NATURE AND CULTURE INTERNATIONAL - Key Persons
Adriana is an environmental lawyer native to Colombia. She has experience working on environmental law and policy issues in Latin America, particularly as related to sustainability, nature-based solutions, and climate change mitigation and adaption. She is also interested in the transition towards carbon-free energy systems, urban forests, and the overlap between biodiversity conservation and infrastructure development. Adriana and her husband support a scholarship fund in Colombia for undergraduate and graduate student theses related to conservation and sustainable use of Colombia's biodiversity.
Job Titles:
- Geographic Information Systems Specialist
Job Titles:
- Environmental Legal Coordinator
Andrew is an entrepreneur and conservation advocate. He served as co-chair of Colorado Governor Jared Polis's transition team for Energy, Natural Resources, and Agriculture in 2019. His work includes legislative, regulatory and ballot measure policy advocacy, leading initiatives in impact investing for wildlife habitat conservation and pro-Nature election efforts. Andrew led fellow conservation buyers to partner with a land trust to create a 5,000-acre prairie wildlife preserve and helped support another land trust in protecting an inholding in James Peak Wilderness. He is interested in using media and storytelling to raise awareness and action, including a TEDxBoulder talk on endangered species. He is founder and former Director of Environmental Entrepreneurs Rocky Mountains. Andrew was a successful founder and CEO of two software startups and holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Executive Director of E2
Bob is executive director of E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business owners, investors, and professionals who leverage economic research and their business perspective to advance policies that are good for the environment and good for the economy. E2's national network includes more than eleven thousand business leaders spread across nine chapters, stretching from New York to Los Angeles, and a staff of advocates who work on climate and clean-energy policies at the federal and state levels. An affiliate of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), E2 is the foremost business voice on issues at the intersection of the environment and economy and the leading authority on clean-energy jobs in America. Previously, Bob spent nearly twenty-five years as a journalist covering business and technology for organizations such as the St. Petersburg Times, Austin American-Statesman, and the Cox Newspapers chain. In 2008, he moved to Washington, D.C. to cover Congress and the White House for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, before joining E2 in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of FUNACE, Dry Forest and Sustainable Livelihoods
Byron Swift is an environmental lawyer, and has worked for the past four decades to conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems in most countries of the Western hemisphere. He has served as President of Nature and Culture International, founder and President of Rainforest Trust, and head of the United States office of IUCN - the World Conservation Union. An avid birder, he graduated from Columbia Law School and Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Monitoring and Evaluation Project Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Agroforestry Engineer, Achiote and Vainillo Projects
Charles has started five companies and one foundation. He is known for inventing the royalty-free image delivery model at Digital Stock Inc., one of the world's first internet-enabled transaction models, and later sold directly to Bill Gates. Charles also developed the confidence-based learning model at Amplifire, the leading learning platform based on cognitive psychology with over 3 billion learner interactions to date, and recently sold to Polaris Partners. He is co-founder and a board member of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, and previously served on the Director's Cabinet at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Located in northwestern Mexico, Cuenca del Mayo encompasses more than 2.1 million acres of coniferous forest and tropical dry deciduous forest. This area supplies water to more than 24,000 people and irrigation for hundreds of thousands of crops in Chihuahua and Sonora. Nature and Culture works in partnership with Rainforest Trust and the federal government to protect this vital region.
Job Titles:
- Environmental Law Coordinator
Daniela is an environmental activist from Pereira, Colombia currently living in Boulder, CO. Over the past decade, Daniela has worked at the intersection of social issues and environmental challenges via nonprofits, philanthropy, consulting, and business, including as the co-founder of the Torres del Paine Legacy Fund in the Chilean Patagonia. She has been an enthusiastic fan and supporter of NCI's model of conservation and deep partnership with Indigenous communities, which led her to join the organization's Board of Directors in 2021. Daniela earned a BA from Stanford University, a Certificate in Tropical Forest Conservation from Yale School of the Environment, and a Masters in Environmental and Natural Resources Policy from CU Boulder.
David Neill has lived in Ecuador since 1985, where he has been carrying out floristic projects, providing training to Ecuadorian botanists, and assisting in the development of the National Herbarium of Ecuador (QCNE). In the past he served as director of the Jatun Sacha Foundation, a nonprofit Ecuadorian organization engaged in conservation, education and research, and holds a position as a university professor in Quito.
Diana is the host of the Women's Investor Community Podcast, helping women take control of their finances and invest in conscious companies. www.dianarichey.com. As a financial planner and tax lawyer with over 15 years of experience, she has represented multinational corporations, investment funds, and high-net-worth individuals on matters ranging from international tax planning to charitable giving to cryptocurrency tax compliance. Diana earned a B.A. with honors from The University of Chicago and a J.D., cum laude, from Boston University School of Law. She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Project Management Professional (PMP®), trained mediator, and FINRA arbitrator. She lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with her husband and dog, and is passionate about preserving large landscapes.
Job Titles:
- in Memoriam, Honorary Board Member
Ed Wilson is a renowned biologist, author and Professor Emeritus at Harvard University. He is considered the world's foremost expert on myrmecology, or the study of ants. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author known for his books ranging from biology to environmental advocacy and his secular-humanist ideas on the interplay between religion, ethics and conservation.
Ed Wilson is a renowned biologist, author and Professor Emeritus at Harvard University. He is considered the world's foremost expert on myrmecology, or the study of ants. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author known for his books ranging from biology to environmental advocacy and his secular-humanist ideas on the interplay between religion, ethics and conservation.
Job Titles:
- Cuenca Office Coordinator, Andean Corridor
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
Ivan founded Nature and Culture International in 1997, and has led our efforts to protect millions of acres of tropical ecosystems. He is the co-founder of the Del Mar Partnership, one of the earliest developers of biotech laboratories in San Diego, as well as prestigious projects like the Del Mar Plaza. His firm has won the Urban Land Institute's National Award of Excellence. Ivan has served on numerous boards in San Diego, including the Museum of Man and the Director's Cabinet at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 2010, Ivan won the San Diego Zoological Society Conservation Medal, previously bestowed on conservation icons such as E.O. Wilson and Jane Goodall.
Jane Goodall is a world famous primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots and Shoots. Her work began in Tanzania where she studied the social and familial behaviors of chimpanzees. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees. Her work has been critical to conservation and animal welfare efforts.
John spent 36 years leading development and advancement programs in the charitable and educational sector, including at three major universities, a leading genomics research institute, and the oldest continuously operating theater in the Western Hemisphere. Early in his professional career, he catalyzed the creation of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, an entity that, after more than 45 years of operation, is now managing properties transferred by the Nature Conservancy. A decade ago he began helping advance companies with technologies that can enhance the future for people globally. Today he is the general partner and managing director of an impact fund with a portfolio of twenty companies in multiple sectors that can make the world more positive for all life on the planet. He and his wife especially enjoy hiking in natural areas.
Job Titles:
- Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
Karina joins Nature and Culture bringing over 15 years of experience working with international nonprofits in the US and Central America. Her passion for environmental sustainability in conjunction with sustainable development comes from spending over a decade supporting local communities living amongst the mangrove forests of El Salvador. Karina spent over 10 years living and working in Central America as a Program Officer for Humanitarian Preparation and Response with Oxfam America where she coordinated projects throughout Central America. She earned a Master's degree in International Affairs and a Master's degree in Public Health from Columbia University.
Keryn is a UC San Diego graduate of dual majors in Economics and Spanish Literature and has an MBA from San Diego State University. She lived in Mexico and Spain during her education, greatly increasing her appreciation for Latin America and its culture. She comes to Nature and Culture with extensive experience as a CPA, having served as Controller and CFO for privately-held and publicly traded companies, as well as accountant for the Spreckels Organ Society during her public accounting tenure. Her love for nature has been enhanced by longtime membership in the San Diego Zoological Society, and she has long desired to work for an organization dedicated to nurturing the environment.
Job Titles:
- Director of Individual Giving
Job Titles:
- Manager of Annual Giving and Donor Engagement
Job Titles:
- Physician
- Vice - Chair of the Board
Marcia is a preventive medicine physician. For two decades she was medical director of IntraHealth.org, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. In North Carolina, she was medical director of a county health department, taught international health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), and taught environmental epidemiology at Duke University's School of the Environment. Marcia has a BA from Harvard University, an MD from Duke University, and an MPH from UNC-CH. She serves on the boards of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, and the Southern Environmental Law Center, as well as several advisory councils. At home she is an enthusiastic organic gardener.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- President
Matt started with Nature and Culture in 2015, as an advisor in the Loja, Ecuador office. For seven years prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, a conservation organization in his native Portland, Oregon and also served as treasurer on the board of an Oregon-wide network of conservation entities. Additionally, he's worked extensively for Native American tribal governments in the US, supporting their treaty fishing and water rights. Matt first fell in love with Latin America - its vibrant cultures, stunning landscapes and incredible biodiversity - while in Honduras in the 1990s as a Peace Corps volunteer. He has a BA from Stanford University in English Literature and Human Biology and a Master's in Environmental Management from Yale University.
Job Titles:
- Country Director of Mexico
- Mexico Country Director
Job Titles:
- Project Monitoring and Information Officer
Job Titles:
- Financials and Reports in the Media Contact Us Privacy Policy
- Humboldt Institute Researcher, Conservation Strategist
Job Titles:
- Senior Latin American Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Administrator of San Francisco and Laipuna Stations
Job Titles:
- Head of Finance in Latin America
Job Titles:
- Founder and Chief Conservation Officer
Renzo has broad experience in the field of conservation. In 1996, Renzo and Ivan Gayler established the San Francisco Scientific Station in southern Ecuador, which now supports the largest tropical mountain forest ecology research program in the world. Under Renzo's direction, Nature and Culture's conservation model was first developed in Ecuador and then expanded to Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. Renzo served as coordinator of the United Nations Geo-Loja report and was president of the Regional Council of the Catamayo-Chira River Basin. In recognition of his efforts, Renzo received the Podocarpus Award from Loja's Provincial Council for his conservation and environmental management efforts. He holds a Master's in Zootechnics from the People's Friendship University in Moscow.
Sandy's career has focused on starting, managing, overseeing, and investing in small cap companies. He started his first company as a freshman in college and had 60 employees by his sophomore year. In the early 90's he became one of the first strategic planners in the U.S. advertising industry and went on to co-found one of America's first and leading brand strategy firms that served category-leading brands such as Coca-Cola, P&G, IBM and GM. In the mid-2000's he sold the firm and joined @Last Software as the independent board director through the company's acquisition by Google. Following the exit he co-founded Lacuna Gap Capital, which provides equity "Gap Capital" to emerging companies in the public and private markets. Sandy served on the boards of directors of seven technology companies and three services companies. He is a past president of the Harvard Divinity School Alumni/Alumnae Association, and served on the school's Dean's Council for 11 years. He received a BA in English from Duke University and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University where he studied the history and philosophy of world religions.
Job Titles:
- Associate Researcher, Territorial Management of Biodiversity
- Principal Investigator, Nature - Based Solutions Center Management
Sheldon is an entrepreneur who co-founded a life sciences tool company (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific). He is a former Alumni Regent of the University of California, and a trustee emeritus of the UC San Diego Foundation. An avid surfer, Sheldon is active with the Director's Cabinet at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and received the Chancellor's Medal in 2011.
Job Titles:
- Humboldt Institute Researcher, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Sue received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from UC San Diego, where she served on the Board of the Alumni Association. She taught Math at the University of San Diego and currently volunteers as a math tutor for an alternative education high school in Oceanside. She and her husband Steve live in North County, where he co-founded the company ViaSat. Sue and Steve actively support a number of organizations including Nature and Culture, UC San Diego, Interfaith Community Services, KPBS, and Mainly Mozart.
Job Titles:
- Zamora Region Coordinator