"Hold still...Quiet!" said the Thai scientist as we rounded the corner, sitting on the back of a jeep that was cruising the back roads of the Khao Yai National Park amongst the Thai jungle. While I thought we were moving quite slowly towards our final destination of a tent somewhere in the cold darkness, as I was tired from the 39 hours of travel, our driver was yelling, although quietly, and pointing. And there is was...a herd of 6 wild Thai elephants a few hundred meters in front of the jeep that seemed to jump from the darkness of the night, although they were in the middle of the road.
This was my first encounter with an elephant in the wild, and while the next 10 days involved numerous jaunts to track these animals, nothing compared with the first interaction that cold evening. I was a young scientist on my first expedition into the field to help increase our understanding of Asian elephants and their reproductive functions in the wild. While I was exposed to a great deal of the world on the trip, the most important thing I learned was that while I was dedicating my life to changing the future of Asian elephants I didn't have the slightest clue what the Thai people wanted from their elephants populations; and what they wanted was less elephants. I took pause when I learned this. There is not enough space and wildlife left for the elephants at the rate they are reproducing yet the scientists were working in one direction, while the policy and advocacy community was working to create more space for the elephants, yet neither community was talking to the other about problems or potential collaborations.
I have since dedicated myself to bridging the gap between policy and science and helping these two disparate worlds improve their communication. I have since returned to school, where I received my Maters in Public Policy from Georgetown University in 2007. I have since joined Ashoka where for the past 4.5+ years I have dedicated myself to building a sustainable and replicable model for fueling a world of Changmakers, connecting on the ground innovations with funders and supporting our international team of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.
While there are few places that can match the pristine skys, clean air and warm sun of my hometown in Quincy, Washington, Italy comes as close as any. My Grandparents came from Italy as children to the United States, with no money and no knowledge of where they were headed to start a better and fresh life. While I never had the chance to meet my Italian Grandparents I feel deeply connected with Italy and the people. Having lived in Tuscany for over a year I have come to know the warmth, deep humor and beauty of the culture.
I would like to see a world where all youth understand how they can create a lifestyle and a culture of environmental awareness. A world where people truly understand how their actions affect our physical space, and automatically incorporate this into their daily decision making.
Dessa’s passion for cross-disciplinary studies and her belief that all fields could benefit by including those outside their subject matter led her to study international policy at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute, where she combined her hard science undergraduate education with economics and public finance to receive her Mater in Public Policy in 2007. Dessa worked for Ashoka for the past five and a half years, and has recently moved on to start law school at the University of Washington. Prior to Ashoka, Dessa worked for the Democratic National Committee, specifically Democrats Abroad, increasing overseas voting rights and voter registration.
Dessa is a Washington State native and attended Washington State University for her undergraduate education. When not working, Dessa loves to travel, fly fish and watch movies.
