Board

Brenda Rodriguez President ​

Brenda Rodriguez, joined the Gibbon Center Board of Directors in 2013 primarily supporting the Grant writing initiatives and assisting with fundraising efforts for the Center. In 2014 she became Vice President while continuing writing grant requests. Brenda is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Language Arts and a minor in Nutrition. She holds multi-state life and disability licenses and worked in the group insurance industry for many years as a Sales and Account Management Executive. Brenda is currently a Realtor and member of the California Board of Realtors. She also holds Event Planning and Wedding Planning certificates from the college of the Extended University at Cal Poly. Brenda’s love of animals and the environment began while growing up on a farm in Eastern Pennsylvania before coming to California to pursue her studies. Her passions include her family and friends, the Gibbon Conservation Center, traveling and protecting the environment.

Rachel Grech CPA
​Treasurer

​Rachel has been an accountant for 29 years. She has used these skills to assist with multiple non-profits.   Her other duties included transportation, application processing, dog handling/training, shelter evaluations, adoption events, home screenings, and any additional pre and post adoption functions needed.  While volunteering at various rescues she saw a special need and co founded a non-profit to give more animals the ability to be fostered and trained prior to adoption. Rachel has been on the board since 2018 working hard to make sure that we maintain our records.   

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Curtis Eng DVM

Dr. Curtis Eng received his veterinary medical degree from Purdue University, School of Veterinary Medicine. Upon graduation, Dr. Eng joined a small animal/exotic animal practice in rural Indiana where he learned to work with exotic animals such as birds, reptiles and assorted wildlife. During this time, he volunteered at the Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago) for 7 years, where he learned the skills of being a zoo veterinarian, eventually becoming a part time veterinarian for the Lincoln Park Zoo. He then moved on to become the Staff veterinarian/Assistant Director at the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend Indiana and continued migrating west to become Director of Health and Husbandry at the Phoenix Zoo. After a quick stint at a chimpanzee facility, his last move brought him to Los Angeles as the Chief Veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens for which he served 8 years. Dr. Eng is an avid conservationist with participation in conservation medicine programs being his passion. He has worked on the reintroduction of very rare species such as the black footed ferret, peninsular pronghorn and Sumatran rhino, even serving as the Federal Veterinary Program Coordinator for the California Condor Reintroduction Program. He currently is the Director of Clinical Relations and Associate Professor in Zoo/Exotic/Wildlife medicine at Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine where he actively mentors veterinary students as they progress to being veterinarians. He has been active with the Gibbon Conservation Center over the last 5 years introducing veterinary students to the “awesomeness” of primate medicine. He currently owns 2 dogs, 2 birds, lots of snakes and tortoises and a lizard. And he fosters way more animals than his wife prefers.

Carmen Fisher 
Secretary

Carmen is a former teacher and has been volunteering for the center for almost 20 years.  She has the longest records of any volunteer and  has been cooking and feeding every Tuesday throughout that time. She has occasionally assisted staff in hand rearing baby gibbons before they are introduced back to their families.  

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Kat White 

Kat is an adjunct biological anthropology professor at El Camino College. She also teaches at  the California Department of Corrections in a variety of locations for Bakersfield Community College and Antelope Valley College enthusiastically educating  students about the importance of gibbons as little “ecosystem engineers”. She received her Master’s Degree in Anthropology in 2008 after deciding that she loves “all things non-human primate.” Her biological anthropology professor, Marianne Waters, first introduced her to the Gibbon Conservation Center in 2000, when she was a student and met Alan Mootnick.  "When I first saw these amazing apes, I knew I wanted to be a part of the center and since then, I have supported and volunteered at the center at least once each year.  I helped with maintenance projects, constructing enclosures, clearing brush to prevent fires, preparing food, assisting with fundraisers and have also had the privilege of assisting with feedings a time or two after going through my series of required vaccinations."

In 2016, she completed her BS degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. Her focus involves birds-of-prey and ecology. She recently completed another AS degree in Applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which has a variety of applications and benefits, such as providing suitable maps & amp; locations to make global connections with other organizations.  Her participation in the US Marines for 13+ years has instilled a variety of positive, “can-do” abilities that keep her motivated to continue with personal and shared goals. One of those goals includes the continued success of and vision of the Gibbon Center. 

Advisory Board 

Neta Ambar DVM
Lucia Carbone Ph.D 
Lori K Sheeran Ph.D 
Elias Kary