Vision
Fewer tropical forest fires to foster livelihood, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
Mission
Tropical Fire Alliance partners with local organizations to reduce the impact of wildfires in tropical forests worldwide and, through significant investments, secure the crucial role of forests in human wellness, biodiversity, and climate targets.
Founder/Executive Director
Iroro Tanshi
Iroro's community-led initiative has successfully prevented catastrophic fires in the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary since 2022. Dr. Tanshi's award-winning conservation supports thriving forest communities. She is one of the winners of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize award.
Founding Partner
Benneth Obitte
Ben is the co-founder and co-Executive Director of the Small Mammal Conservation Organization (SMACON), protecting small mammals and their habitats across West Africa. Dr. Obitte is a National Geographic Explorer.
Project Coordinator
Matthew Kendall
Matt brings experience in nonprofit administration, financial operations, and data analytics. He supports Tropical Fire's internal systems and daily operations, helping build the organizational foundation for its conservation efforts.
Program Associate
Oluchi Agodi
Oluchi Agodi is an early-career conservation biologist. She contributes to long-term monitoring and evidence-based conservation of species and ecosystems.
Communications Associate
Adora Onyile
Adora combines her background in software engineering with a passion for wildlife conservation to manage data systems that drive conservation impact.
Our Team.
Liz Maw
Liz Maw is Program Director at the Goldman Environmental Prize, supporting global environmental leaders. She previously served as CEO of Net Impact, leading the growth of its network of emerging changemakers, and as President of Presidio Graduate School.
Kina Murphy, PhD
Dr. Kina Murphy is an ecologist with over twenty years of experience working throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and North America. She has focused on biodiversity monitoring, sustainable finance, market-based approaches to conservation, and community-based conservation planning and policy.
Sarah Walter, MD
Dr. Sarah Watler brings extensive experience supporting and volunteering with community-focused nonprofit initiatives across tropical regions.
Board Members.
Justin d'Angona
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Justin has 15 years of experience in environmental conservation and social impact. He has worked at XPRIZE Foundation, Greenpeace USA, and FSC, and currently serves as Managing Director of the Starfish Institute.
Sandy Andelman, PhD
Dr. Sandy Andelman is a biodiversity science advisor to the Global Environment Facility (the GEF). She is a conservation scientist, with over 30 years of experience designing and implementing local- to global-scale initiatives at the intersection of science, policy, and practice across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States.
Ben Rader
Ben Rader serves as General Counsel of The Pension Boards - United Church of Christ, Inc., a role he transitioned to in April 2026 after a 21-year tenure at Goldman Sachs as General Counsel of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, Goldman Sachs Gives and GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and an LL.M. from Humboldt Universität.
Advisory Board.
Tropical Fire Alliance
Tropical Fire Alliance is a non-profit registered in the state of Washington (EIN-42-4823780).
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