Our Team
Countering Wildlife Trafficking Institute Founder, Odean Serrano, PhD
Dr. Odean Serrano worked for the US Federal Government for over 26 years. She began her career with NASA as a space shuttle and payload operations engineer at Kennedy Space Center, then as an environmental program manager at NASA Headquarters, and co-authored the first NASA Strategic Plan. She transitioned to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, developing Human Geography programs and spearheading Environmental Geography projects; served as an Agency liaison for partner and academic engagement programs; and was a lead author of the first NGA Strategy.
Dr. Serrano was designated by the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper as the first Intelligence Community lead for Combatting Wildlife Trafficking, holding the position from 2015-2017.
Now retired from the federal government, she founded the Countering Wildlife Trafficking Institute and is an Affiliate with Chengeta Wildlife for Geospatial Analytics.
The primary focus of her organization’s work is to provide an avenue for the application of conservation research in concert with front line rangers with anti-poaching missions and to provide continuity to mission-driven intelligence and law enforcement priorities.
Our CWTI Team Members
CWTI Executive Director, Christiane Thompson
CWTI Program Manager: Kevin Wells
Senior GIS Analyst / Modeling Common Operating Picture Manager, Laura Roy
CWTI Internship Team
CWTI Lead Intern Researcher & Team Mentor, Lilianna Wolf
CWTI Intern Mentor, Rachel Jones
Intern Event Coordinator, Brandon Younan
CWTI Intern Mentor Specialists:
Dustin Turpin, GIS / Informatics Analyst
Gizelle Cota, Central Africa GIS Lead Analyst / Machine Learning