Board of Trustees
Steve Blake
Chair
Steve’s main interests include the evolution of human bodies and behaviours, and advocates for protecting half of the earth to mitigate the crises of species extinction, habitat destruction and climate change. He has worked in conservation education for 25 years, co-founding an experiential charter school in the U.S. and a coalition of 22 government and NGO agencies with conservation education goals. He has taught biology and human evolution for many years. He and his wife and son have a passion for travel to biodiversity hotspots. He lives in the Gila Forest of southern New Mexico.
Steve Tolan
Co-Founder
Steve Tolan is co-founder of Chipembele and is a non-executive Director. He is a Senior Honorary Wildlife Police Officer and an Honorary Fisheries Officer, and is very active in patrolling the area to help conserve the wildlife and natural environment of South Luangwa. He also assists Anna with the animal rehabilitation work.
Steve is closely involved with palaeontological and palaeobotanical experts, regularly guiding international expedition teams, not only in Zambia, but also Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The results have been amazing, with many new species of creatures being named and described, and there are more to be published. In 2022, Nature published a paper he co-authored, describing the almost complete skeleton of Africa’s earliest dinosaur, a new genus and species, found in NE Zimbabwe. He is also credited with finding Zambia’s first dinosaur near Lake Kariba, and Zambia’s first dinosaur footprints in the Luangwa Valley.
Emma Still
Secretary
Emma is the Creative Director for Chipembele. She lives in Adelaide, Australia and has volunteered for the organisation on numerous occasions. She was a key organiser of the Australia- Zambia student exchange in 2013/2014 and is again for the exchange in 2018/19. She has raised considerable sums for Chipembele over the years and has imaginatively redesigned the classroom at the Chipembele Centre and the Student Resource Room (now called the Habitat) at the Chipembele Offices.
Christina Carr
Trustee
A long-term resident of the Luangwa Valley with a background in safari, conservation and community work. She is joint Director with her husband Adrian Carr in Makolekole – a foundation which installs borehole wells for clean, safe water in remote communities.
Deb Tittle
Trustee
Independent professional Safari Guide, specialising in South Luangwa.
Adam Goulding
Trustee
Adam was born and raised in Zambia but emigrated in 2015 with his Australian wife to Melbourne, but maintains strong ties with Zambia through family and deep personal interest.
Charles Zulu
Trustee
Recently retired Head Teacher of Chiwawatala Basic School who encouraged us from ‘Day One’.
Thandiwe Mweetwa
Trustee
Thandiwe is a former Chipembele Conservation ‘star’ pupil. She has a BSc in Animal Science from the University of British Columbia and a MSc from the University of Arizona, her thesis was based on female lion reproduction in South Luangwa. Thandiwe is a member of the scientific research staff at the Zambian Carnivore Programme. In 2016 she was awarded as one of National Geographic’s Emerging Explorer
Ruth Macallan
Trustee
Ruth volunteered for Chipembele for 6 months in 2016/17 and loves helping people and caring for animals in equal measures. She is now running a hospitality business in Scotland with her husband.
The Chipembele Trust | UK
Chipembele Trust is a UK registered charity (number 1107698) which supports The Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust in Zambia for the advancement of the education of children and young people in the conservation and preservation of the environment and its wildlife. Chipembele Trust UK also supports the Chipembele Pupil Sponsorship Scheme, in Zambia, which enables orphaned and vulnerable children to attend school.