The Jane Goodall Institute USA Strengthens Board Leadership With 3 Accomplished Leaders in Environmental Storytelling, Geospatial Technology, and Humanitarian Aid 

Sue Crothers, Ashley Fieglein Johnson, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna join JGI USA’s Board of Directors to help advance JGI’s mission and long-term impact. 

(November 2, 2026 – Washington, D.C.) The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) USA today announced the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors: Sue Crothers, Ashley Fieglein Johnson, and Tjada D’Oyen McKenna. Their diverse and valuable expertise will provide instrumental support as the conservation organization carries Dr. Jane Goodall’s legacy forward through wildlife research and rehabilitation, community-led conservation, and youth engagement programs. 
 
These three new board members each represent a different aspect of JGI’s programmatic work. Sue Crothers, a longtime supporter of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, is the Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest (OEYFC), a global youth film contest focused on advancing environmental justice. Ashley Fieglein Johnson is the President and Chief Financial Officer of Planet, the earth-imaging company that advances conservation initiatives such as the biodiversity monitoring resource Project Centinela, currently used by JGI’s conservation science team to implement conservation action plans in Tanzania and Uganda. As the Chief Executive Officer of the international humanitarian aid organization Prosper Global, Tjada D’Oyen McKenna has a proven background in international development that directly connects to the Jane Goodall Institute’s community-led conservation initiatives across the chimpanzee range in Africa.  
 
“Dr. Jane Goodall often spoke of bringing the head and the heart together in harmony to create meaningful change,” said Anna Rathmann, Chief Executive Officer of the Jane Goodall Institute USA. “Sue, Ashley, and Tjada embody that philosophy through their distinct but complementary leadership. Sue’s work demonstrates the power of storytelling and youth engagement to inspire action, while Ashley’s experience leading innovation-driven organizations highlights how technology and data can help solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Tjada’s track record for positively transforming communities speaks directly to our conservation philosophy that the well-being of people, wildlife, and their shared environment is deeply interconnected. Their perspectives will be indispensable as JGI expands its reach, strengthens its impact, and advances Jane’s vision.” 
 
“I am thrilled to welcome three people with unique, transformative viewpoints to the Jane Goodall Institute USA board,” said outgoing JGI USA Board of Directors Chair Franklin Moore. “JGI USA has a long history of engaging young people, supporting storytellers, and advancing conservation by working with communities and through geospatial mapping technologies. With their distinguished backgrounds, Sue Crothers, Ashley Fieglein Johnson, and Tjada D’Oyen McKenna will be invaluable in driving that work forward for decades to come.” 
 
Sue Crothers, Ashley Fieglein Johnson, and Tjada D’Oyen McKenna began their tenure on the JGI USA Board of Directors this October 2026. Their appointments will continue the work of former board members Donald R. Kendall Jr., George Macricostas , and Franklin Moore.  
 
About Sue Crothers 
Sue Crothers is the Founding Director of the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest (OEYFC), a global youth film contest she launched in 2013 to empower young people to advance environmental justice through storytelling. OEYFC connects young filmmakers with environmental leaders and organizations worldwide, including the United Nations Youth Climate Report. The contest partners with Roots & Shoots USA as an Environmental Activism Awards Sponsor, with the Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council serving as peer judges.  

 
An environmental advocate, nonprofit leader, and philanthropist based in Chicago, Sue has also served since 2009 as Director and Board Chair of the Manaaki Foundation, a philanthropic foundation supporting grassroots environmental advocacy, education, independent media, and social justice globally.  
 
Sue’s board and leadership experience has included mentoring high school juniors and seniors through the Future Philanthropist Program, and serving as a founding core team member of PlanItGreen. She chaired the Governance, Education, and Nominations Committee at Planned Parenthood Illinois, served as Board Chair of the Women’s Global Education Project, and was President of the River Forest Parks Foundation, where she helped establish the Village’s first Sustainability Committee, and served as a Commissioner on the River Forest Sustainability Commission. She remains a founding team member of the One Earth Film Festival, the Midwest’s premier environmental film festival.  
 
About Ashley Fieglein Johnson 
Ashley Fieglein Johnson is the President and Chief Financial Officer of Planet, where she is responsible for the company’s global operational strategy and the alignment of its commercial, product, and financial organizations. As President, Ashley oversees the end-to-end execution of Planet’s business goals, leading a broad scope of the business that includes go-to-market operations, product and technology delivery, legal and regulatory affairs, and corporate engineering. As CFO, Ashley focuses on scaling Planet’s operational infrastructure and aligning the company’s financial strategy with its long-term market capture goals. She ensures that Planet’s technical innovation translates into sustained value for customers and shareholders, and creates impactful solutions for a changing world. 
 
Ashley is a veteran executive with a career defined by scaling high-growth technology companies and driving operational excellence. Prior to joining Planet, she served as both Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Wealthfront, where she was instrumental in the company’s financial and operational expansion. She also held several senior leadership positions at ServiceSource, including CFO, Chief Customer Officer, and Interim CEO. Beyond her work at Planet, Ashley serves on the Board of Directors and chairs the Audit Committee for Voltus, Inc., a leading platform in the distributed energy space. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for AnitaB.org, an organization committed to transforming the tech industry by challenging bias, expanding opportunity, and centering people at the heart of progress.  
 
Ashley holds a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Stanford University. 
 
About Tjada D’Oyen McKenna 
As Chief Executive Officer of Prosper Global, Tjada leads a global team of over 4,300 humanitarians, who provide immediate relief to help save lives and livelihoods and work to support transformational change in more than 40+ countries. Previously, she served as Chief Operating Officer of CARE, where she oversaw the organization’s programming and global operations. 

Tjada spent more than a decade working to end world hunger in roles with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. government. During the Obama administration, Tjada served as the Deputy Coordinator of Development for Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative, and the Assistant to the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Food Security in Washington, D.C. 

Tjada also brings a passion for innovation to her work, developed early in her career, through various roles at McKinsey & Company, American Express, and General Electric. 

In addition to leading Prosper Global, Tjada is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Tjada earned a B.A. from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. When she’s not working, Tjada enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with her family. 
 
About the Jane Goodall Institute  

The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global conservation organization founded in 1977 that advances Dr. Jane Goodall’s legacy in 30 offices around the world. The Jane Goodall Institute continues Jane’s vision of inspiring hope and transforming it into action through science driven, technology enabled programs focused on wildlife research and rehabilitation, community-led conservation, and youth engagement. Through the youth program Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, now active in 75 countries and counting, JGI is creating a movement of compassionate people who uphold its mission to create a better world for people, other animals, and our shared environment. 
 
Learn more at janegoodall.org and rootsandshoots.org. Follow @JaneGoodallInst and @RootsAndShoots.