relational literacy, supporting movement building and making people laugh.

Meghan O'Brien Lowery

(she/her)

Board Member

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Laila is a co-founder and Mission Lead of Animal Think Tank, co-founder of the Veterinary Vegan Network and Ethical Globe, and co-editor of the book Rethinking Food and Agriculture: New Ways Forward.

 

Laila has a PhD in development economics and has worked in the international development sector since 2003.

Laila Kassam

(she/her)

Board Member

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Brenton Mayer

(he/him)

Board Member

Brenton is Head of Internal Systems at 80,000 Hours, an organisation which aims to solve the most pressing skill bottlenecks in the world’s most pressing problems.

 

Previously, Brenton practiced clinical medicine and co-founded the Run to Better Days and Effective Altruism Australia, nonprofits promoting effective development aid.

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Joey is co-founder and director of strategy of Charity Entrepreneurship. Before that, he also co-founded Charity Science, a meta-organization that increased the amount of counterfactual funding going to high-impact charities.

 

Subsequently, he co-founded Charity Science Health, a nonprofit that increases vaccination rates in India using mobile phones and behavioral nudges. He has given lectures on various aspects of charity entrepreneurship and Effective Altruism.

Joey Savoie

(he/him)

Board Member

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Animal Advocacy Careers (AAC) is an organisation that seeks to address the career and talent bottlenecks in the animal advocacy movement, especially the farmed animal movement. Animal Advocacy Careers, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation (EIN: 86-1554905). Contributions to Animal Advocacy Careers, Inc. are tax-deductible in the United States.

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