Meet The Team
Sam Kondalaji, Ph.D.
Founder and President
Sam is a scientist and humanitarian whose work has always centered on lives at the margins — whether children with rare developmental disorders, communities in crisis, or animals with nowhere else to turn. Her career has been shaped by a commitment to those who are overlooked or left behind.
Tails Beyond Borders Foundation grew from that conviction. Sam now focuses on ensuring shelters in crisis receive the aid they are often denied — building pathways that are ethical, accountable, and sustainable.
For Sam, supporting shelters cut off by sanctions, conflict, or economic collapse is not only possible, but necessary — because turning away has never been an option.
Elizabeth Wheeler, MFA
Secretary and Board Member
Beth is an accomplished artist, educator, and advocate for equitable change. With an MFA and a career that includes international exhibitions, her work explores empathy, resilience, and the unseen lives we share the world with. Rooted in landscape and memory, her art invites us to slow down and honor what is often overlooked.
As Secretary and Board Member of Tails Beyond Borders Foundation, Beth brings creative vision and thoughtful care. She helps shape the foundation’s communications and outreach, ensuring every message reflects the dignity of the lives we serve. Her work reflects a belief that creativity can bridge distance and make space for compassion where it is most needed.
Aaron Robinson, Ph.D.
Treasurer, CFO, and Board Member
Aaron is a scientist, educator, and advocate for global equity. As a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, he has built his career exploring complex biological systems while mentoring the next generation of researchers. His work reflects a belief that science can help shape a more compassionate world.
At Tails Beyond Borders Foundation, Aaron serves as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, overseeing financial stewardship and ensuring operational transparency. He helps align resources with impact, sustaining ethical aid delivery to shelters in crisis. For Aaron, compassion and knowledge must move together to reach those too often left unheard.
Ambassador Pax – The Guardian Who Chose Us
One morning, the team at Pardis Shelter heard a knock at the gate. A German Shepherd stood there alone. No one had brought him; he had come on his own — weary, raw-pawed, but unbroken.
That night, he lay beside frightened puppies until they slept. From then on, he was more than a resident. He became a protector — patrolling the kennels, calming the anxious, guarding not property, but hope.
In a shelter fighting to hold thousands of fragile lives, he became a symbol of endurance — a reminder that:
Resilience stands at the door, asking to come in.
Now, as Animal Ambassador of Tails Beyond Borders Foundation, Pax carries that spirit beyond Pardis — a living bridge between a shelter in crisis and every heart willing to listen across borders.