Laura Nirenberg, Esq. - Founding Executive Director

Co-founder of Animal Law & Policy Institute

As the Founding Executive Director of the Center for Wildlife Ethics, Laura manages organizational communications, campaigns, and development. Laura is a graduate of Valparaiso Law School but her commitment to protecting animals was forged long before she became an attorney. Since founding Wildlife Orphanage, a humble but impactful rehabilitation and rescue organization in 1998, Laura led the organization’s expansion to include a wildlife assistance “hotline”. In 2003, Laura further expanded the organization’s area of focus to include a wildlife eviction service (“Intrusion Solutions”)—a life-saving endeavor that focused entirely on developing and implementing creative, non-violent, and permanent solutions to wildlife intrusions. Laura also served on the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Fish & Wildlife’s “Nuisance” Wildlife Subcommittee where she worked to promulgate regulations prohibiting the most egregious abuses prevalent in the wildlife control industry including drowning and the use of nail polish remover as an injected poison. In 2006, Laura won the Purdue University 22nd Hyde Park Speech forum with her presentation entitled, “Misplaced Priorities,” which challenged the Indiana General Assembly’s political posturing and hypocrisy related to its support of a constitutional amendment for the right to hunt.

In 2012, under Laura’s leadership, the organization was restructured as the Center for Wildlife Ethics, an organization innovating legal advocacy for animals. As CWE director, Laura has led legislative reform efforts focusing heavily on wildlife regulations, government transparency and citizen participation. With the recent creation of CWE’s Animal Law & Policy Institute (ALPI), the organization evolved yet again to meet the urgent and growing need for legal support for individuals and grassroots groups committed to animal protection and substantive social change. At ALPI, Laura leads a brilliant team of attorneys to further animal protection efforts through investigative lawyering, the pursuit of government transparency and the exposure of government malfeasance.

Sharon Vogel - Senior Biologist & Secretary of the Board

As CWE’s Senior Biologist, Sharon assists in the guidance of the organization's policies and campaigns. For over twenty years, Sharon has worked extensively in the fields of biology and microbiology, while pursuing her keen interest in the environmental, ecological and behavioral sciences. Equipped with this critical skill set, Sharon is also tasked with scrutinizing scientific journals and studies pertaining to CWE’s various campaigns and programs.

In 1998, after completing her biology degree at Purdue University, Sharon chose to pursue her long-time dream of protecting native wildlife by working for a local grassroots organization, Wildlife Orphanage (the predecessor of CWE).  She quickly became the first vice-president and biologist of the organization. 

Since then, Sharon has expanded the diversity of her skill set through work in the United States and in other countries. From aquatic and wildlife studies in the Arctic to solving microbial mysteries in the Mediterranean, her interests have taken her around the globe. Sharon returned to the organization in 2015 in order to further what she helped to create by applying the knowledge and skills gained during this time away.  

Karen Purves - Environmental and Animal Advocate

Karen contributes to CWE's life-saving mission in a variety of ways. In addition to serving as a board member, Karen brings a creative and strategic perspective to the organization's various initiative and provides expertise in communication and engagement with the wildlife advocacy community as well as external audiences. 

Karen brings a diverse and practical set of skills to CWE, which she has developed working with local government, in the non-profit sector, and in founding her own organizations. While she has spent much of her career specializing in communications, she has a great deal of experience advancing environmental and sustainability initiatives, working in animal protection, and coaching and curriculum development. Based in Las Vegas, NV, Karen is an energizing and award-winning public speaker and is internationally-recognized for her work at her company, innovative impact. 

In her well-rounded career, Karen has applied her Master's degree in Environmental Public Policy from the Claremont Graduate School. She is also a graduate of Pepperdine University, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in business administration. 

Briana N. nirenberg, Esq.

Treasurer of the Center for Wildlife Ethics

Briana Nirenberg serves as Treasurer of the Center for Wildlife Ethics and assists in various projects and communications at the organization. As Laura Nirenberg’s daughter, Briana grew up with the Center in its various iterations, from wildlife rehabilitation up through the current law and policy focus.

Following in her mother’s educational footsteps, Briana attended Michigan State University College of Law and graduated magna cum laude with her J.D. in May 2023. While in law school, Briana took multiple courses in wildlife and administrative law, as well as served on the board of the College’s Animal Law and Natural Resources Law Review.

In addition to advocating for the welfare of animals, Briana also has a passion for human rights: she earned an MA in International Human Rights Law from the American University in Cairo, served as President of the Talsky Center for Human Rights Student Network at MSU Law, and worked in the field of refugee status determination while in law school.

Briana lives with her husband, Abdelmoniem, as they bounce between their families’ homes in Indiana and Cairo, respectively, and their current home in the Lansing, Michigan area. As of October 2023, Briana is a licensed attorney in the state of Indiana.

Trevor DeSane, Esq. - Director of Operations

Co-Founder of Animal Law & Policy Institute

As Director of Operations at the Center for Wildlife Ethics, Trevor focuses on a number of issues, including freedom of information and open government, community cat advocacy, and challenging urban and suburban deer kills, extermination of Canada Geese, and wildlife management schemes centered on violence, reproductive manipulation, or other agenda-driven forms of control. 

Trevor is an animal lawyer based in San Francisco, CA and also represents CayugaDeer.org, a wildlife advocacy organization that has worked diligently to protect deer and promote safe, ethical, and rational solutions for human-deer conflicts in New York State. He has also worked to advance environmentally-conscious land use and zoning policies and development patterns that discourage and disincentivize suburban sprawl and human encroachment into wildlife habitats. Trevor has served as a long-time volunteer and Board Member of a respected local community cat organization, where he has helped protect and care for cats in Manhattan. Prior to joining Center for Wildlife Ethics, Trevor served as legal counsel and coordinated international campaigns and outreach for Tribe of Heart, a pioneering animal rights and social justice advocacy non-profit.

Trevor was the recipient of the Kasdan-Montessori Peace Prize as an undergraduate at Cornell University where he focused on peace studies, causes of war, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As a law student, he focused heavily on human rights law and the plight of Palestinian refugees. Early in his legal career, Trevor represented indigent and disabled individuals and worked on human rights matters, seeking asylum for a diverse group of clients who were victims of persecution in their native countries due to their political beliefs, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic class.

Advisory Board

Adam Karp, Esq. 

Adam Karp practices animal law Washington, Idaho and Oregon, and is one of the nation’s most prominent animal lawyers. He founded and served as first chair of the Washington State Bar Association’s (WSBA) Animal Law Section and founded the Idaho State Bar Association’s (ISBA) Animal Law Practice Section, holding executive committee positions since their formation. He has also served as vice chair of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Animal Law Committee since 2004. Adam regularly writes, speaks, and teaches on the topic of animal law. He has been quoted in TIME, the National Law Journal, and the ABA Journal. The Seattle Times published a profile on Adam’s work for animals in 2014.

In 2012, Adam received the ABA’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section’s Animal Law Committee’s annual Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law Award for his efforts to advance the humane treatment of animals through the law.

Adam has chaired WSBA animal law continuing legal education (CLE) conferences and has spoken at dozens of CLEs around the nation. He has argued before multiple appellate courts on the subject of animal law, resulting in what are considered seminal decisions. 

Adam graduated from Gonzaga University with a B.A. Honors and University of Washington with a J.D. and M.S. in statistics. Mr. Karp and his wife are vegans and share their home with four beloved cats.