DEMER GONZALES VASQUEZ
Demer has a vision of conserving his culture by protecting and developing Shipibo-Conibo Intellectual Property. He is Director of the Instituto de Desarollo Alternativo Raíces Amazónicas (IDEARA) In Pucallpa, Peru, leader of Shipibo-Conibo youth organization OJIRU, manager of Korin Niwe, a Shipibo-Conibo youth football team, a traveling professor of Social Sciences in remote Shipibo-Conibo communities in the Ucayali River basin, and one year away from completing the Peruvian bar examination to become one of the first few Shipibo-Conibo lawyers. He recently ran for local governor in Pucallpa, finished as the runner-up, and is running again. Demer is writing his thesis for matriculation to the Peruvian Bar on development of the Shipibo brand, using intellectual property and copyright laws to protect Shipibo-Conibo designs. At IP^2 Foundation, Demer builds local capacity in the Amazon.
Jesse HAMILTON HUDSON
Jesse has a Juris Doctor and a Masters of Science in International Development from Tulane University Law School, New Orleans. He has a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He worked in the Peruvian Amazon on indigenous entrepreneurship and represented Shipibo-Conibo communities against oil and gas companies on their lands. He is admitted to the Bar in Illinois and practices law in Chicago. He has published reviewed papers analyzing the globalization of indigenous medicine, the legal frameworks for ayahuasca churches in the U.S., operational-level grievance mechanisms for low-income workers in developing countries, and corporate compliance with supply chain transparency laws on human trafficking, modern day slavery and conflict minerals. He has work experience in startups, formation of corporations, and fund formation. At IP^2 Foundation Jesse provides strategic support for Demer's vision.
Zezinho yube
Yube (aka José de Lima Kaxinawa) is from the Huni Kuin people of Acre, Brazil. He is currently the Vice President of FEPHAC (Federation of the Huni Kui People of the State of Acre) and is working to unite their numerous villages to make large changes in Acre and the region. As a cultural ambassador, he has traveled the world to forge alliances, like IP2, to create a new reality for his people. As a filmmaker, Zezinho has participated in indigenous film festivals in the United States, Germany, Mexico and Bolivia and his films have won the the following awards: ForumDoc Documentary Festival of Belo Horizonte -Brazil (2006); Tatu de Oro-Bahia Film Festival (2008); Tatu Plata -Bahia Film Festival (2009). He was Secretary of AMAAIAC (Association Movement of Indigenous Agroforestry Agents of Acre) from 2002 to 2008 and Advisor for Indigenous Affairs with the Government of the State of Acre from 2011 until 2019 and as a result of this position, visited nearly all of the Huni Kuin communities in Acre, a feat accomplished by few people. Zezinho comes from a long lineage of tradition, in which the sacred rites of the Huni Kuin people have been handed down from one generation to the next.
Chris dodds
Chris Dodds graduated with a bachelors degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado in 2012. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1989, he is fluent in Portuguese and has been traveling to the Amazon since 2016 to aid in and document the revival of indigenous culture. He has served as a translator and advisor to various tribal leaders including Yawa Bane and Yube “Zezinho” Kaxinawa of the Huni Kuin, as well as Benki Piyãko of the Ashaninka. In recent years he has been engaging a vast network of allies to contribute to the indigenous movement. His work with IP2 is focused around creating lasting relationships between the tribes and inclusive brands in the US and around the world.