ACR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Manager, Forestry
Andrew Taylor, Senior Technical Manager, Forestry, provides technical forestry expertise to facilitate carbon offset projects in the California compliance and voluntary markets. He oversees the review of forestry and other land based offset project listing, verification, and registration, and coordinates new offset methodology approval.
Andrew comes to ACR with a background in forest mensuration, forest inventory management, forestry technology deployment, and silviculture. He served as a Resource Information Forester for Hancock Forest Management, where he managed a national forest inventory program and implemented a new plantation assessment program to monitor and analyze stocking and seedling survival of recent plantings. He collected field forestry data for the US Forest Service in Colorado and Washington state, including several years working for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Andrew earned a Master of Forestry (MF) degree in Sustainable Forest Management at Oregon State University, which concentrated on Silviculture, Fire and Forest Health. His research focused on silviculture for old-growth structure, particularly vertical canopy continuity, in the Oregon coast range, as well as the physiological impacts of partial harvest regimes and their influence on forest carbon dynamics. He has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with a dual major in Music and German from the University of Vermont.
Anna Hoy, Operations Manager, designs and maintains key internal processes to enhance quality and efficiency. She provides unit-wide support for procurement, finance, event planning, communications, and customer service. Anna brings over a decade of experience in non-profit and public service.
She joined ACR after five years with the City of Greensboro (North Carolina) where she led evidence-based quality improvement for the City's largest youth-serving program, advised youth-led leadership development programs, coordinated internship and volunteer opportunities, and facilitated the development and implementation of an annual marketing plan. While with United Way of Greater Greensboro, she held progressively responsible roles including administrative support for two departments and four volunteer committees, digital communications specialist, and manager of advocacy and communications. Anna has played key leadership roles in community initiatives for school safety, civic leadership development, infant-maternal public health, and early childhood environmental education/local food access. She holds a Bachelor of Science with a dual major in Organizational Development and Child Studies from Vanderbilt University and a Master's in Public Affairs from University of North Carolina Greensboro.
Job Titles:
- Communications Director
- Communications Director, at
Brad Kahn, Communications Director, brings 25 years of communications experience related to climate change and forests. He is responsible for institutional and programmatic communications for ACR and sister enterprise Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART), including strategy, message development, and media relations. As carbon markets develop rapidly, Brad views communications as a way to promote understanding across interest groups and to translate complex standards into actionable information for decision makers. Prior to joining ACR, Brad worked as a consultant to nonprofit organizations and foundations. For 13 years he served as communications director for the Forest Stewardship Council US, engaging with companies, NGOs, forest managers and civil society to advance responsible forest management. He also served as communications lead for the Bullitt Foundation, owner and developer of the Bullitt Center, which is commonly known as the greenest commercial building in the world. Other clients included the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, International Living Future Institute, and Forest Carbon, a project developer based in Singapore. Brad has a Master's degree in Watershed Systems & Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Brown University. He serves on the board of directors of Seattle Parks Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Director of Registry Operations
- Registry Operations Director
Breffni Lynch, Director of Registry Operations, manages the Registry Operations team and oversees all aspects of day-to-day operations. He is responsible for meeting operational KPIs and performance expectations of all internal and external stakeholders. Breffni is responsible for the development and improvement of the ACR Registry platform and plays a key role in identifying and implementing digital transformation needs of the platform and associated processes. Breffni comes to us with 12 years of experience in carbon markets, with the EU ETS where he liaised with member states in the development and linkage of their registry systems. He also has 10 years of IT experience before transitioning into climate work.
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager, Industrial Program
Brent Fitzgerald, Technical Manager, Industrial Program provides technical industrial expertise on offset project review and verification oversight in both the California regulatory and voluntary carbon markets. He also contributes to the development and approval of innovative ACR GHG emissions reduction quantification methodologies and verification strategies for carbon markets.
Prior to joining ACR, Brent has 10 years of experience in GHG reporting, sustainability, and multi-media environmental permitting and compliance with an emphasis in state and federal air quality regulations. While with Pinnacle Renewable Energy, he served as Environmental Manager for two Title V SBP-certified wood-pellet manufacturing facilities in Alabama, where he completed monitoring and reporting requirements, built upon data management systems, and developed permitting and compliance strategies alongside optimal plant performance. At Trinity Consultants, he served as Senior Environmental Consultant for industrial clients in the oil & gas, chemical, and power sectors across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, where he worked with plant personnel and corporate management to complete complex construction and modification permitting projects, regulatory agency enforcement resolution, and professional training. He also researched and authored reports on systemic sustainability in higher education and on supplementing a landfill gas to energy (LFGTE) system with anaerobic digester (AD) biogas from organic waste. Brent received a bachelor's degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Vanderbilt University and a master's degree in Environmental Management from Duke University.
Job Titles:
- Hunter Parks Conservation Fellow
Charlie Mize, Hunter Parks Conservation Fellow, provides technical expertise to support forest carbon offset projects in the California compliance and voluntary markets. He is responsible for reviewing project listing applications, data reporting, verification and the development and approval of new quantification methodologies. Before joining ACR, Charlie restored forest habitat diversity as a Wildlife Forester in a joint position for the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. Prior to that, he stewarded working forest conservation easements and supported forest conservation acquisitions on the West Coast for Pacific Forest Trust. Other experience includes using remote sensing to improve forest inventory estimates across a large forest restoration project area in Northern Arizona and supporting a forest conservation project in the specialty cacao supply chain in coastal Ecuador. His Master of Forestry and Master of Environmental Management degrees are from the Nicholas School of the Environmental at Duke University, where his Masters Project modelled site suitability for avoided conversion forest carbon credit projects in North Carolina. His bachelor's degree is in Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University.
Job Titles:
- Technical Officer, Industrial Program
Devaki Sakhamuru, Technical Officer, Industrial Program, provides technical expertise on offset project review and verification oversight for ACR projects on a variety of sectors with an emphasis on industrial projects (ozone depleting substances (ODS) destruction, low GWP refrigerants, fuel switching, mine methane and transportation). She is responsible for accurate and timely review of documents for listing, certification, and registration of California and ACR projects.
Devaki is passionate about identifying new methods to lower CO2 emissions using a systems thinking approach. Before joining ACR, Devaki has served as executive chair and department representative for graduate women at MIT, researched at the MIT energy initiative, and served as operations director at the MIT energy night. She received a master's degree in Engineering and Management in the System Design and Management program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology along with a Sustainability certificate from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her master's thesis at MIT focused on strategic decarbonization of the Indian Cement Industry. She has an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University in India.
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager, Forestry
Gabriel Burns, Technical Manager, Forestry, provides technical expertise to support forest carbon offset projects in the California compliance and voluntary markets. He is responsible for reviewing project listing applications, data reporting, verification and the development and approval of new quantification methodologies.
Prior to joining the ACR team, Gabriel worked for over a decade in both the public and private sectors as a forest climate and carbon specialist. Most recently, Gabriel worked for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Division of Forestry, where he helped build a DoF climate change program, oversaw timber harvest sales operations, and managed a multi-stakeholder effort to model changes in forest carbon stocks based on a multitude of counterfactual scenarios inputted into the carbon budget model of the Canadian Forest Service (CBM-CFS3). Ahead of joining the DNR, Gabriel worked as a technical consultant for UNIQUE Forestry and Land-Use, based in Freiburg Germany, as part of an MRV task team within the climate division. During his time with UNIQUE, Gabriel helped develop a forestry NAMA in India, implement and monitor an IFM project in China, and author and field-test a water impact and assessment methodology used to quantify the water benefits from sustainable agriculture and land management interventions in Kenya and surrounding African countries. Gabriel Holds a Bachelor of Forestry and Natural Resource Management from the University of Minnesota and a Master's in Silviculture from the University of Freiburg, Germany.
Job Titles:
- Technical Officer, Forestry
Gabriel Piacsek, Technical Officer, Forestry, provides technical expertise to support forest carbon projects in compliance and voluntary carbon markets. He is responsible for reviewing project listing applications, data reporting, verification and the development and approval of new quantification methodologies.
Gabriel received his B.A in Biology and History from St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and his Masters in Forestry and Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. Having grown up in Brazil, he developed a great appreciation for nature. Additionally, his previous work has taught him the importance of managing our natural resources properly for healthier and more productive environments.
Job Titles:
- Senior Administrative Associate, Supports
Gabriela Godoy, Senior Administrative Associate, supports key internal processes and provides unit-wide support for procurement, finance, travel, event planning, communications, and customer service.
She has worked with government contractors and non-profit organizations in corporate accounting/finance, program support, logistics, office management, communications and human resources. She holds a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies with a minor in Business from George Mason University.
Job Titles:
- Technical Officer, Industrial Program
Imby Abath, Technical Officer, Industrial Program, provides technical expertise on offset project review and verification oversight for ACR projects, with a focus on industrial projects (ozone depleting substances (ODS) destruction, low GWP refrigerants, fuel switching, mine methane and transportation).
Imby previously worked at the US Grains Council as the manager of innovation and sustainability, where she assisted with the development of the US Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol. The protocol allows all US Corn Farmers to continue to have international market access. She holds a MS in Energy System from UC Davis where she conducted a feasibility study on the adoption of a biodiesel processor. She also received her BS from The Ohio State University, in Environment, Economy, Development, & Sustainability, specializing in international development.
Jessica Bede, ACR Managing Director, began working in GHG accounting and carbon projects in 2011 and joined ACR in 2019. In her current position, she is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of ACR's technical and strategic work to mobilize emission reductions, ensure the integrity of carbon credits, and promote market innovation. This includes advising staff and partners on methodology and program development, project review and credit issuance, registry infrastructure, and market opportunities.
Her previous work has involved a variety of climate financing mechanisms and multiple project types giving Jessica a wide range of knowledge across the transportation, energy, building, natural resources, and waste sectors. Prior to ACR, Jessica worked at the California Air Resources Board (CARB) where she first contributed to compliance offset protocol development and credit issuance under the State's Cap-and-Trade program before working on the use of auction proceeds for California Climate Investments to further the State's climate goals and benefit disadvantaged communities. Prior to CARB, she worked on the technical design of Carbon Tanzania's first REDD project, which included establishing and strengthening the land rights of indigenous populations and delivering payments for ecosystem services to communities for development and livelihood needs. Jessica holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a Master's degree in International Development from Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner of the Getty Land Company
John Nees, Founding Partner of the Getty Land Company, has a broad background encompassing finance, agriculture, infrastructure and energy. He has conducted business throughout the world, including Russia, Venezuela, India and Indonesia, where he managed complex energy projects, as well as eastern and southern Africa where Nees participated in one of the premier eco-tourism companies. Nees has been actively engaged in agriculture since 1995 as a co-founder of the Plump Jack Winery in the Napa Valley. He organized an investment fund to acquire and develop vineyard properties, where he has introduced best farming and viticulture practices. Nees is currently developing Kukio Golf & Beach Club, a residential resort community located on the Big Island of Hawaii and manages a privately held energy company with operations in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent and Appalachian regions. Nees earned his Bachelor of Science in geological engineering from Purdue University, his Master of Business Administration from Emory University, and his Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He is an active member of the California Bar and serves on the advisory board of As You Sow, an environmental advocacy organization.
Job Titles:
- Winrock 's Acting President and Chief Executive Officer
Joyjit Deb Roy is Winrock's Acting President and Chief Executive Officer. He served previously as Winrock's chief global programs and development officer, responsible for oversight of a broad portfolio of programs including the Agriculture, Resilience & Water, Human Rights, Education & Empowerment, Clean Energy & Environment, U.S. Programs and other groups. Deb Roy also has worked closely for more than eight years with Winrock's vice president of global programs, supervising other units including AGILE ─ Winrock's monitoring, evaluation, research and learning team ─ and the New Business group, to ensure that the organization's mission, goals and programmatic priorities are maintained and achieved. Before joining Winrock, he was a managing director at ACDI/VOCA, where he supported global projects focused on agribusiness, enterprise development, climate change, food security and other initiatives. He has implemented projects for government clients including USAID, USDA, and USDOL; for multilateral development banks including the World Bank; and foundations and private sector partners. A native of India, he has worked in more than 38 countries across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. He earned a master's in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, with a specialization in international economics and public finance, and completed a master's in history from Delhi University in India.
Kurt Krapfl, Forestry Director, has served in various roles at ACR related to carbon market implementation, methodology development, policy setting, and strategic direction since 2016. Throughout this time, he has directly contributed to and overseen the registration, verification, and issuance of more than 150 million tonnes of high-quality forest carbon credits. He has also led and supported the development and publication of innovative methodologies at ACR related to improved forest management, afforestation and reforestation, avoided conversion of forests, wetland and grassland restoration, and new quantification tools and ACR program standard updates.
Kurt's primary areas of expertise are forest carbon quantification and methodology development, forest resource management, and silviculture. He holds a PhD in Forest Management from Mississippi State University and MS and BS degrees in Forestry from Southern Illinois University. Kurt has also worked for government entities, including the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, as well as ecological consulting firms.
Kurt's work has been published in peer reviewed academic journals as well as applied settings. He has given numerous presentations and testimonies in relation to the carbon market to stakeholders, policy makers, technical audiences, and the general public.
Lauren Nichols, ACR Senior Advisor, was an ACR staff member between 2008 and 2023 and now provides strategic advice and guidance to ACR. In her 15 years at ACR, Lauren directly contributed to all aspects of ACR's organizational development through progressively advanced technical, operational and management positions. She played a critical role in building ACR's brand and global reputation including growing our team and our suite of methodologies to scale our climate impact, securing a leading role in the California compliance market and in the ICAO CORSIA, and developing and implementing three generations of ACR's registry platform. She is accredited by the California Air Resources board in Offset Project Registry Operations, verification and in all regulatory offset protocols (ODS, Mine Methane Capture, Forestry, Urban Forestry, Livestock and Rice). She holds a master's degree in Environmental Management, with a concentration of Environmental Economics, from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and a bachelor's degree in Biology from Bates College.
Job Titles:
- Technical Officer, Industrial Program
Leah McKinley, Technical Officer, Industrial Program, provides technical expertise on offset project review and verification oversight for ACR projects, with a focus on projects related to Mine Methane Capture.
Prior to joining ACR, Leah worked as an Air Quality Analyst for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, where she wrote State Implementation Plans to allow Wyoming to keep primacy over certain environmental regulations. During her time with the State of Wyoming, Leah focused on reducing Regional Haze-which degrades the visibility of the air-in Wyoming's National Parks and Wilderness Areas through emissions reduction technologies and methods. Leah has a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a Master's degree in Public Service and Administration from Texas A&M University.
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager, Industrial Program
Maria-Cristina Silva, Technical Manager, Industrial Program, provides technical industrial expertise on offset project review and verification oversight in the California and Washington compliance, and voluntary carbon markets. MC also contributes to the development and approval of innovative ACR GHG emissions reduction quantification methodologies and verification strategies for carbon markets. She has over a decade of experience working in sustainability related projects in North, Central, and South America, as well as in India. Since joining ACR, she has been involved in a diversity of projects that range from creating a tool to certify climate friendly rice grown in the US, to developing methodologies that reduce methane emissions from animal and human waste, as well as from orphan oil and gas wells.
MC transitioned to climate change science work after working with international volunteer organizations and community development projects. She has worked with the Peace Corps, Global Citizen Year, IDEX Fellows and Tandana Foundation, where she shared with and learned from some of the most disadvantaged populations in their day-to-day struggles from the impacts of a changing climate. MC received her Professional Science Master's from the Department of Ecosystems Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University, and a M.A. in Sustainable Development and Peace & Conflict Studies from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. Her studies include supporting a scientific mission to the Huascaran National Park in Peru to study the impact of climate change in Tropical Glaciers, participating in Rocky Mountain Sustainability Science Network (RMSSN) at the Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks empowering citizen scientists to join the fight against climate change, and interning with Ecuador's Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano in in its work with the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) to assist countries in developing policies that eradicate poverty while fighting climate change.
Job Titles:
- Director of ACR 's Industrial Program
- Director, Industrial Program
Maris Densmore, Director of ACR's Industrial Program, is responsible for overseeing the investigation, analysis, and implementation of new strategic opportunities to harness the power of markets for high impact emission reduction and removals actions in the energy and industrial sectors including geologic storage of carbon, methane emission abatement, and long-term storage of carbon via other industrial processes.
Prior to joining ACR, Maris spent almost 20 years in the environmental and oil and gas sectors and was responsible for developing technical and policy solutions to key industry issues. She specializes in building strategies for challenging technical issues within complicated political and policy environments such as climate change and carbon mitigation, water use and protection, sustainability, and community engagement. Most recently, she has lead development, implementation, and advocacy for geologic sequestration permitting and incentives as the Manager of Carbon Capture Solutions at California Resources Corporation (CRC). Maris also served as the technical advisor for policy and political issues for CRC. Prior to her work in California, Maris worked on environmental issues in Shell's Appalachia assets including groundwater protection, water recycling, environmental reporting and data management, and auditing. Maris spent her early career developing and executing groundwater and natural gas drilling programs across the country. Throughout her career, Maris has been active in community outreach, education, and engagement. Maris is a licensed geologist and has extensive field experience in both environmental and oil and gas operations including drilling; groundwater protection; mapping; and health, safety, and the environment training and assessment. Maris has a bachelor's degree in earth science from UC Santa Cruz and a master's in geology from UC Davis.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO of ERT and ACR Executive Director
Mary Grady, President and CEO of ERT and ACR Executive Director, has been active in environmental markets for over 30 years, including 15 years at ACR. In her current role, she manages operations and ACR's respected team of technical and policy experts in the California regulated market, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) market and the voluntary carbon market. She leads the implementation of strategies to ensure ACR's approval in new compliance carbon markets and actively represents Winrock as a UNFCCC observer organization.
Upon joining ACR, Mary developed and implemented a business plan and a communications and outreach strategy that rebranded ACR and built its reputation as the premium U.S. GHG program. She has overseen the development and updates to the ACR Standard, the development of three generations of ACR's registry platform and led ACR's strategy for approval as a California Offset Project Registry in 2012 and to supply credits to ICAO's CORSIA in 2020.
Prior to ACR, Mary worked for 16 years in the renewable energy industry. As Development Operations Leader of Clipper Windpower, she managed the project development team and 10,000 MW project portfolio, valued at over $1 billion. Mary lived in Brazil for five years including as Director of Winrock's Brazil office and as Director of Kyocera Solar's pioneering rural electrification program. She began her renewable energy career at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Mary has an international MBA and speaks Portuguese and Spanish. She serves on the Council of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the Governing Board of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM).
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager, Forestry
Meg Dudley, Technical Manager, Forestry, provides technical expertise to support forest carbon offset projects in the California compliance and voluntary markets. She is responsible for reviewing project listing applications, data reporting, verification and the development and approval of new quantification methodologies.
Prior to joining ACR, Dr. Dudley was an assistant professor of biology at Adams State University, where she instructed a wide variety of subjects. As a graduate student and post-doctoral research assistant, she examined how climate and damage agents affect the health of western forests. She brings a wide-range of expertise also having worked for various federal land management agencies as a Geographic Information Specialist (GIS) and park ranger. Dr. Dudley holds a Bachelors of Science in Natural Resources from the University of Minnesota. She received her Masters of Science and PhD in Forest Pathology from Colorado State University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Technical Manager, Industrial Program
Megesh Tiwari, Senior Technical Manager, Industrial Program, provides technical expertise on offset project review and verification oversight for ACR projects. He also contributes to the development and approval of innovative ACR GHG emissions reduction quantification methodologies and verification strategies for carbon markets. Megesh has nearly two decades of experience in climate change, clean energy, clean transportation and international development and has managed projects in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He previously worked in Winrock's clean energy group. Under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded project, he worked as a technical expert to introduce Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Nepal. This included conducting a national study to identify a pipeline of potential CDM projects, conducting a number of feasibility studies and preparing project idea notes (PIN) and project design documents (PDD) for clean energy, clean transportation, solid waste management, bioenergy, and industrial heating and cooling projects. He was also part of the team that conducted extensive capacity building on CDM for project proponents, government agencies, financial organizations, educational institutions, media and public. Megesh led development of Winrock's innovative computer-based tool that allowed small and medium animal farms to estimate carbon offsets resulting from use of electricity generated from biogas produced from animal manure. The tool also estimated the financial viability improvements resulting from sale of carbon offsets. Megesh has conducted over 10 workshops and trained and distributed the tool to over 100 farms in Brazil, India, Pakistan and Nepal. Megesh received a Master's degree in Sustainability from Harvard University. He also has Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Capricorn Investment Group
Winrock Board Member Michaela Edwards is a partner at Capricorn Investment Group, one of the largest mission-aligned investment firms in the world. Capricorn is part of the Jeff Skoll Group, which manages the investment portfolio of Jeff Skoll, the Skoll Foundation, and other institutional clients. Prior to joining Capricorn in 2019, Michaela spent nine years as a senior portfolio manager with Norges Bank Investment Management, the sovereign wealth fund of Norway, where she managed a multi-billion-dollar portfolio. She has over a decade of experience investing for impact, including incubating the Norges Bank environmental strategy. Before joining Norges, Michaela worked as a research analyst for Russell Investments in London and New York. She started her career on the trading desk of DNB in Oslo. Michaela is a member of the board of directors of both Lafayette Square and Osmosis Investment Management, and sits on the advisory board of Ecofin Investments. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder, and a graduate of Oslo University College and the Cass Business School in London. Michaela has roots in the Cape Verde Islands, and grew up in Norway. She has lived in England and Nigeria, and now resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Job Titles:
- Senior Officer, Registry Operations
Prior to joining ACR, Mollie worked as an environmental engineering consultant with a broad range of industrial and corporate clients. She has experience in GHG accounting and reporting, database management, client support, training, project management, compliance with legal and voluntary environmental standards. Mollie has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University.
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Registry Architect
Soheil Salehian, registry architect, is an artificial intelligence software engineer and forest conservationist with experience in building AI systems in hardware for forest conservation and carbon projects in the Amazon and Mexico. He has several patents in AI systems in hardware and computer vision created for millions of users. Before joining Winrock International, he was a Principal Software Engineer at Walmart eCommerce building detection systems, and prior to that, he has worked as a technical leader in startups and large companies like Intel. He has a Master's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Calgary and also a degree in tropical forest conservation from the Yale School of the Environment. His mission is to empower Indigenous communities with the power of data and high technology to uphold their ancestral forest guardianship principles on a large scale while monitoring their forests.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Founding Partner of Climate Finance Advisors
Stacy Swann is CEO and founding partner of Climate Finance Advisors, a benefit LLC based in Washington, D.C. She has more than 25 years of experience in project finance, investment, climate change and sustainability. Her key experience includes transaction structuring, blended finance, impact investment and fund management, as well as advising on financial policy and regulations that underpin and accelerate net-zero, climate-resilient investment. As CEO and founder of Climate Finance Advisors, she led the firm through its early establishment, achieving more than 100% average annual growth since its founding in 2015, and in 2022 she shepherded the firm through a successful acquisition. During her career, Swann has held senior and executive positions with the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, the International Finance Corporation, the U.S. Department of Treasury, Enron Corporation and other organizations. More recently, she has worked with impact investors, financial institutions, corporations and policymakers on issues at the nexus of climate change and investment. In addition to leading Climate Finance Advisors, Swann serves on several boards, including the Montgomery County Green Bank, where she is a board director and chair of its Investment Committee. She is also a board member of the Global Water Partnership, a global action network of more than 3,000 partner bodies in 179 countries focused on building sustainable water systems. Swann sits on EXIM Bank's Climate Council, an advisory committee to its board, and was its chair from 2021-2022; she also participates in several angel investor groups supporting, coaching and investing in climate-related startup businesses.
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager, Forestry
Umesh Chaudhari, Technical Manager, Forestry, provides technical expertise to support forest carbon offset projects in the California compliance and voluntary markets. He is responsible for reviewing project listing applications, data reporting, verification and the development and approval of new quantification methodologies.
Prior to joining ACR, Dr. Chaudhari was an Assistant Professor of Forestry at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), where he taught quantitative methods in forest resources, forest measurement and mapping, forest finance, timber management, and advanced silviculture. He has also served as an Assistant Professor of Forestry at Andrew College, where he developed an accredited two-year Forestry Program. His MS research studied the impacts of forest management on carbon sequestration and the impact of carbon markets on landowner decision-making. His Ph.D. research explored the economics of non-traditional timber commodities (i.e., carbon and bioenergy) and traditional timber commodities from planted loblolly pines. Dr. Chaudhari holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the Institute of Forestry of Tribhuvan University in Nepal. He received his MS in Forest Resources from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Technical Manager, Forestry
Warren Reed, Technical Manager, Forestry, provides technical expertise to support forest carbon offset projects in the California compliance and voluntary markets. He is responsible for reviewing project listing applications, data reporting, verification and the development and approval of new quantification methodologies.
Before joining the ACR team Warren worked at The Pennsylvania State University researching forest ecology and carbon dynamics in the central Appalachian Mountains from an interdisciplinary perspective investigating the influence that bedrock geology exerts on forest carbon storage and uptake. His work utilized data from forests at multiple scales, from annual resolution tree-ring data to larger scale forest inventories. He has worked extensively across California and Oregon researching wildland fuels treatments with the United States Geological Survey and U. S. Forest Service and has also worked in coastal forests of South Africa researching carbon storage. His research has been published in internationally recognized peer-reviewed journals. Warren earned his Master of Science degree in Forestry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Bachelor of Science in Physical/Environmental Geography from The Pennsylvania State University. He is currently a PhD candidate in Ecology at The Pennsylvania State University.
Job Titles:
- Board Member of Winrock International
- Winrock Board Member
William Bumpers, Winrock Board Member, practiced as an environmental lawyer in the Washington, D.C., for 34 years, retiring recently from Baker Botts LLP, where he headed the firm's global Climate Change Practice. Mr. Bumpers has been involved with climate change issues for over thirty years and has been a frequent speaker regarding national and international climate policy. He was part of the team that undertook the feasibility study for the Prototype Carbon Fund established by The World Bank Group. He advised multiple companies regarding emissions trading under the Kyoto Protocol and related national action plans. He has been involved in GHG-related projects and transactions under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Malaysia, China, Liberia, Brazil and Equatorial Guinea. Mr. Bumpers has helped multiple companies in developing responsible climate and energy policies, including the development and use of GHG offsets through forestry practices, renewable energy projects and destruction of CFCs. He represented companies involved in the capture and storage of GHG emissions, helped structure some of the first contracts regarding use of anthropogenic CO2 for oil production. Mr. Bumpers currently serves as a Board member of the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) and is a Board member of Neighborhood Sun, a Maryland community solar company.