Our Team
Our team of dedicated staff work full-time at our operational base in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Jessica Dawson
CEOJessica was born and raised in San Diego, California. She received a B.S degree from California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo in Business and a minor in Viticulture. After completing her undergraduate degree, Jessica then went on to do a Master’s in Business Administration at San Jose State University. During her undergraduate studies Jessica traveled to Africa and enjoyed spending time there with family and friends. Jessica worked in compliance and international trade in California and shortly in Washington D.C. After completing her Master’s degree she returned to Zimbabwe and soon met Roger Parry her husband. Roger and Jessica have been involved in setting up and running of the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust since it was established in 2008. Jessica has always had a deep love of nature and wildlife and hopes that the work VFWT does will help others to have the opportunity to enjoy nature as much as she does.
Dr. Chris Foggin
Wildlife VeterinarianDr Chris Foggin (BVSc, MRCVS, Dphil) was born in Salisbury (now Harare), Zimbabwe, in 1947 and did his schooling in Zimbabwe. He completed his Batchelor of Veterinary Science degree at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Faculty, University of Pretoria, South Africa in 1970. After five years in private, mixed veterinary practice, he joined the Central Veterinary Laboratory, in the Ministry of Agriculture in 1976. He has remained in the Government Veterinary Services since then.
For the following 13 years he was in charge of the Pathology and Rabies sections, and was awarded his D Phil in 1988 by the University of Zimbabwe, Faculty of Medicine, on the Epidemiology of Rabies and Rabies-related viruses in Zimbabwe.
In 1989, the Wildlife Veterinary Unit (WVU) was formed within the Dept of Veterinary Services, in response to a rapidly-expanding wildlife industry in Zimbabwe. Dr Foggin was appointed Head of this Unit, a position that he held until his age-compulsory retirement in August 2012.
The Unit remains responsible for wildlife diagnostic, regulatory, extension, research and conservation veterinary medicine work throughout Zimbabwe’s commercial wildlife properties, including wildlife conservancies, as well as within the Parks and Wildlife Estate. For over a decade since 1996, after the two veterinarians employed by the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority left Zimbabwe, Dr Foggin was the only veterinarian in the country attending to rhino veterinary requirements. In this work he has had to perform some 1400 field immobilizations of black and white rhino for routine management operations as well as for translocations and treatments of snares and other injuries.
Roger Parry
Wildlife and Research ManagerRoger Parry is the Wildlife & Research Manager for the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust
Roger comes to the Trust with more than 15 years experience in the Wildlife Tourism industry. Additionally, he spent 10 years working for the Zimbabwe Department of National Parks and Wildlife where he ascended to the rank of Senior Warden of Chizarira National Park. Roger also did the occasional flying for National Parks. Roger’s qualifications include 15 years of darting and using chemical and physical capture of wildlife. Roger oversees the community outreach programs and wildlife research. He works together with other staff to manage the human wildlife conflict project, carnivore research, elephant mitigation, vulture research and rehabilitation, and the litter team.
The Vic Falls Wildlife Trust works very closely with the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit – Roger does a lot of the darting of snared and injured animals in the region, and assists when requested with local wildlife authorities and partners in Botswana and Zambia.
Bongani Dlodlo
Community Conservation RepresentativeBongani joined the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust full time in 2010 to assist with working in the field. Bongani is from the Monde area near Victoria Falls, and is fluent in both Ndebele (the local language spoken in the Region) as well as English. Given Bongani’s experience, he is able to run our school’s conservation interaction, human wildlife conflict project, and helps with many of the research efforts in the field. .
Twelve years ago Bongani started off as a cattle herder, and over time due to his keen interest in wildlife and conservation, he improved his position. He now also helps with managing the human wildlife conflict hotline and responding to the local community reports of conflict incidents. Bongani has extensive training in everything from telemetry (for tracking collared animals) to tracking wildlife in the bush. Bongani works on a range of projects but specifically assists with our projects with local communities. He is a huge asset to the Vic Falls Wildlife Trust and we thank him for his help.
Nancy Mutungwazi
Conservation Education OfficerNancy is our conservation education officer who grew up in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. She is a qualified teacher with a diploma in education from Mutare Teachers College. She holds a BSc honors degree in Geography and environmental science and she holds a Masters degree in Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sustainability. At the Trust she is responsible for lesson development and implementation in line with ecosystems and wildlife conservation. She also coordinates the elephant interaction program for the rural and urban primary schools every week.
Guendolyne Bere
Administrative AssistantGuendolyne was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She completed a Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of Namibia where she developed an interest in conservation and sustainable development. Guendolyne was an active member of the conservation club at University and undertook projects looking at rhino conservation and community-based tourism. Guendolyne has 10 years’ administrative experience in diverse business settings.
Guendolyne’s role at VFWT is facilitate operations of the organization and people within it. She provides administrative assistance to the CEO and logistical support to multiple projects within the organization. She serves as the point of contact for donors, collaborators, visitors and the general public.
McDonald Shiri
Laboratory TechnicianMcDonald Shiri (BSc) is our laboratory technician. McDonald was raised in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. He comes with experience in Genetics acquired through volunteering and working as an intern in various Molecular Biology and Biotechnology labs in Zimbabwe. McDonald holds a BSc Honors Degree in Biological Sciences (Microbiology and Genetics) from the University of Zimbabwe. McDonald has worked on plant genetics previously and developed innovative testing methods. McDonald has a keen interest in wildlife diseases and research.
At VFWT he conducts our day-to-day laboratory tests and also deals with wildlife forensics cases.
Dr. Harley Peacocke
VeterinarianDr Harley Peacocke, BVSc (Hons). Was born and educated in Zimbabwe. After finishing school, he spent seven months volunteering in Hwange National Park, with a lion research project where he developed a passion for African wildlife.
Harley then moved to Australia and studied for a Bachelor of Veterinary Science, Honours, degree at the University of Queensland, and graduated in 2019. After graduation, Harley worked in general mixed animal practice in Australia before joining our team here in May 2021. Harley has an avid interest in flying microlight aircraft, a connoisseur of coffee and a love of fishing. His interest in veterinary medicine and wildlife came from growing up and watching his mother who is also a wildlife veterinarian. Harley hopes that he can make a difference in the conservation of wildlife in Zimbabwe.
Melusi Thebe
Communications CoordinatorAs our communications coordinator, he is responsible for a variety of tasks, including overseeing internal tours of our facility and managing our social media pages. He is passionate about public relations and communication, with a talent for making complex concepts understandable to a wide range of audiences. With his personality and attention to detail, he ensures that our social media presence is engaging and informative, and that every visitor to our facility has a positive and informative experience.
Edith January
Community Development CoordinatorHaving grown up in Hwange District, Edith is an individual with nineteen years of experience in community development work mainly working with children, youth, and women in both urban and rural setups. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies Honors Degree and has a great passion for programs that promote child participation, poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and community empowerment. At the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, Edith is coordinating the rocket stoves project
Nicorll Maenzanise
Monitoring and Evaluation CoordinatorNicorll Maenzanise is our Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator responsible for maintaining systems that allow for provision of information that the various stakeholder concerned by our community projects need for accountability, management and learning purposes. She holds a BSc Hons Degree in Environmental Science and Technology from Chinhoyi University.
Herman Ncube
Laboratory TechnicianHerman Ncube comes with profound expertise in the fields of Microbiology and Hematology. He is pivotal in implementing and upholding stringent Quality Management standards. Herman’s extensive experience and unwavering commitment have contributed significantly to the organization’s precision and excellence in wildlife and scientific research..
Nelson Mpofu
Laboratory TechnicianNelson Mpofu is a dedicated Bio Scientist specializing in applied biology and biochemistry, with a profound commitment to the preservation and effectiveness of antibiotics in the fight against infectious diseases. He oversees our serology and histology section.
Mark Lunga
LABORATORY TECHNICIANMark Lunga (BSc), comes with a background in Biochemistry specializing in Immunology from the University of Zimbabwe. He has a deep passion for Molecular Biology and has been involved in disease diagnosis with several research institutes in Zimbabwe.
At VFWT he assists in our day-to-day laboratory tests and is involved with wildlife forensic cases.
Wisdom Nyirenda
Media CoordinatorWisdom Nyirenda is a passionate advocate for wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship. With a background in media and communications, Wisdom brings a wealth of experience to his role as the Media Coordinator at Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust.
Armed with a keen eye for storytelling and a deep love for nature, Wisdom is dedicated to amplifying the organization’s mission and impact through strategic media initiatives. He believes in the power of storytelling to inspire action and drive positive change, and he is committed to leveraging the power of media to raise awareness, foster community engagement, and promote sustainable practices for the benefit of wildlife and ecosystems.
With his creativity, dedication, and unwavering commitment to conservation, Wisdom is excited to contribute to the ongoing efforts to protect and preserve the natural wonders of Victoria Falls and beyond.
