Terry Hardie (USA) is a trustee and field researcher for the New Zealand-based Orca Research Trust. He is also a co-founder of the Global Orca Charity and the Free Morgan Foundation. Terry assisted with the Keiko project and is passionate about orca.  He has also helped to expose wrong doings at a dolphinarium in Europe, which resulted in the enactment of a law in Switzerland, banning the keeping of cetaceans in captivity. With his background in computer sciences, Terry was the founder of one of the first publicly accessible email companies in New Zealand. His skills in the electronic/IT arena make him a valuable asset to a number of orca research projects.

Matthew Spiegl (USA) is an environmental attorney in California. His legal practice focuses on International and EU wildlife trade regulations involving captive orcas. He is a co-founder of the Global Orca Charity and presently serves as legal counsel & policy advisor and board member for the Free Morgan Foundation. Matthew’s professional credentials include publication in Review of European Comparative and International Environmental Law (RECIEL), and membership in the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) with appointments to the WCEL’s Ocean Law and Climate Change Law Specialist Groups for the 2021-2025 quadrennial session.

Daniel Azarian (USA) is an award-winning director, producer, and creative director of branded content and entertainment based in New York. As a director, Daniel has helmed national television spots for blue-chip brands and branding for clients such as 3M, Horizon Organic, Netflix, and The Drew Barrymore Show. He produced the “Save Lolita” PSA and the documentary short “A Day in the Life of Lolita, the Performing Orca,” featuring Dr. Ingrid Visser. As a creative director, Daniel is committed to utilizing his skills and expertise to positively impact the lives of animals in need, namely killer whales. He aims to raise awareness and advocate for animal welfare among a mainstream audience.

Natalie Barefoot (USA) is an international oceans attorney based in California who believes that legal protections should be earth-oriented, community-inspired, and respect all living beings. By focusing legal strategies through the lens of keystone species, such as sharks and cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), Natalie advances protections for wildlife and their ocean habitats. She currently tackles international ocean issues as a senior attorney with Earthjustice and she is the founder and Executive Director of Cet Law. Natalie is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), and she has been a trusted advisor to the Free Morgan Foundation. Her previous work has taken her to five continents as an attorney with the United Nations Environment Program, University of Miami School of Law, and Hogan Lovells.

Alfonso Carrillo (Spain) is an attorney based in Madrid. His legal practice focuses on dispute resolution. Among other cases, he has advised NGOs on animal welfare dispute cases, in particular captive marine cetaceans, also defending NGOs against court claims for damages for infringement of the right to honor.

Jorge Cazenave (Argentina) abandoned his law practice and has been a researcher for Punta Norte Orca Research for 15 years and is now its president. He has collaborated with Conservation Land Trust, Fundacion Vida Silvestre among other NGOs. He is currently a board member of Aves Argentinas and President of Fundación We Are Wildlife, both institutions involved in wildlife conservation. Jorge is a co-author of several scientific publications about orca, including “Contributions to the global management and conservation of marine mammals,” and he has also helped in translation of critical documents in sensitive orca captivity issues.

Diane Fraleigh (Canada) holds a Law Administration Certificate from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto and she has worked as a law clerk since 1988. She has been a volunteer member of Ontario Captive Animal Watch (OCAW) since January 2016. Her work with OCAW involves investigating zoos and aquariums and reporting welfare concerns to the provincial government animal welfare enforcement agency. She is an outspoken advocate for animals in zoos and aquaria (in particular the animals held at Marineland Canada). Diane skillfully educates the public on the welfare concerns of captive animals and collaborates with politicians to introduce legislation regarding captivity. She was instrumental in bringing about Federal legislation in 2019 ending the captivity of whales and dolphins in Canada and is the proud recipient of a Humane Canada award for her work in that regard.

Joe Kennedy (Canada) is a natural history documentary filmmaker, with an interest in conservation, environment and animal behavior films. His company, TMF Media, is based in Vancouver. He has worked in this field since 1988, first for the BBC Natural History Unit, then in the independent filmmaking sector. Broadcasters have commissioned his productions worldwide. He works as a researcher, producer, director, writer and cameraman. His interests are broad and cover both marine and terrestrial subjects. Marine-based film credits include Killer Whale Special (BBC); Killer Whales: The Mega Hunt (Animal Planet); Sharkman (Discovery); Ocean Voyagers (Animal Planet); Great White Shark: A Living Legend (BBC); Squid vs. Whale (National Geographic); Shark Kill Zone (National Geographic); Secret Shark Pits (National Geographic)

Kaarina Makowski (USA) is based in the State of Washington and has been a long-time volunteer videographer for cetacean-related events held in western Washington. She recently started working for Orca Network. She is an artist, photographer, writer, video editor, plus web & graphic designer who has done numerous advocacy illustrations. She worked extensively on the new ‘Corky’ documentary and is also responsible for the recent revamp of Dr. Visser’s Orca Research Trust website.

Haze Sommer (USA) calls the Pacific Northwest home. She is a lifelong domestic animal and wildlife advocate and rescuer. She is co-founder of Tilikum Co. Since 2014, she has led multiple successful educational outreach campaigns via social media to combat marine park disinformation (most notably “Ask SeaWorld”). Haze is passionate about orca and ever vigilant in her focus to help Southern Resident orca and salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest. She is also a skilled archivist, digital research assistant, and has assisted with several peer-reviewed studies on wild and captive orca.