Our Team
Officers & Directors
Linda Reifschneider, President & Treasurer
Linda founded AES in 2006 with a vision of protecting Asian elephants and supporting the people living side-by-side with this magnificent species.
Retired from a four decade long career at Edward Jones Investments, Linda has put her business background to use and married it with her passion for elephants when establishing our non-profit.
Linda resides in St. Louis, Missouri with her beloved dog Maya, but can often be found traveling the world!
Mindy Ussrey, Secretary
Mindy joined the Board of AES in 2019, and was appointed Secretary in 2020 after spending 15 years traveling the country working with both African and Asian elephants from Topeka, to Jacksonville, to finally Buffalo Zoo. She raised funds for AES for many years, inviting Linda to come speak to the Buffalo Zoo staff.
Following the end of the Buffalo Zoo elephant program, Mindy is now the Director of Animal Behavior and Adoptions at the SPCA, serving Erie County. Mindy is able to continue her passion for elephants and elephant conservation with AES by serving as committee chair for fundraisers and liaison for our AAZK partnership.
Mindy resides in Buffalo, where she lives with her son, two cats, three snakes and a skink!
Lindsey Eagan, Director
Lindsey joined the AES Board in June 2022, after several successful years of fundraising for AES during our annual Pizza for Pachyderms events and nearly 16 years working with Asian elephants at the ABQ BioPark.
Lindsey now works in the Animal Welfare and Behavioral Training department, supporting animal care staff in their pursuit of excellent animal well-being across all species and career development. She is excited that her passion for elephant care has become an opportunity to effect change for Asian elephants and the communities who live near them.
Lindsey resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with two rambunctious pups and one very sassy cat.
Mary Miller, Director
Mary joined the Board in March 2023, after being an active supporter of AES since she first met Linda while working at Grant’s Farm. Mary has worked as an elephant keeper since 2014.
Mary is passionate about sharing her love of elephants and conservation with anyone who will listen. She wants to encourage the next generation to get involved in elephant conservation through AES.
Mary lives in the Northeast with her dog Sampson, her adventure companion.
Advisors
Our Advisor group is made up of individuals specializing in elephant care and conservation. They support the AES Board with their expertise by advising on areas of need, review of project requests and communications. We thank them for their support and dedication to our mission.
Charlie Gray
Richard Lair
Heidi Riddle
Ellen Wiedner
Gaius Wilson
April Yoder
Conservation Organization Partnerships
Asian Elephant Support appreciates the contributions these organizations have made to help us achieve our mission to care for and conserve Asian elephants either through donations or support for campaigns and fundraising efforts.
San Antonio Zoo Keepers with AES President, Linda Reifschneider and AES Volunteer, Cynthia Christison
Asian Elephant Support is proud to partner with the International Union for Conservation of Nature Asian Elephant Specialist Group and participate on their Conservation Committee.
In 2023 Asian Elephant Support joined forces with the American Association of Zoo Keepers and was named a Conservation Partner for the organization. AES is privileged to have the support of so many local AAZK chapters throughout the United States.
Asian Elephant Support and SAFE - Asian Elephant have partnered together in efforts to support the care and conservation of Asian elephants in range countries.
Asian Elephant Support is glad to work in conjunction with these organizations to build a better future for both African and Asian elephants in the wild and in human care, all across the world.
Corporate Partnerships
Our work has been generously supported by our Corporate Partners.
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