Ellen C. O'Connell, Executive Director

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

John Ziegler, MD, FASA

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

Fauna Tomlinson

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

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

Les Ottolenghi joined the Mountain Lion Foundation Board in 2025. He is a seasoned technology and transformation executive with more than 25 years of C-suite leadership experience across gaming, media, education, and digital platforms. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of VIP Play, Inc., where he leads technology-driven growth and innovation. Previously, Les held senior executive roles at Caesars Entertainment, Stride, Inc., and Lee Enterprises, where he oversaw large-scale digital, AI, and cloud transformations and led global teams of up to 1,000 staff. Known for building scalable, secure, and customer-centered digital organizations, Les brings deep expertise in innovation, governance, and strategic growth to the Mountain Lion Foundation Board. He is deeply passionate about wildlife conservation and is committed to applying technology, innovation, and strategic leadership to protect wildlife and the natural systems they depend on.

Doug Fuchs

Dougl Fuchs joined the Mountain Lion Foundation Board of Directors in January 2026. He is a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Los Angeles and Co-Chair of the firm’s Los Angeles Litigation Department. Doug has extensive experience in complex investigations, regulatory enforcement, and crisis management, including matters involving environmental issues, corporate governance, and compliance. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, where he prosecuted major fraud cases and complex white-collar crime. Doug brings deep legal expertise and strategic judgment to MLF’s work protecting mountain lions and advancing science-based conservation.

Toby Cooper

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

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

Jim Willians

Jim is currently the wildlife biologist and partnerships manager for the Heart of the Rockies Initiative.  The Initiative supports 31 land trusts and their Indigenous partners in the transboundary Rocky Mountains.   Jim works to protect wildlife habitat connectivity by keeping working agricultural families on the land in the Keep It Connected program which supports local and regional land trusts in the northern Rockies. Jim is an Explorers Club Fellow, and an award-winning, professionally certified wildlife biologist who worked for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for 31 years.  Jim was honored with the prestigious Explorers Club Alan Rabinowitz Memorial Award in 2024.  Jim received the National Park Service Wildlife Collaboration Award in 2023.    Jim received an undergraduate degree in biology with an emphasis on marine biology from San Diego State and Florida State universities and his graduate degree in wildlife biology from Montana State University in Bozeman.  Jim studied mountain lion ecology for his Master’s Degree on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front and has focused on mountain lion and other wildlife conservation issues in various roles ever since.  As a wildlife biologist in central Montana, Jim managed big game populations ranging from pronghorn antelope and elk to mountain goats, worked with private agricultural landowners on wildlife tolerance issues, developed new conservation easements, wildlife management areas and other habitat conservation projects.  Later as the Montana FWP Wildlife Program Manager, Jim led a talented group of research and wildlife management biologists and his team developed grizzly bear monitoring and research programs, initiated western Montana’s first wolf conservation program, and provided program support and leadership on multiple wildlife habitat conservation projects.  Most recently as the Regional Montana FWP Director for northwestern Montana, Jim provided leadership and support for parks and recreation, wildlife, fisheries, game wardens and all administration teams.  Jim was an associate producer for the Montana PBS documentary Back from the Brink – Montana’s Wildlife Legacy.  Jim has worked with wildlife biologists in both Chile and Argentina on a variety of wildlife conservation projects. In 2018, Patagonia Inc. published his autobiography, Path of the Puma, which shares some of those adventures and the story of mountain lion conservation in the Americas.  Penguin Random House Audio recently published the audio version of Path of the Puma which Jim personally narrated.

Robin Parks

Chris Tromborg, PhD

Bob McCoy

Cristina Eisenberg, PhD

Rodney Jackson, PhD

Laurie Marker, PhD

Carter Niemeyer

Laura Prugh, PhD

Jennifer Verdolin, PhD

Carolyn Whitesell, PhD

Rob Wielgus, PhD