h1
Christopher Harrell
Remote Sensing Analyst
Christopher Harrell has seven years of experience in geospatial science, remote sensing, conservation research, and community development. He holds a Master’s degree in Geospatial Science and Technology from North Carolina State University. Prior to joining Natural State, Christopher worked as a contractor with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he processed historical and contemporary climatology data in cloud-based environments. He has contributed to research in the Loita Hills and Maasai Mara regions of Kenya, focusing on large mammal biodiversity and land-use change, respectively. Having spent two decades of his life in Kenya, he has a deep understanding of the complex challenges of land and wildlife conservation amid the rapid economic growth in East Africa. He is passionate about applying earth observation technologies to support evidence-based decision-making that addresses these pressing challenges.
Kaja Wasik
Entrepreneur in Residence
Dr. Kaja Wasik is currently living in Laikipia, Kenya working on new methods of attracting financial flows towards nature and understanding the dynamic relationships between people and natural landscapes. She is an adjunct professor at the J. Craig Venter Institute and a visiting scholar at Princeton University. She founded two genomics companies; Variant Bio and Gencove, which she led as Chief Science Officer for eight years. Variant Bio is developing therapies to improve global health by studying the genes of people who are outliers for medically relevant traits and genetic architecture. She built Variant’s scientific foundation and pioneered a benefit-sharing program which ensures that study participants benefit from involvement in research. Gencove introduced low-pass sequencing and cloud-based analysis and imputation software as an alternative to genotyping arrays. She completed her Ph.D. in molecular biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and her postdoctoral training at the New York Genome Center.
Britni Hagwood
Head of Operations
Britni Hagwood is the Head of Operations at NATURAL STATE, with 13 years experience in operational and administrative support. Previously the Executive Assistant to the EVP & Chief Scientist, as well as the SVP of Partnerships at the National Geographic Society (NGS), she provided mission-critical logistics and administrative support. Prior to NGS, Britni worked as an Investigative Operations Analyst at the Federal Bureau of Investigation where she conducted case analysis and background research; the EA for the Executive Director of PICO National Network, a social-justice non-profit; and the EA to the Chief Revenue Officer and SVP of Corporate Development at The Advisory Board Company, a healthcare consulting firm. Britni holds a B.A. in Spanish from Alma College with a minor in Environmental Studies.