We are dedicated to amplifying the future of STEAM and conservation by raising funds in support of historically excluded people with a connection to birds. We offer networking and professional development opportunities, share outdoor experiences, and aim to bring equity in all that we do.
We are a team of talented professionals and birders with a BIG love for what we do!
Board of Trustees

Véro Couttee (She/Her/Elle)
Board Member.
Coming soon.

Samantha DeJarnett
Co-Chair Birders Fund, Media Partner, Board Member.
Sam is the creator and host of The Always Be Birdin’ Podcast and an advocate for Black, Brown and Indigenous liberation. Using her platform with the podcast, she seeks to elevate BBI voices, create and maintain deep and meaningful communities and expose the webs of white supremacy and racism within birding and conservation. Sam is beyond honored to serve as Co-Chair for the Birders Fund this year to help spread that liberation and elevation. In her spare time, she indulges in drag, BTS, birding, karaoke and food. Podcast. Instagram. Twitter.

Nadia Elysse
Board Member.
Coming soon.

Orietta Estrada (She/Her/Ella)
Birders Fund and Amplify the Future Co-founder, Acting Executive Director, Board Chair.
Before starting her career as a content and media professional in 2013, Orietta worked for seven years in the tech industry as a technical writer and editor. She has bird-related bylines in several online and print publications from BirdWatching to Sierra. She is co-founder of IDEA Birders and the IDEA MD RBA, a birding group and RBA based on the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility; and co-founder of the Black & Latinx Birders Scholarship Fund.
Orietta volunteers as a master naturalist participating in community outreach focused on delivering information about raptors. She also volunteers as a judge and mentor for the American Birding Association’s Young Birder of the Year program. She holds a B.A. in Literature from New York Institute of Technology, an M.A. in Postcolonial Literary Theory from Stockholms Universitet, and has both undergraduate and graduate coursework in geographic information systems and environmental biology from Hood College.
When she’s not thinking about birds or birders, she’s tinkering with the latest in tech-media, reading, taking courses, spending time with her daughter and their three dogs (Poochies, Princesa, y Frijolita), and playing music.
Twitter: @BirdsNatureLife Instagram: @Birds_Nature_Life

Tykee James (He/Him/His)
Birders Fund and Amplify the Future Co-founder, Board Chair.
Tykee James serves on the board of directors of the DC Audubon Society, Wyncote Audubon Society, Audubon Maryland-DC, the Birding Co-op, and the Academy of Natural Sciences.
He has built residency in this work starting from his experience as an environmental educator in Philadelphia, his hometown. In fact, that was his first job in his own neighborhood where he became aware of the significant connection between public health and environmental conditions. Before moving to DC almost two years ago, he worked for a State Representative as her environmental policy advisor and developed his leadership capacity with the Environmental Leadership Program.
Tykee has been a part of the birding community for almost a decade. Most recently, he was one of the organizers of the first #BlackBirdersWeek.
In his personal time he is a podcast host for Wildlife Observer Network, a wildlife media project he started with some wildlife-friendly friends in Philly. Tykee hosts two podcasts: Brothers in Birding and On Word for Wildlife.
Website: WildlifeObserverNetwork.com Twitter: @Tykee_James Instagram: @TykeeJames

Yamina Nater-Otero (She/Her and They/Them)
Co-Chair Birders Fund, Board Secretary.
When she is not out in her local park or at a nature preserve looking for birds, Yamina spends her time advocating for equity in the outdoors. She puts her MA in Environmental Education to good use at Audubon NY by engaging diverse communities in topics such as bird conservation, redefining “the outdoors”, and urban environmental education. She is excited to bring those skills (and gain some new ones) to Amplify the Future while serving as Co-Chair for the Birders Fund. In her free time, she enjoys consuming far too much pop culture and spending time with her Boston Terriers.
Birders Fund Committee

Andrés Anchondo (He/Him/Él)
Birders Fund Founding Committee Member, Partnerships & Website.
Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Andrés moved to the United States in 2016 with his wife. He works with American Bird Conservancy to conserve migratory birds and their habitats in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Before joining ABC, Andrés worked with NRDC’s Latin America Project researching mechanisms to finance climate-smart projects in the region.

Samantha DeJarnett
Co-Chair Birders Fund, Media Partner, Board Member.
Sam is the creator and host of The Always Be Birdin’ Podcast and an advocate for Black, Brown and Indigenous liberation. Using her platform with the podcast, she seeks to elevate BBI voices, create and maintain deep and meaningful communities and expose the webs of white supremacy and racism within birding and conservation. Sam is beyond honored to serve as Co-Chair for the Birders Fund this year to help spread that liberation and elevation. In her spare time, she indulges in drag, BTS, birding, karaoke and food. Podcast. Instagram. Twitter.

Jason Hall
Birders Fund, Committee Member.
Jason Hall is a Philly area birder who has been exploring the Philadelphia region for exciting birds since 2001. His love for birds is a deep one that connects him with the outdoors as well as amazing fellow outdoor lovers (especially birders). Jason works at a local pharmaceutical company and primarily focuses on supporting vaccine development and commercialization. He resides in Limerick, PA with his lovely wife and two amazing children. Jason is especially motivated to open the world of birding and the outdoors to historically under-represented communities in the Philadelphia area. He believes that the natural world, and more specifically the great outdoor resources in the Greater Philadelphia Area, should be accessible and inspiring to ALL of its residents. In that light, Jason founded the In Color Birding Club in 2021 in order to create pathways for black and brown folks to enter birding without the historic limitations that birding has carried with it. Jason regularly shares his experiences of being #BlackInNature on Instagram at his handle @thebirdingbeardsman and shares the ICBC updates @incolorbirdingclub

Juita Martinez (She/Her)
Birders Fund, Committee Member.
Juita Martinez is a 5th year environmental and evolutionary biology Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She holds a B.Sc. in zoology from Humboldt State University. Her current research focuses on Brown Pelican demography and conservation. Juita was a field technician for Richardson’s Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary and a co-organizer of #BlackBirdersWeek in 2020. When she’s not in the field or working on her dissertation you can find her maintaining her backyard bird feeders. She’s also a hobbyist wildlife photographer.

Yamina Nater-Otero (She/her and They/Them)
Co-Chair Birders Fund, Board Secretary.
When she is not out in her local park or at a nature preserve looking for birds, Yamina spends her time advocating for equity in the outdoors. She puts her MA in Environmental Education to good use at Audubon NY by engaging diverse communities in topics such as bird conservation, redefining “the outdoors”, and urban environmental education. She is excited to bring those skills (and gain some new ones) to Amplify the Future while serving as Co-Chair for the Birders Fund. In her free time, she enjoys consuming far too much pop culture and spending time with her Boston Terriers.

Angel Rafael Ramirez
Birders Fund, Committee Member.
My name is Angel Rafael Ramirez and I was born and raised in Oxnard, California which is on Chumash ancestral lands. As a child I was always interested in the outdoors. It was in community college when I discovered my passion for studying the native California flora and fauna. So, I put all my time and energy into transferring to a 4-year university to pursue my dreams of becoming a biologist! After transferring to California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo I graduated in 2019 with a degree in Forestry and Natural Resources with an emphasis in Wildlife Biology. Through my professors, and the UCSB-Smithsonian Scholars Program I was able to participate in several different opportunities that ranged from scientific research to student mentorship in STEM fields. It was only when I moved back home that I realized I wanted to offer guided bird walks. In my college courses and job opportunities I learned so much and I wanted to share that knowledge with other people in my community that also might be interested but did not have the same opportunities as I did. My goal was to engage the local communities of Oxnard and Ventura in the fields of biology and ecology through bird watching! After my first few bird walks I decided to make it official and call ourselves the Oxnard Birder’s Club! Currently, I work as a Wildlife Biologist for a biological consulting firm based out of Santa Barbara, CA where I get to work with threatened and endangered species. Lastly, I am father to a beautiful 5 month old son named Rio.

Ashleyann Perez-Rivera (She/Her)
Birders Fund, Committee Member.
Ashleyann Perez-Rivera works at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) headquarters within the National Wildlife Refuge System’s Branch of Communications and Digital Services. During her fellowship with the Urban Wildlife Conservation Program in 2017 she became more familiar with wildlife dependent recreation and grew her love for birding specifically, in urban areas. Ashleyann has a B.S in Historic Preservation with a focus on sustainability which enabled her to work on Place, Story and Culture, a white paper that addresses the significance of protecting Latino heritage sites across the U.S. Her passion and experience for the natural and cultural landscapes provides a unique perspective on social and ecological conservation issues.