Meet Tom and Linda Rawles

Despite diverse upbringings, Operation Pachamama’s founders, Linda and Tom Rawles, share an unending concern for the planet and an abiding love for its many creatures. After their third trip to South Africa, they decided they had to do something to help save the iconic animals of the African continent. Operation Pachamama, dedicated to saving the planet one animal at a time, is the result.

    

Linda grew up in the shadows of the steel mills in Northwest Indiana. Attending the Law School, University of Chicago, she graduated and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to practice law. Soon she diverted into academia, teaching justice studies, ethics, and political science.  She has now returned to the practice of law as a higher education regulatory lawyer.

    

Tom was reared on a sheep ranch in northern California, where nature was never more than a few steps out the back door. He graduated from Arizona State University’s Law School in the Phoenix area. With the occasional interruption to get involved in politics, as both a staffer and elected official, Tom practiced law for 39 years before his retirement in 2015. He now spends his time trying to get his novels published and overseeing the logistics of Operation Pachamama.