Building a Future Where People and Mountain Lions Coexist.

Staff

Ellen C. O'Connell, Executive Director

Executive Director
New York City and Utah info@mountainlion.org

Ellen C. O’Connell is the Executive Director of the Mountain Lion Foundation. A lifelong advocate for wildlife and conservation, Ellen brings more than three decades of nonprofit leadership experience spanning program management, governance, operations, fundraising, and advocacy across six continents.

She has served as CEO of Farm Sanctuary, Executive Director of Tusk USA, and Global Vice President of the International Rescue Committee, leading teams in over 90 countries. Through her consulting firm, Sankhara Consulting, Ellen has guided conservation and social-impact organizations worldwide, helping them raise more than $75 million and build lasting financial and strategic strength.

Appointed Executive Director, November 1, 2025

Byron Weckworth, Chief Conservation & Advocacy Officer

Chief Conservation & Advocacy Officer
Montana info@mountainlion.org

Byron Weckworth is the Chief Conservation & Advocacy Officer of the Mountain Lion Foundation. A conservation biologist and leader with more than two decades of experience in wildlife research, program development, and international conservation strategy, Byron brings a lifelong dedication to protecting big cats and the ecosystems they anchor.

Before joining MLF, Byron served as Director of various programs at Panthera, where he led the organization’s Snow Leopard and Central Asia portfolios and founded Panthera’s Conservation Genetics Program. His work has spanned Asia, Africa, and the Americas, integrating field science, policy, and community partnerships to advance coexistence between people and wildlife. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Calgary and continues to mentor and partner with scientists and conservation practitioners worldwide.

Appointed Chief Conservation & Advocacy Officer, November 10, 2025

Board of Directors

John Ziegler, MD, FASA

Chair, Board of Directors
Park City, Utah

John Ziegler MD, FASA is the most recent addition to the Board of the Mountain Lion Foundation. John lives in Park City UTAH with his wife and three dogs.  He is an accomplished clinical researcher, cardiac anesthesiologist and critical care physician who has had a lifelong interest in wildlife photography and conservation fields of all kinds, especially those focused on carnivores.

He was a founding Board member of the Vital Ground Foundation and is a former member of the Hogle Zoo Board where he also Chaired the Conservation Committee. Currently, John is Vice-President of the Humane Society of Utah while also serving as an HSU Board member. In addition, he is currently a member of the Central Regional Advisory Council for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources where he helps provide feedback to the Utah Wildlife Board as they oversee wildlife management programs throughout the state.

Member of the Board of Directors since 2025

Bob McCoy

Vice Chair, Chair Emeritus
Sammamish, Washington

An interest in researching Puma concolor led Bob to the Mountain Lion Foundation. That was in 2009. Shortly thereafter, he successfully worked to stop the Washington Cougar Hounding Pilot Program, formed the Washington Cougar Coalition (WA Cougar), and become the Foundation’s Washington State field representative. Since then, Bob and volunteers successfully stopped several bills that would have harmed cougars. In 2013, Bob represented the Foundation on a panel at the 13th Mountain Lion Workshop in Utah. In 2015, Bob spurred WA Cougar to appeal the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission’s failure to follow proper procedure in setting cougar hunting guidelines. Humane Society of the United States’ lawyers authored the administrative petition to the governor that achieved the first overturn and rollback of a citizens’ commission ruling in Washington state history. As part of a small coalition of groups and individuals, Bob helped in getting new commissioners appointed (2021 – 2023) that gives a majority vote to prioritize science over extractive “opportunity.” Bob frequently testifies for carnivores, and participates in outreach and education events. He is 100% committed to the Foundation’s mission. Bob has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration.

 

Member of the Board of Directors since 2016.

Fauna Tomlinson

Board Member
Lake Tahoe, California

Fauna Tomlinson’s passion for the big cats of the world initially started with the Indian Bengal tiger and the snow leopard, which led to many trips to India and Nepal. She now works closer to home on native lion and coyote issues.

From Tahoe, her home base for the past three decades, she works in real estate and serves as the Sierra Nevada Representative for Project Coyote.

Fauna also serves on the California Council of Wildlife Rehabilitators.

Being on the board of Mountain Lion Foundation offers her a chance to make a difference on behalf of America’s lion in a new and exciting way.

Member of the Board of Directors since 2020

Ann Hamilton

Treasurer, Board Member
Bay Area, California

Ann Hamilton is a Managing Director and Regional Director of Investment Management and Trust at The Private Bank at MUFG Union Bank. Ann works with a team of specialists in wealth planning, investment management, philanthropy, banking and trust administration in the California & Washington market. She and her team work with ultra-high net worth clients and their advisors on a wide range of trust & estate and legacy planning matters in accordance with sound fiduciary principles. Prior to joining The Private Bank, Ann held leadership roles in the Trust and Estate practices at Citi Private Bank, Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management and Merrill Lynch Private Client group. She holds a BA in English Literature and has the Certified Trust & Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation. Ann lives in the Bay Area, has 2 sons, 2 Maine Coon cats and is a lover of all things feline.

Les Ottolenghi

Board Member

Board of Advisors

Toby Cooper

Advisory Committee Member, Board Member Emeritus
Eastsound, Washington

Financial Advisor, Former Program Director of National Issues, Defenders of Wildlife, Washington DC; Former Staff, National Parks and Conservation Association, Washington DC.; 1968 U.S. Olympian; Former Board Member, California Center for Wildlife (now Wildcare), Vivamos Mejor, Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation (now Acterra).

Elizabeth Sullivan

Advisory Committee Member, Board Member Emeritus
Cotati, California

Elizabeth held a dual career in wealth management and law.

She was a wealth management advisor for a private firm and provided financial advisory for financial consulting firms like Merrill Lynch and Wells Fargo Advisors. Her work included planned giving and legacy consulting to non-profits and individual estates.

As an attorney, she practiced in environmental litigation and toxics litigation including cases involving mitigation of several Environmental Protection Agency Superfund sites. She has also spent time as pro-bono counsel on habitat and land use issues.

At age six, she volunteered to clean local marshes, and her lifelong concern for wildlife has carried on since then to include a wide range of efforts, including penguin behavioral studies at San Francisco Zoo in college and feeding orphaned chicks at wildlife rehabilitation centers. When it comes to preventing the loss of wildlife species, she firmly believes that every individual counts.

Member of the Board of Directors since 1996

Chris Tromborg, PhD

Science Advisory Council Chair
Professor of Psychobiology and Animal Behavior at Sacramento City College and lecturer in Psycho-Physics and Animal Cognition at the University of California, Davis.

Field Volunteers

Robin Parks

Field Volunteer, Events
San Diego, California

Science Advisory Council

Chris Tromborg, PhD

Science Advisory Council Chair
Professor of Psychobiology and Animal Behavior at Sacramento City College and lecturer in Psycho-Physics and Animal Cognition at the University of California, Davis.

Bob McCoy

Board Member, Chair Emeritus

Cristina Eisenberg, PhD

Chief Scientist Emerita, Earthwatch Institute
Graduate Faculty Oregon State University College of Forestry Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Rodney Jackson, PhD

Executive Director, Snow Leopard Conservancy

Laurie Marker, PhD

Executive Director, Cheetah Conservation Fund

Carter Niemeyer

Retired USFWS trapper, Conservationist

Laura Prugh, PhD

Prugh Lab, Associate Professor of Quantitative Wildlife Studies, University of Washington

Jennifer Verdolin, PhD

Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona

Carolyn Whitesell, PhD

Assistant Cooperative Extension Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, Half Moon Bay

Rob Wielgus, PhD

Retired Professor/Director of Large Carnivore Conservation Lab , Washington State University