USENDOWMENT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Manager
- Grants Specialist
- Manager, Grants and Contract Compliance
Aleta is the Manager, Grants and Contract Compliance at the Endowment responsible for managing grants and contracts, ensuring organizational compliance, and is the administrator for foundationConnect, the Endowment's grants management system. She also oversees communications and technology for the Endowment. She holds a Master's degree in International Development as well as Bachelor's degrees in both Business Administration and Spanish.
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA she moved to Philadelphia after graduate school to complete a year of AmeriCorps service at an anti-poverty nonprofit. Deciding to stay in the city of brotherly love she went on to work as a program manager at a local energy cooperative, then as a Director of Community Programs at an energy efficiency nonprofit, and later as an Analyst at the city owned natural gas utility overseeing their low-income energy efficiency program. She moved to Greenville, SC in late 2018 and happily joined the Endowment team in January of 2019. Outside of work she enjoys yoga, gardening, biking, hiking, and spending time outdoors with her husband and daughter.
As Senior Vice President at the Endowment, Alicia's primary focus is program oversight and development. She began working with the Endowment first in 2015 as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors and then transitioned to become a full-time member of the leadership team in 2017. Her more than 30 years of professional experience includes roles in packaging engineering and supply chain analysis to product development positions in the forestry sector, all of which contribute to her current role.
Before joining the Endowment, Alicia worked for more than two decades for the Westervelt Company, formerly known as Gulf States Paper Corporation, located in Alabama. There she held key management positions in product development before progressing to Vice President of Business Development, an executive role which encompassed global leadership accountability for Westervelt Ecological Services, Westervelt Renewable Energy, and the company's recreation and agricultural assets in New Zealand.
Alicia received bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Sociology from Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. She also completed The Fuqua School Executive program at Duke University. Most importantly, she loves to hike, fish, and spend time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Beatriz Da Cunha of New York, NY leads Strategic Planning & Initiatives for the Credit Platform within BlackRock Alternatives based in New York City. Previously, she served as Chief Operating Officer of BlackRock Sustainable Investing. She has held a number of positions throughout BlackRock managing large cross-functional initiatives and strategic projects primarily focused on the Investments Platform, including positions in Real Assets, Fixed Income and BlackRock Solutions. Beatriz graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce and received her MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. She serves as an advisor to the EmpowHER program for NYU's Center for Sustainable Business.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Administrative Coordinator
Brandon is the Communications and Administrative Coordinator at the Endowment. He makes sure the public knows what is going on at the Endowment and is in charge of the day-to-day administration of the Endowment office. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in journalism from the University of Mississippi and a master's degree in political science, including graduate-level coursework in nonprofit marketing, from Auburn University at Montgomery. He also completed the State Executive Development Institute program for leaders in state government at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University.
Brandon is originally from the "Pine Belt" of Mississippi and has lived in several locations across the Southeast. He started his career as an analyst, media advisor, and legislative liaison to an elected state official in Alabama. He then left government briefly for the private sector before returning to state government as special assistant to a popular elected state official in Mississippi. He has now landed happily at the Endowment.
Outside the office, he and his wife can often be found with their dogs, out and about at one of the local parks, or planning their next big adventure. He also enjoys helping groups and organizations hold better business meetings and is a nationally recognized speaker on parliamentary procedure. He holds the Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) designation from the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) and the Certified Parliamentarian designation from the American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Cris Stainbrook of Little Canada, Minnesota, is President of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) where he has served since its inception in 2002. Cris, Oglala Lakota, spent 13 years at Northwest Area Foundation. During his final four years there he served as the community activities lead, overseeing a rapidly growing staff and implementing new programs aimed at developing community-directed plans. He was a founding member of Native Americans in Philanthropy and of the Two Feathers Endowment of the Saint Paul Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Program Analyst for the Endowment
Delie serves as the Program Analyst for the Endowment. Her focus is on conducting analysis to guide and assess the Endowment's investments, as well as identifying opportunities for the Endowment's future programming.
Prior to joining the Endowment, Delie worked as a research fellow with the U.S. Forest Service - Southern Research Station on several projects related to sustainable forestry initiatives. Her work included assessing timber sales within the National Forest System and understanding the resilience of forest-dependent communities in the U.S.
Delie holds a Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech in Forest Resources and an undergraduate degree in Anthropology & Geography from Appalachian State University. She also served as an Agriculture & Forestry Extensionist in Paraguay during her Peace Corps service. Away from work, Delie loves spending time in forests, growing (and eating) her own food, and playing with her pets.
Jaime Daniel of Greenville, SC, is a CPA who holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting from Appalachian State University. Prior to joining the Endowment in 2021, she worked as Controller for a local non-profit organization. She has more than 20 years of accounting experience with both non-profit and governmental organizations.
Jaime and her husband, John, have a son, Cameron and daughter, Emily. She spends her free time cheering on her son's baseball teams, scrapbooking and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Jo-Ellen Darcy of Washington, DC is a former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. In that role, she established policy direction and provided supervision of the Department of the Army functions relating to all aspects of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works program. She supervised programs for conservation and development of the nation's water and wetland resources, flood control, navigation, shore protection, and ecosystem restoration.
Prior to her appointment as Assistant Secretary, Darcy served in a variety of roles on Capitol Hill. She was the Senior Environmental Advisor to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, responsible for environment, conservation, and energy issues. She also served as a Senior Policy Advisor, Deputy Staff Director, and as a professional staff member to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Before joining the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Darcy was legislative representative for the Investment Company Institute, the trade association representing the mutual fund industry and was an advisor on water resources and transportation issues for Governor Jim Blanchard of Michigan in both Lansing and Washington, D.C. She also worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Banking Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization and was an elementary school teacher.
She hails from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and has a B.A. in philosophy and sociology from Boston College and a M.S. in resource development from Michigan State University.
Joie Moré of Greenville, SC, is a CPA who holds an MBA as well as a B.S. in Financial Management from Clemson University. Prior to joining the Endowment in 2017, she served small businesses and non-profits as an analyst with A.T. LOCKE. She has more than 20 years of combined corporate finance and accounting experience as Controller for Agfa Healthcare and in other financial roles with Sterling Diagnostic Imaging, Greenville Health System, Umbro International, and Michelin Tire Corporation.
Her active civic involvement has included serving as a Loaned Executive for the United Way of Greenville County and as a board member for Camp Opportunity. Married with two sons, Joie spends her time volunteering with school, soccer, and teaching children's Sunday School. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and outdoor activities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer / Charlottesville, VA
Kevin Schuyler of Charlottesville, VA, is Senior Managing Director of CornerStone Partners. He has more than twenty years experience in portfolio management, private equity, real estate, trading and consulting. He is the former chief investment officer, vice president, and director of finance and investments for The Nature Conservancy. He was a commodity trader and manager for Louis Dreyfus Corporation, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an entrepreneur. Kevin serves on the investment committees of several prominent charities and is a graduate with honors from Harvard College. He received his MBA from The Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Mark Emmerson lives in Redding, California, and is Chairman and Chief Financial Officer and is a member of the Board of Directors of Sierra Pacific Industries, one of the nations' leading lumber, millwork, and window manufacturers headquartered in Redding, California. Mark is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and puts his formal training as a CPA to full use in leading the Company's accounting and financial activities. Mark also has lumber manufacturing experience, having managed the construction phase and later operations of the Anderson sawmill complex. Mark is a member of the Board of Directors for the California Forestry Association, the President's Advisory Commission for the University of California, and has served in various capacities on both the American Forest and Paper Association and the American Forest Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Founder and Manager of Contact Fund
- Vice Chairman / New York, NY
Mark Reed of New York City is founder and manager of Contact Fund a private investment fund focused mon high-impact community development in the city. He is also a director of fourth-generation, family owned Simpson Investment Company based in Seattle, Washington. Prior to moving to New York, Mark managed an after-school program for public housing residents in San Francisco's Mission District and managed a community youth center.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Special Projects
Matt Krumenauer of Salem, Oregon, joined the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities in August of 2017. Matt is responsible for leading the Endowment's Wood-to-Energy Initiative and is working on the ground to accelerate market development for new and innovative uses of forest products.
Prior to joining the Endowment Matt has served as a Project Manager for an investor owned electric utility, Director of Government Relations for a multi-state trade association representing cooperative businesses in the agriculture, financial, retail and utility sectors, a Conservation Biologist for a state forestry department and a Senior Policy Analyst for the Oregon Department of Energy where he was the program and technical lead for the State's bioenergy programs. More recently he served as a Consultant to the U.S. Endowment and was responsible for guidance of torrefaction market development efforts through the Consortium for Advanced Wood to Energy Solutions. Matt led the formation of Oregon Torrefaction and the successful project to produce and deliver torrefied woody biomass for the largest utility scale test completed to date.
Matt has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. Matt lives in Salem, OR, with his wife Gail and two children, Marin and Alden.
Job Titles:
- Vice President - Innovation / Director, P3Nano
Michael joined the Endowment in September 2013 to lead their efforts in innovation and technology. Currently, his projects include taking cellulosic nanotechnology from the lab to the market, advancing mass timber construction, and bringing together partners in the public and private sectors to accelerate the development of new uses of forest materials. His efforts in this space are gaining public awareness, including securing a spot on the TEDx stage to discuss the opportunities that new forest technologies present.
Before joining the Endowment, Michael was Executive Vice President and CEO of the Society of American Foresters (SAF). He has also served as Chair of the External Review Panel of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Vice President of the Communities Committee, and Chair, Binational ANSI Process on Carbon and Forest Accounting Standards. He graduated from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Management and a Master of Science degree in Forest Resource Policy and Management.
Michael is a recipient of the National Association of State Foresters Award for Outstanding Service in Forest Public Policy, SAF's Young Forester Leadership Award, and SAF's President's Leadership Award. Michael and his wife Mila have two children, Maria and Michael Anthony. His interests outside forest and family include competing in triathlons and cooking for friends and family.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President
- President & CEO, Board Secretary / Greenville, SC
Peter Stangel of Aiken, SC joined the US Endowment in April of 2010. An ecologist by training, Peter received a B.S. in Biology from Furman University and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Previously he was with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, most recently as Director of Science and Evaluation. With the Foundation he also served as Eastern and Southeastern Regional Director, and Neotropical Migratory Bird Initiative Director. Peter has extensive experience building corporate conservation partnerships, and has worked with Walmart, Shell Oil Company, ConocoPhillips, and Southern Company, among others. He has more than 20 publications in the technical literature and nearly 200 in the popular magazines.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Soile Kilpi of New York, NY, is Director with AFRY Management Consulting and leads its North America Consulting business out of New York, NY. She has over 25 years of experience in advising clients related to strategic planning, growth, operations, and technology. She works with industry, private equity, and government clients and supervises projects related to a wide variety of products from raw materials to converted end products. As part of her work, she helps executives and boards to define sustainable futures for their businesses. Soile holds an MSc in Business Economics from Aalto University's School of Economics in Finland.
Job Titles:
- Program Officer
- Program Officer for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry
Teal Edelen serves as program officer for the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. Before joining the team on staff, she served as an Endowment consultant for five years focused on federal reporting. Prior to that, she spent a decade in conservation grant-making at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, managing public-private partnerships focused on working lands and Farm Bill policy, monarch butterfly conservation, invasive weed management, and National Wildlife Refuges.
Teal grew up in rural MD, where her childhood was spent raising beef cattle and sheep as a member of 4-H.
Teal holds a master's degree in natural resources management from Virginia Tech and an undergraduate degree in English Language and Literature with a minor in International Studies from the University of Maryland.
Outside the office, she enjoys swimming, gardening, outdoor recreation, and spending time with family and friends.