Board of Directors
Bob Fischer
Bob Fischer teaches philosophy at Texas State University, where he regularly offers courses on animal and food ethics. Most of his research is on dietary and consumer ethics in relation to animals. In particular, his work explores the difficulty of determining our obligations after we factor in harms to oft-ignored beings: insects, the animals killed in plant agriculture, and so on. He’s also interested in issues at the intersection of moral psychology and animal ethics, such as the significance of disgust for animal advocacy, as well as more traditional puzzles about moral status. He’s published many essays on animals, he co-edited The Moral Complexities of Eating Meat (Oxford University Press, 2015) with Ben Bramble, he’s the sole editor of The Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics (Routledge, forthcoming), and he’s the author of Animal Ethics — A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge, forthcoming).
Ichu Godwill
Ichu Godwill is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture of Mississippi State University. He is working on ecological monitoring methods for three species of pangolins in Central Africa. Prior to joining MSU, Ichu was part of a capacity building program called the MENTOR-POP (Progress on Pangolins) Fellowship Program, organized by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. During this time, Ichu conducted pangolin ecological and socioeconomic research across protected areas in Cameroon. At the end, he co-founded a network of pangolin conservationists (Pangolin Conservation Network) in which he continued pangolin research and conservation education across protected areas in Cameroon. Ichu also worked with the Central Africa Bushmeat Action Group (CABAG), a network of partners working to address the threat of the commercial bushmeat trade on Central Africa’s wildlife. He is passionate about pangolins and their conservation and is a member of the IUCN SSC Pangolins Specialists Group.
Patricia Heid
Patricia is currently a graduate student in Nutrition at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. After becoming a registered dietician, she plans to specialize in educating and counseling clients about plant-based eating. Patricia also holds a PhD in Hispanic Languages in Literatures from the University of California-Berkeley. Fluent in Spanish, she intends to help remedy and prevent obesity and diabetes in the Hispanic community. Patricia, her husband, and her seventeen-year old daughter have been following a vegan diet for over 12 years, for reasons of health, ethics, and sustainability. During this time, Patricia has studied and trained in Buddhist mindfulness practices, and she embraces the guiding principle of “loving-kindness toward all sentient beings.” While raising her daughter full-time, Patricia developed her skills in vegan cooking and baking. By sharing her expertise and her delicious food with friends, she hopes to attract them to following a plant-based diet (at least more of the time), and possibly committing to this more ethical lifestyle. Patricia’s love of animals has deepened and intensified in a personal way since her family adopted their cat, Wesley, who is a gentle companion and friend throughout each day.
Hin Hoarau-Heemstra
Hindertje (Hin) Hoarau-Heemstra is a Dutch animal lover and academic who lives in Northern Norway since 2009. She works as associate professor at the Nord University Business School in Bodø, Norway. Hin studied international development studies (MSc) and social and political studies of the environment (Bsc) and worked as a consultant on sustainability issues in the Netherlands. From 2010 until 2015 she did her PhD studies on innovation in Nordic whale-watching. Experiencing the majestic nature and the gentle giants of the North Atlantic, and writing about the relations between humans and marine mammals in these pristine environments, made her even more aware, concerned, amazed and interested in Homo sapiens amongst other animals. Hin´s interests in marine environments have also led to many diving holidays in tropical waters in order to experience and contribute to responsible and ecological tourism in developing countries. However, her personal and professional interests are not limited to marine species; Hin studied ethical issues of reindeer tourism and is interested in other forms of animal-human contact in tourism destinations like horse riding and dog-sledding. Hin makes sure she has a daily dose of animal cuddling with her dog Mika or the Icelandic horses she rides in her spare time. One of her ambitions is to share knowledge, amazement and respect for animals in her teaching at university and upbringing of her two daughters. Hin´s goal is to understand the relations between animals, tourists and businesses in tourism destinations and to use this knowledge for the improvement of the living conditions of animals in tourism contexts.
Hannah Phillips
Hannah Phillips earned her Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management from Appalachian State University and currently works as an Event Manager. As a co-creator and an alumna of Fanimal’s Learn, Earn, and Return Program, Hannah greatly values Fanimal’s continued commitment to educating animal lovers and the general population alike for the betterment of animal lives. She strives to incorporate her interests in sustainability and animal welfare into the Event and Tourism industry. Hannah continues to stay active in her efforts to create a better life for animals through volunteering at a local animal shelter and research. She believes positive change can be made through diligent action, education, and self-reflection.
Jafet Quintero Venegas
Jafet Quintero Venegas is a postdoctoral fellowship at the Bioethics University Programme at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) researching about”Tourism and animal abuse”. At the same time, he is a professor of “Animal Geographies” and “Geography and Ethics” in the Geography undergraduate programme at the same university. His research interests are: animals and space; tourism and animals; animal territories; veganism and society and tourism and society. He has been the co-organiser of the academic seminar for postgraduate students “Nature and post-darwinian ethics” at the Geography Institute (UNAM). Jafet is the author of five academic papers and five academic book chapters and has participated in more than forty academic conferences worldwide.
