Meet the board members
Meet our global leaders
The USA Board
The USA Board of Directors for the 501(c)(3)
Shannon Elizabeth
Founder•Chairman
Shannon was born in Texas where she grew up before eventually moving to Los Angeles, California to establish her successful acting career...
Shannon Elizabeth
Founder•Chairman
Shannon was born in Texas where she grew up before eventually moving to Los Angeles, California to establish her successful acting career. She has starred in over 50 films and television shows, including the global hits American Pie, Scary Movie and the newly rebooted Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back.
Shannon has a deep and abiding respect for all life and is a staunch protagonist of a vegan lifestyle. In 2001, she began to follow her true life’s passion of saving animals by launching her non-profit, Animal Avengers, first as a dog and cat rescue operation and then with the broader remit of wildlife conservation. Shannon continues her acting career, but her primary focus has become helping wild animals in Africa and elsewhere by whatever means necessary. In order to be hands on with her projects and to expand their scope and influence, Shannon moved to Africa in 2016 and now lives in Cape Town.
The media development of the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation, especially production of video content, will be a major aspect of Shannon’s ongoing work. In addition, Shannon continues to travel for acting and public appearances, speaking engagements and whenever needed to help animals in the hope of making the world an even better place.
Stephen Ham
Board member
Stephen has spent his life dedicated to the field of global conservation and most recently joined the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2016. Whether trekking mountain gorillas...
Stephen Ham
Board member
Stephen has spent his life dedicated to the field of global conservation and most recently joined the Wildlife Conservation Society in 2016. Whether trekking mountain gorillas in Rwanda or whale watching in Antarctica, Stephen is a passionate advocate for wildlife and the wild places they inhabit, particularly for Africa.
He received a degree in anthropology and environmental studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a returned volunteer with the United States Peace Corps where he served in Ghana, West Africa. Before moving into the role of Vice President of Individual Giving at Wildlife Conservation Society, Stephen was Senior Director with the African Wildlife Foundation. Stephen also spent years as a special assistant working alongside Dr. Jane Goodall.
When not looking for leopards, Stephen lives in the New York City area with his wife, two daughters and pup Daisy.
Allyson Spellman
Board member
Multi-talented Allyson Spellman is a US TV personality, empowerment speaker, spokeswoman, Ms. New England States and is currently a show host at JTV Jewelry ...
Allyson Spellman
Board member
Multi-talented Allyson Spellman is a US TV personality, empowerment speaker, spokeswoman, Ms. New England States and is currently a show host at JTV Jewelry Television. As a lifestyle reporter she has appeared on more than 40 network TV stations nationwide.
While working in various capacities in the Broadway, television and film industry Allyson has also built a highly successful business and multi-media platform empowering women to follow their dreams through personal coaching, workshops and motivational speaking. She is passionate about giving back to society and making socially conscious decisions in her everyday life.
Allyson has been devoted to animals and their well being all her life, but says that meeting Shannon changed her life, inspiring her to become an even louder voice for those who have none. After they met she knew there was no turning back or sitting on the sidelines any longer—she is committed to the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation and being active in saving our wildlife from extinction, suffering and abuse.
Her goal through her work with the Foundation is to create a ripple effect of positive change to influence people in the present and for future generations to honor our animals and the environment.
Jeffrey Tutor
Board member
With over 23 years of investment experience, Jeff Tutor and his team of associates joined the Tutor Group in 2016 and serve as the primary consultant of many significant...
Jeffrey Tutor
Board member
With over 23 years of investment experience, Jeff Tutor and his team of associates joined the Tutor Group in 2016 and serve as the primary consultant of many significant relationships across the country. The Tutor Group maintains a focus on wealth preservation and appreciation through discretionary portfolio management, financial planning, and customized investment solutions to allow entities and individuals mobilize their resources and maximize their impact.
Along with his extensive experience in the handling of mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, private equity, and venture capital, Jeff also specializes in working with athletes, members of the entertainment industry, endowments, non-profit organizations, and private family offices.
Prior to joining Stifel, Jeff spent several years as a senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch and UBS. He holds a B. A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Detroit Mercy and sits on the board as a consultant of several organizations and charitable foundations.
Joseph Reitman
Board member
American actor, director, producer, and writer, Joe Reitman’s long list of achievements in television include roles in Happy!, Ray Donovan, Law & Order: SVU, Married with Children ...
Joseph Reitman
Board member
American actor, director, producer, and writer, Joe Reitman’s long list of achievements in television include roles in Happy!, Ray Donovan, Law & Order: SVU, Married with Children and NCIS: LA, as well as directing The Craig Ferguson Show. His notable film credits include Money Monster, The Perfect Storm, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clueless.
Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, Joseph grew up breakdancing on the streets and helping to run his parents’ business Brookline T-Shirts & Jeans. Music, entertainment and sports were a major part of his school and college life at Pitzer College in California where he majored in theater. Though never a singer, he auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music on a bet and was accepted. Joe also founded Animal Avengers together with Shannon in 2001.
Outside of his successful acting career, Joe enjoys speaking at high schools about the importance of being able to write, cruising on his Harley motorcycle, playing video games and hanging out with his rescue dogs. In his downtime, he teaches acting in Los Angeles whenever possible.
The SA Board & Advisors
The South African Board of Trustees (PBO/NPO) & Advisors
Shannon Elizabeth
Founder•Trustee•CEO
Shannon was born in Texas where she grew up before eventually moving to Los Angeles, California to establish her successful acting career. She has starred in over 50 films and ...
Shannon Elizabeth
Founder•Trustee•CEO
Shannon Elizabeth grew up in Texas before building a successful acting career in Los Angeles, starring in over 50 films and television productions, including the global hits American Pie, Scary Movie, and Love Actually. But it is what she has done since stepping away from the Hollywood spotlight that defines her most.
Shannon's passion for animals has been lifelong. In 2001, she founded her nonprofit, Animal Avengers…a dog and cat rescue that she ran for over a decade in Los Angeles. The drive to do more never left her. In 2015, a pivotal moment at an ivory and rhino horn crush event in New York City introduced her to South African conservationists and ignited a fire that would change the course of her life. She began traveling to South Africa, immersing herself in the realities of the poaching crisis and asking one question: what can I actually do?
By the end of 2016, she had her answer. Shannon started to split her time between the USA and Cape Town and never looked back. In 2018, she launched the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation—an expansion of her original 501(c)(3) in the United States and a registered PBO/NPO in South Africa…dedicated to protecting endangered species, preserving critical habitats, supporting and working with local communities, and building lasting conservation solutions.
The Foundation's work has been wide-ranging and hands-on: supporting rhino horn trimming operations to reduce poaching targets, funding salaries for rangers and anti-poaching teams, sponsoring a doctoral student's ornithology research, and providing resources throughout the pandemic when frontline conservation teams had nowhere else to turn.
At the heart of it all is Munu—a blind black rhino who came into the Foundation's care and inspired Shannon to build something permanent. The result is the Khusela Endangered Wildlife Sanctuary, spanning 2,300 acres of protected wilderness in the Eastern Cape. ``Khusela`` means ``protect`` in isiXhosa, and that is exactly what it does—providing a safe haven for critically endangered black rhinos and other vulnerable species, with state-of-the-art solar-powered infrastructure, water purification, thermal imaging security, and purpose-built care facilities.
Shannon's vision for Khusela continues to grow. The Foundation is now actively exploring community partnerships and sanctuary expansion, working alongside local communities, SANParks, and conservation partners to create a model where wildlife protection and human development go hand in hand.
She continues to use her platform, through speaking engagements, media, and public appearances, to shine a light on the urgent realities facing Africa's wildlife. For Shannon, this was never a pivot or a side project. It is simply who she is.
Dr. Marietta Hopley, PhD/APR/MMM
Board of Trustees
Dr. Marietta Hopley is a distinguished professional and a dedicated advocate for the African continent. As a Trustee of the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation Trust, she brings a...
Dr. Marietta Hopley, PhD/APR/MMM
Board of Trustees
Dr. Marietta Hopley is a distinguished professional and a dedicated advocate for the African continent. As a Trustee of the Shannon Elizabeth Foundation Trust, she brings a multifaceted background in business governance, community engagement, conservation, and strategic fundraising to the organization.
Dr. Hopley’s academic and professional credentials include a PhD, professional accreditation in Public Relations, and the highest post title Military Merit Medal (MMM). Her entrepreneurial success spans the co-ownership of three South African businesses, a global board directorship, and a trusteeship with one of the United States’ largest investment groups. Her tenure at the national government level, including her service in the South African Air Force, involved planning and implementing large-scale public-private partnerships—experience that is now instrumental in steering the Foundation’s community initiatives and sanctuary expansion in the Eastern Cape.
Her humanitarian record is globally recognized. Dr. Hopley has collaborated with numerous heads of state, including Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. As an expert in logistics and administration within conflict zones, she has operated in Syria, Kabul and Iraq, leading rescue operations for both people and animals in some of the world's most volatile environments.
Conservation remains the cornerstone of Dr. Hopley's professional life. As a voting member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, she actively advances motions regarding biodiversity, climate change, and the prevention of illegal wildlife trafficking and animal trade. Her leadership extends to several prominent organizations; she is the former Chair of the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, founder and previous Chair of the Great White Shark Protection Foundation in South Africa and current Founder and Director of the National Animal Welfare Task Team.
Currently, Dr. Hopley holds several leadership positions in community safety, security and development sectors, serving as Chairperson of the Community Police Forum, the Safer Schools Executive Committee (linked to the Western Cape Education Department), and the Spiritual Crime Prevention Executive Committee in the district where she resides. Furthering her commitment to local governance, she was elected by the community as Chairperson of her suburb's Community Improvement District (CID) board, working in alignment with the City of Cape Town’s mandate.
Beyond her executive roles, she is an international consultant for fundraising and events, a strategic planning facilitator, a specialist in mediation and conflict management, and a life skills coach.
Above all else, Marietta is driven by her deep love for her daughter, Mia-Rae, and a steadfast commitment to ensuring she leaves behind a better, more flourishing world for her and the generations to come.
Dr. Jana Pretorius, BVSc, MMedVet (Wildlife), Grad. Diploma. Forensic Sc., LLB
Conservation Advisor & Wildlife Expert
Dr. Jana Pretorius is a specialist wildlife veterinarian with over 25 years of experience working across private, provincial, and national game reserves throughout Southern Africa.
Dr. Jana Pretorius, BVSc, MMedVet (Wildlife), Grad. Diploma. Forensic Sc., LLB
Conservation Advisor & Wildlife Expert
Dr. Jana Pretorius is a specialist wildlife veterinarian with over 15 years of experience working across private, provincial, and national game reserves throughout Southern Africa. A passionate advocate for rhino conservation, she has dedicated her career to developing practical, ground-level solutions to protect endangered wildlife—including the capture and relocation of black and white rhinos across the world.
Jana holds advanced qualifications in both wildlife medicine and forensic science, and has volunteered with organizations including the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Silent Heroes Foundation. She attended the National Rhino Summit as a representative of the South African Veterinary Council, and has been a driving force behind innovative conservation models aimed at creating secure, sustainable sanctuaries for rhinos and other endangered species.
SEF’S INITIATIVES
The Shannon Elizabeth Foundation is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit in the USA & registered PBO/NPO in South Africa.
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