Who We Are
Executive Director: Richard Zimmerman
Richard Zimmerman is the Founding Director of Orangutan Outreach, a New York-based non-profit organization whose mission is to save the critically endangered orangutans and protect their rainforest home. Richard grew up in Southern California, where his love for orangutans was fostered by frequent visits to the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos. His passion was reignited years later when he was living in Barcelona and made regular visits to the Barcelona Zoo to see Snowflake, the legendary albino gorilla. It was in the enclosure just around the corner from the gorilla that Richard first set eyes on a giant Cheekpadder male orangutan named Moe. Richard spent many afternoons with Moe, who was always alone, sitting silently on a barren slab of concrete with little enrichment and no companions. Each day, when it was time to go in, Moe would bellow out a long call and then wait patiently for his keepers to come and open the door so he could slowly make his way back inside.
Years later, while living in New York City and working at UNICEF, Richard began reading about the conversion of old growth Indonesian rainforest into industrial oil palm plantations. Orangutans were already critically endangered in the wild — but this was taking it to a whole new level. The actual threat of extinction was now very real. He began volunteering with several UK-based orangutan conservation organizations, offering his skills as a web developer to help them update and manage their websites. In 2006 Richard took his first trip to Indonesia to see what he thought would be wild orangutans with his own eyes. Hoping to see a lush tropical rain forest, what he found instead was the near total destruction of entire forests in Borneo and Sumatra and hundreds of orphaned orangutans being cared for in underfunded rescue centers.
Richard realized immediately that he had to do more to help the orangutans. A year later he traveled back to Indonesia to meet more stakeholders on the ground, and when he returned to New York he decided to follow his heart and start his own non-profit, Orangutan Outreach. Created in 2007, the organization grew quickly thanks to a close affiliation with the Animal Planet series Orangutan Island. With little more than his Mac, his BlackBerry iPhone and his will to save orangutans by working with like-minded groups and individuals around the world, Richard has been able to raise over eight million dollars for orangutan conservation. Over the years, Richard has expanded Orangutan Outreach to work with an increasing number of partners, including the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), International Animal Rescue (IAR), the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), the Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) and Conservation Action Network (CAN).
Orangutan Outreach has achieved Richard's original goal of making a significant difference in the lives of orangutans, but there is still so much more work to be done.... {:(|}
Read an interview with Richard on the BNF (OuTrop) blog.
Community Engagement Manager: Debbie Clemens
Debbie Clemens is a conservation biologist from the Chicago-land area. She comes to Orangutan Outreach with knowledge from a Master's degree in Zoology, the experience of field work in SE Asia, a passion for wildlife conservation, and a strong desire to educate others. Debbie has expertise in orangutan behavior and ecology, community-based conservation, and the role of zoological institutions in conservation. Debbie is practiced in interpretation of animal behavior as well as animal care and husbandry. She is an experienced instructor of conservation biology graduate level courses including field courses in Malaysian Borneo. Having worked at various wildlife centers, Debbie is also a seasoned informal educator. Debbie is dedicated to the conservation of wild orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra and has been working on their behalf since 2010. She began working for Orangutan Outreach in 2019.
As the Community Engagement Manager, Debbie assists in the growth of Orangutan Outreach by increasing awareness of our work by creating content for our website and social media channels, by providing presentations and interviews, and by sharing her expertise on podcasts. Debbie also stays in close contact with our donors and supporters, fosters new partnerships, and manages special campaigns and initiatives. Using a unique set of skills, Debbie is able to motivate others to take positive action on behalf of wild orangutans and their forest home. Have a great idea? Debbie would love to connect with you. She can be reached at email hidden; JavaScript is required
Senior Program Manager: Andrea Knox
Andrea Knox is a primatologist with a passion for understanding how our closest cousins behave and think so that she can use this knowledge to conserve them in their wild homes. Now based in New York, Andrea joined the Orangutan Outreach team in 2025 following seven years of living in Indonesia to work with orangutans on the frontlines. Andrea’s journey to conserve wildlife started when she was still in school, conducting research at her local wildlife sanctuary and interning at a veterinary office. She went on to pursue degrees in biology, anthropology, and conservation & biodiversity, as well as practicing in animal care as a primate keeper in Louisiana. When her career took her to Borneo to manage an orangutan post-release monitoring camp, she was able to apply her past experiences and skills to in-situ conservation efforts. She thrives in multi-cultural settings and when faced with complex challenges, allowing her to apply knowledge in new and exciting ways to create novel, multi-faceted solutions.
As the Senior Program Manager, Andrea’s role focuses on coordinating with Orangutan Outreach’s project partners in Indonesia to ensure that your support has the greatest impact possible for orangutan conservation. Working with the project partners, she will help them design and implement projects that meet the most pressing needs for orangutan conservation while also supporting local communities and ensuring long-term sustainability. If we are to save our primate cousins and their ecosystems, we must work collaboratively, stay open-minded and empathic, and embrace both research and creativity.
Board Member Spotlight: Colleen Reed
Colleen Reed is a life-long wildlife conservationist. She grew up in the woods of Florida, following her dog, the horses, and the abundance of wildlife in her neighborhood. At an early age, she became enthralled with Jane Goodall and her chimpanzees, and began volunteering with animal organizations throughout Florida. Colleen holds a BS in Zoology and Anthropology from the University of Florida. She has been a docent at the Central Florida Zoo, a Jane Goodall Institute ChimpanZoo observer, and a volunteer for the Center for Great Apes. After college, she became a great ape caregiver with Patti Ragan and the team at the Center for Great Apes. There, she helped care for 43 chimpanzees and orangutans, all from pet trade, the entertainment industry (circus, commercials, movies, live performances), or cognitive research. She now lives in Portland, Oregon where she works as a primate keeper at the Oregon Zoo. She also helps coordinate Apps for Apes for Orangutan Outreach and is spearheading an effort to bring enrichment to caged adult orangutans at care centers in Borneo.
Artist in Residence
Alina Bachmann has been a friend and supporter of Orangutan Outreach since 2009. We fist met Alina when she was an art student at the College of New Rochelle in New York. She designed our ORANG mama & baby logo that is featured on our tee-shirts and hoodies. She also created several sets of orangutan drawings that we use on Halloween, Valentines Day and New Years. Learn more about Alina and see her work on our Pinterest page.
THE GREAT CHEEKPADDER (our patron saint)
Be a voice for those who cannot speak. ~ The Great Cheekpadder
The problems we face today are merely a result of the problems someone else didn't have the courage to face yesterday. ~ The Great Cheekpadder
Be wary of anyone who lacks love in their life. They will steal your spark and take it with them into the abyss. ~ The Great Cheekpadder
Defining one's principles and then making the conscious decision to live by them is the mark of a mature mind. ~ The Great Cheekpadder
No data? No science. ~ The Great Cheekpadder
Be wary of those who boast but show no proof. ~ The Great Cheekpadder