Yula Kapetanakos

Yula is a core team member of Re:wild's Phoenix Species Project, a global initiative launched in 2026 to bring Critically Endangered species back from the brink. She works in close collaboration with Re:wild colleagues and international and local partners to build the sustained, evidence-based approaches critical to reverse species declines. 

Yula brings more than 25 years of conservation experience, spanning international wildlife policy and multilateral agreements, project management and financial assistance, zoo curation, science media and research. Before joining Re:wild, she spent over a decade with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's International Affairs program, building partnerships and initiatives to combat illegal wildlife trade. Prior to that, Yula worked with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Conservation Media Lab to work with grassroots NGOs, governmental agencies, and scientific institutions to amplify local conservation voices. Throughout her career, Yula has been dedicated to connecting conservation practitioners and helping them apply proven approaches to design inclusive, strategic initiatives, as well as helping to empower conservation practitioners in countries facing the highest biodiversity loss.

Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Yula now calls the Finger Lakes region of New York her home.