Who We Are
Saving Our Sharks Foundation is dedicated to supporting local communities' livelihoods by protecting shark populations. We strive to ensure a brighter future for sharks and the communities that call oceans their home.
Mission
To support and amplify shark conservation community efforts and lead a shark conservation movement towards a future where sharks are valued alive, protected and recognized as key species for livelihoods and ocean health.
Vision
A future where people recognize the true value of sharks and they are kept alive, protected as a key species, and valued for the health they provide to our ocean ecosystem and livelihoods.
Our Values
We seek multisectoral collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders to address complex conservation challenges and create exponential impact.
We are committed to exploring new, creative and sometimes disruptive ways to promote shark conservation. We no longer do "business as usual".
TEAMWORK
We are committed to a culture of collaboration, communication, and mutual respect as a way to achieve shared goals and objectives.
IMPACT
We value the importance of measurable impact in our conservation work and only support projects that aspire to long-term, positive impacts on shark populations, their habitats, and the people who depend on them.
We strive to provide education, training, and the resources that empower communities, corporations, and individuals to make positive contributions to shark conservation and marine protection.
CIRCULAR SOLUTIONS
We promote non extractive circular economy solutions through an ecosocial approach to create a positive impact on sharks, fishers, and coastal communities that depend on them.
Meet our Implementing Partner
Saving Our Sharks A.C.
Saving Our Sharks A.C. is a non-profit organization that has been in operation for over 13 years, successfully implementing shark research and conservation projects in the Mexican Caribbean.
The successful management model with bull sharks in Playa del Carmen created 10 years ago by Saving Our Sharks is a fundamental piece in the success we hope to achieve in Isla Mujeres today.
Our Team
We are a group of people who are deeply committed to shark and ocean conservation for the benefit of human livelihoods in the Caribbean
José Luis Funes
President / CEO
José Luis Funes Izaguirre is a leading environmental lawyer with more than 20 years of experience in conservation and environmental management. He holds master’s degrees in Environmental Law from the University of the Basque Country and in Management and Conservation of Species in Trade from the International University of Andalusia. He has played key roles in the Secretariat of Ecology and Environment of Quintana Roo, and in SEMARNAT as General Director of Wildlife, where he represented Mexico before the CITES Convention. Since 2019, he has worked as an environmental legal consultant internationally on high-impact projects. In 2023, he was awarded the “Ramón Bravo Prieto” Medal of Merit for Ecological Protection for his work in the conservation of marine ecosystems.
Luis Lombardo
Executive Director
Luis Lombardo has a degree in Biology and a Master’s in Marine Ecology. He has dedicated his career to shark conservation and has made significant progress, including installing an acoustic telemetry system along the Quintana Roo coast, creating a Mexican Caribbean Bull Shark Identification Guide, and a continuous monitoring program. He also directed the training program for dive centers and created a community fund for shark conservation in Playa del Carmen. He collaborated in the creation of the polygon of the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, including Playa del Carmen, thanks to the presence of sharks and the results of management and monitoring programs.
After 13 years of leading shark conservation in the region, in 2023 he joined as Executive Director of the Saving Our Sharks Foundation to continue his work and scale his impact.
Angie Arenzana
Development Manager
Angie is a versatile and creative communications professional with a knack for storytelling and more than 7 years’ experience coordinating and implementing effective communication strategies for a wide range of audiences and industries. She joins the Saving Our Sharks Foundation as Development Manager to engage a wide range of stakeholders towards shark conservation and community livelihood improvement.
She has relevant experience working for large international corporations and non-profit organizations working in conservation and sustainable development. Angie is passionate about creating impactful and thought-provoking content in written and visual form, to contribute to human and non-human animal liberation for a brighter and more sustainable future.
Cristina Balcázar Escalera
Project Manager
Cristina has over ten years of experience in the humanitarian and environmental sectors. She aims to empower people towards leadership and change through project management and operations, focusing on inclusive and ecosystemic approaches. She joined the Saving Our Sharks Foundation team as project manager. She has worked as a communications officer for an international non-profit in Mexico, managed water and sanitation projects for the United Nations, and collaborated with civil society organizations and initiatives in Mexico.
Her skills include participatory strategies for decision-making and co-management based on human rights and sustainability and experience in media and communications for capacity building, training, campaigns, and reporting. Cristina is a Human Geographer, a polyglot, and a Professional Dive Master, currently involved in citizen science initiatives in the Yucatan Peninsula. She is also a fellow of the Mesoamerican Reef Leadership Program.
Alex Zozaya
Chairman, Board of Directors
Alex Zozaya is a businessman with more than 30 years of experience in the tourism sector. As Executive Chairman of Apple Leisure Group and founder of AMResorts, he led top brands in the hospitality industry. He has received important recognitions in the tourism industry and has been recognized for his commitment to strengthen tourism in different countries.
After the sale of Apple Leisure Group in 2021, Alex has focused on his philanthropic work. He is President of the Amigos de Jesús orphanage in Honduras and of the Saving Our Sharks Foundation. His social commitment and his experience in the tourism sector make him a key leader in protecting natural resources and promoting sustainable tourism. Alex leads an ambitious strategy that seeks to change the paradigm of shark protection not only in Quintana Roo, but throughout the world.
José Manuel Rojas
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Jose Manuel Rojas is a seasoned corporate accountant with over 30 years of experience in financial management. He has extensive knowledge in consolidating financial statements across multiple currencies for large global and private equity companies. Jose’s expertise includes consulting, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, and financial analysis. He has designed internal controls and processes for various industries and is result-oriented, committed to high standards, and has a hands-on approach to his work.
Jose Manuel serves as the treasurer on the board of directors of the Saving Our Sharks Foundation, where he uses his financial expertise to support the foundation’s mission.
Elsa Amador
Secretary, Board of Directors
Elsa Amador is an established professional with over 20 years’ experience in the administration and project management fields, and a track record of strong performance in high-volume, high-pressure environments. For the past eight years she has diligently acted as Executive Assistant to Alex Zozaya, President of the Board at SOSF.
Since 2022, Elsa joined Saving Our Sharks Foundation as Secretary of the Board of Directors, skillfully managing administrative duties and all communications between the SOSF/Zamia teams and the President of the Board. She handles all the logistics for the monthly update meetings and the quarterly Board of Directors meetings, in addition to being a passionate supporter of the Foundation’s mission.
Alberto Friscione
Advisory Board
Alberto Friscione was born in Xalapa, Veracruz in 1953 and is a veterinarian by profession. He has published five photography books and countless articles. He is an underwater cameraman and for more than 40 years, he has documented the fascinating marine life of Mexico and the world. He is a philanthropist at heart, and is part of various conservation initiatives, including the conservation project he leads in the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, and the ocean and shark conservation work that led him to establish the Mexican civil association, Saving Our Sharks, more than 10 years ago.
He currently serves on the advisory board of the Saving Our Sharks Foundation where his unique vision, creativity, and optimism are invaluable in building a movement for shark conservation and ocean health.
Ana Mandri
Chair, Advisory Board
Ana has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years. She has led successful efforts, from supporting indigenous and rural communities, to creating financial mechanisms to guarantee conservation programs. For 15 years she led FONCET, where she generated an innovative financing program to ensure the conservation of the most biodiverse and threatened region of Mexico.
As the director and founder of Zamia Media, she has created a community of more than 15,000 civil association leaders, strengthening their marketing, communication and fundraising skills. Ana is an advisor to various organizations and chairs the Advisory Board of the Saving Our Sharks Foundation, coordinating a diverse group of people united by a love for the oceans and the protection of sharks.
Ana has a Master’s degree in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the Tecnológico de Monterrey.
Antonio Cue
BOARD MEMBER
Antonio Cue Sanchez-Navarro is a successful Mexican entrepreneur and businessman with a finance and real estate background. He co-founded a private real estate company, one of the most recognized in Mexico. At 33, he became the youngest soccer team owner in the MLS in the USA and grew the franchise for eight years. In 2012, he founded Lucha Underground, a sports media company that adapted wrestling into a successful TV show and live event. He later became a founder of Gato Grande Productions, a production company focused on high-quality Hispanic content in partnership with MGM Studios. Antonio is also a skilled investor in various industries and serves on the board of several public and private companies and philanthropic and educational associations. He is part of the advisory board bringing his entrepreneurship approach to help build a movement to conserve sharks.
He has been living in Los Angeles for the last 17 years with his wife and three kids.
Eduardo Guzmán
BOARD MEMBER
Eduardo Guzman is the co-founder, President, and CEO of DCM Architecture & Engineering, a global design and construction firm based in New Jersey. He also co-founded GMMW Development, specializing in residential rental properties. Eduardo has served in advisory and board roles for organizations like the Mexican Cultural Center and the US Green Building Council. He has received prestigious awards such as CEO of the Year and Most Influential Latinos in the Delaware Valley. As an avid diver, Eduardo volunteers at the Adventure Aquarium and the New Jersey Center for Aquatic Sciences. He resides in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and Valle de Bravo, Mexico, with his spouse and four certified diver children.
Enrique Benet
Advisory Board
Enrique Benet Gregg. A multifaceted individual with extensive experience in law, entrepreneurship, art, and conservation. Born in 1977, Enrique’s strategic outlook on life and precise and analytical approach has proven instrumental in his many professional endeavours. Enrique is a founding partner of IBG Legal, a boutique law firm, XB Equities, a sustainable real estate developer, and several other successful ventures. Enrique’s legal expertise and keen business sense have helped drive real estate and business project success.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Enrique is a dedicated conservationist. He serves on the Executive Council of the Panthera Foundation in Mexico, the President of Nommos for the Oceans, working to protect and preserve endangered wildlife, and the advisory board member of Saving our Sharks Foundation.
Enrique is also an accomplished artist who seeks to integrate consciousness, art, and environmental conservation. His artistic pursuits have also led him to explore his interest in writing and philosophy.
Jorge Macari
BOARD MEMBER
Jorge Macari has over 14 years of experience in the real estate industry. He received his undergraduate degree from the renowned Culver Military Academy and completed his graduate and postgraduate degrees in Marketing and Human Resources from Southern Methodist University. As partner of Desarrolladora el Arca, Mr. Macari was part of a leadership team that developed the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen hotel, one of the most celebrated hotels in Playa Del Carmen, the Dreams Vista Cancun, the development of the Dreams & Secrets Bahía Mita, and the acquisition of the Dreams Puerto Aventuras. Jorge has invested in over 30 land developments, including upscale and luxury hotels, commercial, residential projects and film studios. Having a physical presence in Baja California, Riviera Nayarit, Cancun and the Riviera Maya, their acquisitions and developments have been carefully targeted.
Mauricio Hoyos
Advisory Board
Dr. Mauricio Hoyos is the Director and Co-founder of Pelagios Kakunjá. He is recognized for his expertise in the study of sharks, including nursery areas, reproduction, movement patterns and habitat use, ecology, and shark behavior. Based in La Paz, he has studied various shark species in different parts of the world, and is part of the scientific committee of various marine reserves in Mexico. In addition, he has been active in shark conservation outreach and education, giving over 300 talks to groups of all ages. During his career, he has received various recognitions for his work in shark conservation and protection, including Shark Project International’s Shark Guardian 2022 title.
Dr. Hoyos has also scientifically advised several international and national documentaries. As a member of Saving Our Sharks Foundation’s advisory board, he brings all of his scientific expertise to bear on recommendations on marine conservation projects in which the foundation is involved.
Ricardo Farkas
Advisory Board
Ricardo Farkas is a leading businessman in the Mexican tourism industry and a passionate conservationist. A graduate of Rice University in 1976 with a major in Economics and Business, he is co-founder of Grupo Adventures in Puerto Vallarta, one of the leading ecotourism companies in Mexico that supports social and conservation programs in the Cabo and Vallarta area. Among the programs he supports are the Network for the Disentanglement of Marine Mammals, the Permanent Program for the Rescue, Rehabilitation and Return to the Sea of Marine Species and Bahía Unida. He participated in the financing and organization of studies to convert the Marietas Islands into a Protected Natural Area where he also leads a conservation program for the Islands and marine species.
Ricardo brings his vast experience, commitment to environmental conservation, and his leadership to the Saving Our Sharks Foundation where he serves on the advisory board.
Melodie Trevino
Head of Development
Melodie Treviño is a dedicated ocean advocate and Head of Development for Saving Our Sharks Foundation, bringing a unique blend of expertise to marine conservation. Based on the Caribbean Coast, she is an accomplished Trimix (450ft/137m), Cave, and Wreck diver, specializing in underwater exploration, including Taam Ja, the world’s deepest Blue Hole, and the Xunaan Ha Expedition, part of The Planet Perpetual Initiative supported by Rolex.
With an MBA from Yale School of Management and the University of Twente, specializing in Geopolitics and Sustainability respectively, Melodie combines her academic knowledge with a deep passion for the ocean. As a co-founder of a company focused on regenerative tourism, she understands the importance of sustainable practices and community engagement.
In her role with Saving Our Sharks, Melodie leverages her experience to drive fundraising efforts, build strategic partnerships, and expand the foundation’s impact in shark and ray conservation. She is committed to tackling shark fishing issues, supporting ecosystem regeneration, and promoting eco-conscious tourism that benefits local communities. A passionate athlete and naturalist, Melodie is driven to protect the ocean’s wonders and ensure a sustainable future for marine life.
Mourad Essafi
Treasurer
Juan Pablo Maturana
Advisory Board
