Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Our senior managers are passionate about our work and the work of our members. Each bring depth of experience in their respective areas. Together, we serve the science of animal welfare and species conservation worldwide.
Senior Management:
Jim Guenter, Chief Executive Officer
Jim has led Species360 since 2015. Before joining our organization, he served in technology leadership roles for major US corporations including Target.com, Best Buy, and Accenture. Jim also served 5 years in the US Army.
Rob Calcagni, Director of Global Membership Development and Marketing
Rob joined Species360 in 2022 to oversee new member development and marketing. He brings over 25 years of experience leading sales and marketing communications on behalf of research universities, nonprofits, government agencies, and corporations. Much of his work has focused on facilitating international client relationships and partnerships.
Elisabeth Hunt, Director of Member Support and Training
Elisabeth joined Species360 in 2002 and heads up the member support and training team. She began her career at Binder Park Zoo in Michigan, USA, where she worked for thirteen years before moving to Minnesota and joining Species360.
Keith D. Olson, Director of Finance
Keith joined Species360 in 2017 and leads the finance and accounting team. He started his career with Twin Cities PBS and served as their CFO for 10 years. Before joining Species360, he also served in non-profit financial leadership positions with Children’s Cancer Research Fund and DARTS.
Clint Pidlubny, Director of Technology
Clint joined Species360 in May 2022. He has extensive technical experience, working as a full stack software engineer for the first 12 years of his career. Since 2010, Clint has been building and managing new technical capabilities involving large data systems and data integration, and digital user experiences.
Sandy Trautwein, PhD, Director of Conservation
Sandy joined Species360 as Director of Aquatic Conservation and Product Management in February 2021 and transitioned to Director of Conservation in June 2023. Her extensive leadership experience in aquarium husbandry, conservation, and research provides Sandy with the knowledge and skills needed to lead the Conservation Department.
Havard Ostgaard, Director of Botanical Solutions
Havard joined Species360 in 2022 together with the rest of the Hortis team. He graduated as a software engineer from the University of Oslo and, after over a decade working as a consultant, founded Botanical Software in 2007 to work on solutions for botanical gardens. In 2020, he started building up a new team to work on Hortis, which now forms part of Species360’s expansion to plant species conservation.
Cameron Gross, Director of Product Management
Cameron joined Species360 in 2023. He has over 14 years of product experience. He began in sales, marketing, and business development and evolved into entrepreneurship and technology leadership. He has had numerous experiences collaborating with teams to deliver new digital products, and strives to make a difference through process improvement.
Nate Flesness, Science Director Emeritus
Nate has a background in population biology and has worked at Species360 since 1979, when he joined as half of the staff. He served as Executive Director until 2009, then Science Director into 2016, and is now Science Director Emeritus.
