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How do you tell the difference between a jaguar fang and a dog tooth? For Joaquin de la Torre Ponce, teaching trade officials in South America the answer to this question could help end the illegal trafficking of the region’s most endangered big cat. And that’s just one part of his job.

Joaquin has made a decade-long career out of crafting effective messages to support causes in animal welfare, conservation, and biodiversity. He started at IFAW, building relationships with media outlets in Latin America to help drive the conversation around wildlife protection. From there, Joaquin went on to consult for organizations like Oxfam before returning to IFAW as the Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean.

As the Regional Representative, Joaquin plays the dual role of advocating for the region on the world stage, while simultaneously building out many of the resources and programs across Latin America and the Caribbean. That includes establishing IFAW’s first project to address illegal wildlife trafficking in South America, as well as helping to build Conservation Leaders in the Caribbean—which trains and empowers young conservation professionals to bring their expertise back home. In each case, it’s Joaquin’s leadership and capacity to effectively communicate across boundaries and roles that helps gain IFAW the partnerships and resources it needs to carry its mission forward.