The Arctic

David Aplin is the Senior Program Officer - Community Education and Outreach for the WWF-US Arctic Program. He joined WWF in 2005 to manage the Bering Sea Coastal Communities for Science program and WWF’s Climate Witness activities. Now, he mainly focuses on coordinating WWF’s efforts to protect Bristol Bay from oil and gas development. David holds a master’s degree in resource management, with an emphasis in environmental education and interpretation.

Heather Brandon is the Senior Program Officer-Fisheries for the WWF-US Arctic Program. Heather advocates for marine habitat conservation and sustainable fisheries, working closely with scientists, communities, NGO partners, the fishing industry, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. She also works with WWF-Russia on salmon and marine issues in the Kamchatka area, such as illegal poaching, tracing salmon products from harvest to grocery store, and enhancing the sustainability of salmon through market influences and greater local and indigenous control over fishery management decisions. Heather holds a Master’s of Marine Affairs from the University of Washington. She began working at WWF in 2010.

Janice Hidalgo is the office administrator for the WWF-US Arctic Program. She is from Wichita, Kansas and first came to Alaska in 1974. She and her husband took a 10-year hiatus from Alaska to live in the DC region but returned “home” in July 2006. Janice has extensive administrative work experience.

Layla Huges is the Senior Program Officer – Oil, Gas and Marine Shipping for the WWF-US Arctic Program. Before joining WWF in 2008, she was the Assistant Borough Attorney for the North Slope Borough and played a leading role in preparing a legal strategy that resulted in an injunction on oil and gas leasing in the Beaufort Sea. Layla has also worked as an attorney for Earthjustice and Conservation International. She holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA in international relations and environmental studies. Her work to secure administrative and congressional reform of offshore oil and gas laws has taken on a new urgency in the wake of the BP blowout.

Bill Eichbaum is the Vice President, Marine and Arctic Policy and the Acting Vice President, US Government Relations for WWF-US. In this capacity, he works to end destructive fishing practices, reduce pollution and establish a network of effectively managed, ecologically representative marine protected areas. He also is focused on stopping oil and gas drilling that can have a negative impact on the Arctic’s wildlife and local communities.Bill has made a life-long career as an environmental advocate, from organizing the first Earth Day in the 1970s, to playing a key role in creating the Chesapeake Bay Program in the 1980s. Before joining WWF in 1989, Bill served as Massachusetts' Undersecretary of Environmental Affairs, one of many positions held during his 20 years of public service. Bill has an LLB from Harvard Law School and a BA in International Relations from Dartmouth College. Learn more about Bill.

Sybille Klenzendorf is Managing Director, Species Conservation Program for WWF-US. She leads conservation initiatives for the likes of elephants, rhinos, tigers, orangutans and leopards around the world, including in the Arctic region. Sybille oversees the training of game wardens, carnivore ecology, human-wildlife conflicts and anti-poaching units for some of the most critical wildlife habitat on Earth. Her areas of expertise include tigers, bears and other large mammal conservation, human-wildlife conflict, carnivore ecology and game warden training. Sybille has a PhD in Wildlife Science and an MS in Wildlife Science, both from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. She earned a BS in Biology from George Mason University and has worked at WWF since 2002. Learn more about Sybille.

Will Gartshore is Program Officer –Government Relations for WWF-US. Will advocates on U.S. policy issues related to climate change and international species conservation. He works closely with Congress, U.S. Government agencies, and partner NGOs to help move forward WWF’s conservation agenda. His engagement on WWF’s Arctic eco-region has included work on climate change impacts, offshore oil and gas development, and advocacy to protect Arctic species, such as the polar bear and the western gray whale. Prior to joining WWF in 2007, Will worked as a writer for the Energy Future Coalition and managing editor of The Greener Business Guide to Washington, DC. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland – College Park.

Jill Schwartz is the Director of Program Communications for WWF-US. In this role, she oversees the development and execution of the communications strategies for WWF-US’ top 16 programs. She also is responsible for all communications related to the WWF-US Aquaculture and Alaska programs. Before her WWF career began in 2007, Jill worked for 12 years as a marketing and communications specialist at several environmental NGOs. Prior to that, she spent eight years as a reporter and editor for several newspapers in California, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. Jill holds a BA degree in