Our Team
Leadership
Burks B. Lapham
Chair
Burks Lapham was longtime chair of CONCERN, INC., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the premise of community-driven action to protect the environment and nurture local livelihoods. She is a past director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council and Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
Nicholas P. Lapham
President & Treasurer
Nick Lapham is a lifelong conservationist with professional experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and government sectors. He has held senior positions with Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, and the UN Foundation, and served in the State Department and the White House during the Clinton administration.
Nick is a passionate birdwatcher and wildlife photographer. Along with his family, he owns Sunnyside Farm & Conservancy in Rappahannock County, Virginia.
Gardiner O. Lapham
Secretary
Gardiner Lapham (RN/MPH) is a passionate advocate for epilepsy research and awareness. She is the former board chair of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE) and a cofounder and co-chair of Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy (PAME).
Gardiner sits on the International League Against Epilepsy’s Global Outreach Taskforce. She’s been a health policy adviser for CARE, an emergency room nurse at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, and a trustee of The Washington Free Clinic and Whitman-Walker Health.
Clark S. Mitchell
Trustee
Clark Mitchell, a longtime travel journalist and editor, has always had a deep love of plants and plant communities, especially the world’s highly imperiled grasslands. Clark has served on the steering committee of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute since its founding in 2017.
Clark is a director of the Center for Plant Conservation and the Natural Areas Conservancy in New York City, where he lives with his husband, David.
Staff
Stratton Hatfield
Director of Conservation Science & East Africa Program Lead
Stratton is a naturalist, conservationist, and researcher with more than 12 years of experience working across East and Southern Africa. He is particularly passionate about conserving rare and threatened species through community-led approaches. Before joining BAND, he helped establish the Mara Raptor Project and the Kwenia Vulture Sanctuary, initiatives of the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust. He serves on the Africa Regional Advisory Group for Avilist and on the advisory boards of the Mountain Bongo Project and The Pangolin Project. Stratton holds an M.S. in Forest and Natural Resource Sciences from the University of Kentucky and is completing a PhD on the ecology of the Martial Eagle at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands. Outside of work, he enjoys birding, mammal watching, wildlife photography, and exploring wild places with his partner Britt.
Walid Hedidar
Program Manager
Walid is a social impact professional with experience in philanthropy and international development. He started his career supporting the design and implementation of education and health programs across Africa where he worked with UNDP, UNESCO, the Brookings Institution, Last Mile Health, and others. In 2021, Walid transitioned to Boldly Go Philanthropy where he serves as an impact advisor to individuals and families. Through his affiliation with Boldly Go Philanthropy, he has been supporting BAND's programs for over 3 years. Walid holds a Master's degree in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania and an Executive Certificate in Strategic Philanthropy from Cambridge University. Walid was born and raised in Tunisia. In his free time, he enjoys sailing and doing improv.
Drew Wharton
Director of Digital Media
Drew is Principal of Wharton Media, a nature-focused digital media studio he founded in 1997 after serving as Director of Internet Services for a Fortune 1000 in Los Angeles. He brings nearly three decades of experience in digital media to his role with BAND. His work with organizations including Yosemite National Park, Monterey Bay Aquarium, UC Santa Cruz, and National Geographic has taken him from the Monterey Bay and Sierra Nevada to the Virginia Piedmont, capturing and communicating the beauty and complexity of the natural world through thoughtful, purpose-driven media.
When not in the office, you'll find—or more likely, not find—Drew backpacking in the Yosemite Wilderness with camera gear in tow.
Advisors
Dr. Dwayne Estes
Dwayne Estes serves as Executive Director at the Southeastern Grasslands Institute. He is a Full Professor of Biology, Director of the Austin Peay State University Herbarium, and Principal Investigator for the Center of Excellence for Field Biology. In 2016, he co-founded SGI with Theo Witsell. Under his leadership, they have raised $46 million. He has been active in building diverse support for Southeastern U.S. grasslands conservation, from national to local levels, and across the Southeast, he is often called the “Prairie Preacher.” PBS Appalachia Virginia won an Emmy for Best Documentary titled “The Prairie Preacher,” highlighting SGI’s work. He works with the Volgenau Climate Initiative as chair of the America’s Grasslands Coalition. Dwayne’s research interests include the biodiversity, ecology, history, and biogeography of the Southeastern U.S., with an emphasis on grasslands and open woodlands.
Dr. Arthur Middleton
Arthur Middleton is the Goertz Professor of Wildlife Management and Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also co-directs the Stone Center for Environmental Stewardship. As a wildlife ecologist, his research has focused on the behavioral and population ecology of wide-ranging wildlife, and how this science can aid in the design of large-landscape conservation initiatives and human-wildlife conflict solutions. Arthur and his group maintain active field programs in the Northern Rockies, Northern California and Argentinian Patagonia. Deeply committed to bridging science and practice, Arthur works with diverse stakeholders—including federal and state leaders, agencies, landowners, Tribes, and conservation groups—to support positive and practical conservation outcomes. From 2022 to 2025, he served as the first Senior Advisor for Wildlife Conservation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.