TIM CARSON – CHAIRMAN & DIRECTOR
A South African/British National educated in South Africa, qualified as an accountant in 1989 and resident in Kenya for 24 years. Tim has a proven track record in capital raising and structuring, strong financial control skills and business management. With an in-depth knowledge of on-the-ground operating experience in East Africa. Tim brings much needed governance and financial management skills to the Taylor Ashe Antivenom Foundation.
RICHARD MOLLER – DIRECTOR
Co-Founder / Board Member and Chief Executive Officer – Tsavo Trust A Kenyan Citizen and full time Tsavo resident since 2010, with over 27 years direct wildlife conservation experience in Kenya. Richard is a passionate conservationist with years of field project management capability, bush piloting (5,000 hours) and wildlife capture and translocation. He holds the rank of Inspector in the Kenya Police Reserve. Former Deputy Director of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya, one of Kenya’s flag ship rhino sanctuaries (11 years) and initiated the Big Tusker Program under Tsavo Trust.
CLARE TAYLOR
Born in the UK, but resident in Kenya for most of her life, Clare is a Kenyan/British National. She did her primary and early education in Kenya, moving to Scotland to complete her secondary education and England for university, graduating with a BA Hons in Nursing. Clare and Royjan moved to Watamu together in 2002, when Royjan became more involved with the snake farm, eventually taking over and running it. As Royjan’s wife, Clare was caught up in his passion for snakes and put her nursing skills to good use, learning as much as she could about snakebite, developing local snake bite treatment protocols and implementing them into the Watamu Snake Farm.
Since Royjan’s death three years ago, Clare has remained involved, and hopes to be able to see his dream to establish the first snakebite center of excellence in East Africa become a reality.
She is a true ambassador for what her husband created.
ANTON CHILDS
A Kenyan Citizen, with over 25 years experience in the tourism industry, in hospitality, guiding and conservation. Anton’s passion for snakes and reptiles since childhood, led to a bond and long-term friendship with the late Royjan Taylor. Together they toured Kenya learning about and collecting reptiles, and as a result The Watamu Snake Farm now has the most extensive collection of snakes from all over Kenya, in the world. On a coast trip in 1980 they discovered a cobra which looked different, years later, they were instrumental in describing this new species and given the honor of naming it after their mentor James Ashe; the Ashes spitting cobra is the largest Spitting Cobra in the world. Firsthand experience of a Puff adder bite to the hand has given Anton a deep belief in the importance of snake bite prevention, education, and correct snake bite treatment, fanning his ambition to support the legacy of his long-time friend to establish the First Center of Excellence for Snakebite in East Africa.
PROFESSOR SIR DAVID WARRELL
Professor Sir David Warrell KCMG is Emeritus Professor of Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford and holds Honorary Chairs in Tropical Medicine in China, Peru, and Burma. He was formerly Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine in Oxford and founder, in 1979, of the Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Network. In 1989, he helped establish the Oxford-Wellcome-KEMRI unit in Kilifi District Hospital, focussing on childhood cerebral malaria. He was a founding director, with David Williams, of the Global Snakebite Initiative. His career has been as physician, zoologist, teacher, researcher, resident, and traveller in Africa (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa), Asia, Latin America and Papua New Guinea. His research publications cover infectious, tropical and respiratory diseases; venomous animals; envenoming; plant and chemical poisoning and expedition medicine. Since retiring from the University and NHS in 2007, he has devoted his time mainly to promoting interest in improving the prevention and treatment of snakebite, the most neglected of all neglected tropical diseases.
ANGELA OKOTH
Denmark and a diploma in Corporate Governance from The Harvard Kennedy School. She is a highly successful corporate commercial lawyer who also specializes in property and investment in Kenya, where her sought after services have provided successful legal strategies, solutions, and results for numerous clients to date. Angela leans on her legal training, knowledge of current legal changes, and her instinct for solving clients’ problems to deliver exceptional results for various standard and atypical scenarios. Whether she’s building and leading teams across Kenya, managing client and stakeholder relations, or putting into play solutions for legal compliance, risk management, contracts, or drafting documents, Angela has become a go-to legal advisor for her many clients who rely on her negotiation skills, interpersonal skills, and critical thinking to guide them through virtually any corporate, commercial, or investment legal need.
DR EUGENE ERULU
Kenyan Citizen and medical advisor to the board.
Medical Doctor with 37 years experience CEO of Watamu Hospital. Attended Clinical Toxinology Short Course in 2003, Adelaide Australia. Part of the team that participated in the writing of the Kenyan Guidelines on Management of Snakebites. Currently adviser and trainer on the management of snakebites in Kenya.
ROD EVANS
Managing Director Caxton Properties and Homegrown K Ltd
Chair of the Kenya Flower council Member of the board Federation Kenya Employers Worked with KWS as pilot in three elephant census over a span of twelve years I am honored to be part of the Taylor Ashe Antivenom Board as the work we are doing is essential for the well-being of the people of Kenya and our sister nations in the East African Community. We lose too many lives to snakebite, and many more livelihoods are negatively impacted by disability and disfigurement caused by snake envenoming. By educating local communities about snakebite and snakebite prevention and helping to gain access to antivenom suitable for African snakes, we aim to reduce the social impact of snakebite considerably.