Speaker Biographies

Dan Abrams Dan Abrams is the Global Director of Earth Day at the Earth Day Network. As Director for Earth Day 2017 Dan was a lead organizer behind the March for Science DC teach-in, rally, and march event which brought together over 100,000 people to take a public stand for science research and evidence-based policy. Prior to Earth Day Network, Dan was an Obama Administration appointee at the US Environmental Protection Agency where he served in various positions in EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s Public Affairs office and for her Chief of Staff. While at the US EPA, Dan worked on the roll-outs of the Clean Power Plan and Clean Water Rule and was a leader for the emergency response communications to the on-going drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Chris Adamo

Prior to joining National Wildlife Federation as a Senior Fellow on Conservation Innovation, Chris was the chief of staff for President Obama’s White House Council on Environmental Quality from 2015 until the end of the Administration in 2017. He helped lead the President’s climate change and conservation agenda including efforts on climate resilience, federal land management, illegal fishing, large-scale ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, water, and wildlife. Prior to his tenure with the Council on Environmental Quality, he led the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry as its staff director where among other issues he was the lead negotiator for Senate Democrats in the 2014 Farm Bill, which included new opportunities for landscape-scale conservation, historic investments in healthy and local foods, and agricultural subsidy reform. Chris began his career as a legislative counsel in U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s office in 2007, where he worked on the 2007 energy bill, the 2008 farm bill, the 2009-2010 energy and climate bill efforts, and various other conservation initiatives. He was born and raised outside Detroit, Michigan near the shores of Lake St. Clair, and graduated with a degree in economics and business from Kalamazoo College and a law degree from Vermont Law School.

Grethel Aguilar Doctor Grethel Aguilar is a Costa Rican Lawyer, with a focus on International Law. She received her Doctorate Degree Excellent “cum laude” in Environmental Law from the University of Alicante Spain in 2001. Since 2005 she has been leading the work of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for Central America, México, and the Caribbean as the IUCN Regional Director. Between 1992 and 1996 she formed part of the Costa Rican Environmental Law Center advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples and nature conservation. Between 1996 and 2005 she has worked as a consultant on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development for various organizations and governments; among them the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), The Central American Commission on Development and Environment (CCAD), The Ramsar Convention, and the Governments of the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and México among others. Between 2001-2003, she provided expert advice on Access to genetic resources and benefit sharing to the Division of Environmental Conventions and to the Executive Director of UNEP. She is an author and co-author of numerous publications in the field of environmental law and policy. Most recent publications include Governance of Shared Waters: Legal and Institutional Issues (IUCN-2009) and Forest Legality in Mesoamerica (IUCN-2015). In her current capacity as IUCN Regional Director she oversees the development and effective implementation of the IUCN Program and handles a broad spectrum of subjects ranging from biodiversity and ecosystem based resource management strategies and policies to organizational management and financial planning.

Inger Andersen Inger Andersen was appointed Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in January 2015. Ms Andersen brings a passion for conservation and sustainable development with more than 30 years of experience in international development economics, environmental sustainability and policy-making, as well as in designing and implementing projects and generating on-the- ground impact. She has played a key role in supporting riparian countries on international water management and hydro diplomacy. Prior to joining IUCN, Ms Andersen held various leadership roles at the World Bank and United Nations. Most recently, she was Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa at the World Bank, and previous to that Vice President for Sustainable Development and Head of the CGIAR Fund Council. Throughout Ms Andersen’s 15-year career at the World Bank, her managerial roles focused on water, environment, and sustainable development with special emphasis on Africa and the Middle East. Previous to the World Bank, Ms Andersen worked at the United Nations for 15 years, starting in the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office working on drought and desertification issues, and was then appointed UNDP’s Water and Environment Coordinator for the Arab Region. Ms Andersen’s educational background includes a BA from London Metropolitan University North and a MA degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London with specialisation in development economics.

Meg Beckel On June 6, 2011, Meg Beckel began her five-year appointment as President & CEO of the Canadian Museum of Nature. In December 2015, her appointment was extended another five years. Beckel leads a team of passionate and committed individuals dedicated to the museum’s vision to inspire understanding and respect for nature. Prior to joining the Museum Meg was Vice-President, External Relations at the University of Waterloo for four years and Chief Operating Officer of the Royal Ontario Museum for nine years. Beckel began her professional career at the Bank of Nova Scotia where she served as Officer in Charge of Operations and as Assistant Manager, Corporate Banking before moving to the National Ballet of Canada in 1986, where she began a career in fundraising and external relations in the arts and education sector. Beckel currently serves as Chair of TerraTundra Foundation and Chair of Canada’s National Committee for IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). She also serves as a Director of the Digital Opportunity Trust Board, member of the Arctic 8 Natural History Museums, member of the Advisory Board for the Ottawa CEO Breakfast Club, and of the Advisory Board of Ottawa River Keeper. Barbara Bramble As Vice President for International Conservation and Corporate Strategies, at the National Wildlife Federation, Barbara J. Bramble works with the private sector to sever the connection between deforestation and agricultural production. She brings NWF’s massive membership to bear in convincing manufacturers and major retail brands to avoid purchasing agricultural and forest commodities that originate from recently cleared tropical rain forests and other carbon rich lands. She also wears other hats: a) Board Chair of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, the global initiative for voluntary certification of biomass, biofuels and bio- plastics that meet social and environmental standards; and b) member of the Board of Directors of the Forest Stewardship Council, the widely recognized global eco-label for wood and paper products from sustainably managed forests. Over two decades at National Wildlife Federation, as the original founder and director of NWF’s International department, she helped to place “sustainable development” and environmental protection at the center of economic decision-making. She developed innovative approaches to: a) reform the environmental and social policies of financial institutions such as the World Bank; b) reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of international trade agreements; c) establish voluntary certification systems to promote sustainable forest and agriculture products; and d) increase U.S. contributions to international voluntary family planning, reproductive health, and education for girls and women. Ms. Bramble was a key organizer of the International NGO Forum at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the Rio + 5 Conference in 1997. She worked closely with Mexican NGOs for several years, to enhance their advocacy and environmental education skills. Before joining NWF, she served as legal advisor to the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In her early years, as an environmental lawyer in private practice, she won several big fights to keep industrial scale energy projects out of protected areas; for example she helped stop a massive gas pipeline from crossing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, although this only saved it for the later battle with the Bush Administration in the early years of the new century. Her J.D. is from George Washington University, and B.A. is from George Mason University. Ms. Bramble has lived in Latin America for almost 5 years and speaks both Spanish and Portuguese.

Thomas Brooks Thomas Brooks has headed science and knowledge at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2013, based in Gland, Switzerland. His responsibilities include scientific support to the delivery of knowledge products (such as the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), maintaining IUCN interaction with peer scientific institutions, and strengthening the Union’s culture of science. Originally from Brighton, UK, he holds a B.A. (Hons) in Geography from the University of Cambridge (1993) and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Tennessee (1998). He has previously worked for The Nature Conservancy (1998–1999), Conservation International (1999–2010), and NatureServe (2010–2013). His background is in threatened species conservation (especially of birds) and in biodiversity hotspots (he has extensive field experience in tropical forests of Asia, South America and Africa). He has authored 243 scientific and popular articles, including 116 indexed in the ISI ‘Web of Science’.

Christine Dawson Ms. Dawson is currently the Director of the Office of Conservation and Water in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) in the U.S. Department of State. She has held numerous positions in the State Department, including Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Environment, member of the Policy Planning Staff in the Office of the Secretary of State, and Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs. She was an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Foreign Service and served as the first Director of the Global Issues Program at The Aspen Institute. She also served as the senior foreign policy advisor to several U.S. Senators and worked for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. She has been a member of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group and the Council on Foreign Relations since 1994.

Frank Hawkins Frank is the Director of the IUCN Washington DC Office. He is a conservation biologist and policy advisor with many years of experience working with governments, civil society and local communities in Africa and around the world. Prior to joining IUCN, Frank was Senior Vice-President at Conservation International (CI). In addition to leading CI’s programme in Africa and Madagascar, he worked closely on green economy policy and land-use planning issues, emphasizing the value of nature as the basis for sustainable development, particularly in Liberia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and South Africa. He has collaborated with the US government and US-based institutions on a range of policy issues based on that field experience, including links between economic growth and natural resource use, mechanisms for promoting green investment, and multi-stakeholder engagement processes. He has organized events to highlight the potential for public-private partnerships to deliver nature-based development. For 20 years until 2007, Frank worked primarily in Madagascar, with CI and other NGOs, where he conducted research on birds, lemurs and carnivores, and supported the government, local communities and local NGOs in implementing the National Environmental Action Plan. He has written or co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed papers and 10 books, the latest of which, the Birds of the Malagasy Region, will be published later this year. Frank has joint UK and Canadian nationality, and is married with two teenage daughters. When not sampling the manifold delights of biodiversity around the world, he enjoys cycling, cheese and cinema, not necessarily in that order.

Ernesto Herrera Guerra Ernesto Herrera holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He studied a Master’s degree in Environmental Management at University of Waikato in New Zealand. He also holds a Diploma in Fundraising delivered by Indiana University. Ernesto Herrera has worked in the Government of Mexico at the Ministry of Communications and Transportation. He has also worked for different companies in the private sector in plastic, refrigeration and food industries. Since 2002, he has been the Executive Director of Reforestamos México, an IUCN member since 2008. He is the current IUCN Mexican Committee’s Chairman and participates in other non-governmental organisations as an adviser. Ernesto is interested in the creation collaborative networks; responsible public, private and philanthropic investment in the landscape; as well as the public and private policies transformation aimed to improve legality and sustainability in the forest sector.

Sixto J. Incháustegui Dominican Biologist. University professor. Researcher. Conservationist. Environmental consultant. With over 45 years teaching-administrative experience. Cofounder and research member of the National Museum of Natural History of Santo Domingo. Former director of the School of Biology of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. National CITES Committee member, former regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean to CITES Animal’s Committee. Former Caribbean Vice chair to IUCN/WCPA. Former Environmental Officer for UNDP-Dominican Republic. Member, Dominican Academy of Sciences. Principal Investigator of national fund for science and technology (FONDOCYT): Dominican Amphibians and Climate Change. Advisor to the National Vice Ministry of Science and Technology. Member of editorial council of Novitates Caribaea. Member of WCPA and commissions of IUCN/ SSC. Caribbean Representative to IUCN Council. Cofounder of Caribbean Congress of Biodiversity. Founding member of Grupo Jaragua and CEBSE, Dominican conservation NGOs.

Christine Jacobs Christine’s interest lies at the intersection of collaboration, innovation and conservation. A designer, facilitator, and systems-thinker, Christine works with organizations across sectors to develop holistic approaches environmental issues. Over the past eight years, she has designed and managed environmental innovation programs – examples include a zero- deforestation palm oil challenge with USAID in Indonesia, an accelerator program for sustainable manufacturing with Nike, NASA, and USAID, and a conservation ‘hackathon’ at the Smithsonian Institute’s Earth Optimism Summit. Previously she worked as a consultant with Deloitte Consulting and for the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation to design effective organizational processes and programs and has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Enrique Lahmann Dr. Enrique J. Lahmann is Global Director of the IUCN Union Development Group which comprises the Membership Unit, responsible for promoting stronger engagement with the 1400+ Member organizations and institutions in the accomplishment of IUCN´s Mission; the Governance Unit, which supports the IUCN Council and the Office of the IUCN President; and the Congress Unit, responsible for organizing, every four years, the World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest and most diverse conservation event, bringing together leaders from government, business and non-governmental organizations. Dr. Lahmann was transferred to IUCN Headquarters in 2005 as Senior Coordinator, Global Programme, responsible for the oversight of the IUCN Regional Offices for Mesoamerica, South America, and the former Regional Office for West and Central Asia and North Africa. In addition, Dr. Lahmann oversaw the Marine, Water and Forest Global Thematic Programmes. Prior to joining IUCN Headquarters, Dr Lahmann was the Director of IUCN´s Regional Office for Mesoamerica (ORMA), based in San José, Costa Rica for 12 years. Under his leadership, IUCN membership increased five- fold, the Regional Committee for Mesoamerica was created, as well as National Committees in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. ORMA has been used within IUCN as an example of successful engagement by IUCN constituents in the implementation of the Union´s Programme. Dr Lahmann joined IUCN in 1988 when he was appointed Regional Coordinator of the IUCN Wetlands Programme for Central America, the first regional thematic programme established by IUCN. He held this post for four years until he was appointed Regional Director. During his tenure as Wetlands Coordinator, Dr Lahmann was based in the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), an IUCN Member located in Turrialba, Costa Rica, where he was also an Associated Professor. Dr. Lahmann holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Costa Rica and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami. His dissertation, “Effects of different hydrological regimes on the productivity of Rhizophora mangle: A case study of mosquito control impoundments at Hutchinson Island, Saint Lucie County, Florida”, has been recently used by several researchers to assess the impact of sea- level rise on mangrove ecosystems. Enrique enjoys outdoor activities, particularly cycling (road and mountain) and scuba diving. He was born in San José, Costa Rica in 1957.

Fernando E. Lloveras San Miguel Fernando Lloveras-San Miguel, Esq. is Executive Director of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico —the leading nature conservation and historic preservation organization in Puerto Rico— and President of its recently created unit, Para la Naturaleza. Under his leadership, the Conservation Trust received the Seal of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and became the first and only organization in Puerto Rico accepted to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Mr. Lloveras is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, member of the Board of Directors of the Land Trust Alliance and former Vice President of the Governing Board of the University of Puerto Rico. In addition, Mr. Lloveras is also co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Microjuris.com, Inc., the leading Internet provider of legal and legislative information in Latin America, and a mentor of The Founder Institute. Lloveras holds a Magna Cum Laude Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico, a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, where he was Senior Fellow. He is a coffee and cattle farmer and spends most of his free time at his farm in Ciales with his wife Michelle Marxuach and his two children.

David McCauley David McCauley is the Senior Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs, for WWF. He leads WWF’s work on domestic and international public policy and finance as well as ensuring coherence in its programs to address climate change. He joined WWF in early 2013 from the Asian Development Bank, where he oversaw its climate change investments totaling more than $3 billion annually. At WWF he manages engagement with public sector institutions in the US as well as relations with multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the Climate Investment Funds. Dr. McCauley’s career has focused on bringing environmental sustainability to international economic development, including design of national environmental policies, brokering international resources management agreements, and guiding international assistance policies covering climate change, deforestation, air pollution, marine conservation and other issues. While at the Asian Development Bank he was active in organizing and leading regional programs to strengthen environmental and natural resources policy and management such as the Coral Triangle Initiative. At the International Resources Group, a leading US environmental consulting firm, he managed environmental policy programs in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Central Asia, Southern Africa and Egypt, serving as Asia-Pacific Region Director. He has worked for the US Agency for International Development in Indonesia and Washington, DC and began his career with the Ford Foundation and Harvard Institute for International Development working in Indonesia as an economist and environment specialist. David’s undergraduate training is in the environmental sciences with a PhD in agricultural and resource economics from the University of Hawaii / East-West Center. He has held faculty or affiliate positions at the Environment and Policy Institute of the East-West Center in Honolulu, the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, Peradeniya University in Sri Lanka, and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and has published on environmental finance and policy in fields ranging from forest and coastal resources conservation to water pricing and transboundary river basin management.

Jessica McGlyn Jessica is Founder and President of Catalynics, a consultancy with the mission to help corporations and NGOs catalyze smart strategy, partner collaboration, stakeholder engagement, project ideation and development, communications, and issues management in sustainability. Jessica has 20+ years of sustainability operational and policy experience across a number of sectors, most recently serving as the North American Director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). In addition to member and stakeholder engagement, business development and program and policy support, Jessica ran WBCSD’s global Sustainable Lifestyles project. Prior to WBCSD, Jessica worked for the World Wildlife Fund on a variety of environmental and forest policy issues as well on corporate forest supply chain partnerships. Jessica also worked for International Paper Corporation in a variety of sustainability, stakeholder engagement, partnerships and issues management roles. Currently, Jessica is an Affiliate of Forum for the Future; a Fellow at Virginia Tech; and a member of the Board of IUCN-US. Jessica holds a Master’s in Forest Science from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and degrees in History and Biology from Messiah College.

Gregory A. Miller Dr. Gregory A. Miller has more than thirty years of experience in biodiversity conservation, sustainable recreation, and natural resources program and policy development. He currently serves as President and CEO of NatureServe. Prior to joining NatureServe in 2016, Dr. Miller served as President of the American Hiking Society and led a distinguished executive career as Vice President at The Nature Conservancy. He has served on the boards of the U.S. Agency for International Development- funded global Biodiversity Support Program, Global Energy and Biodiversity Initiative, Outdoor Alliance, The International Ecotourism Society, Blue Ridge Center for Environmental Stewardship, National Park Service Overflight Advisory Group, and served as an environmental advisor for the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development. A native of California, Dr. Miller is fluent in Spanish and English. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in botany and holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Connecticut, with research interests in the ecology of the tropical alpine (páramos) zones of South America. Dr. Miller was awarded a prestigious Science, Engineering, and Diplomacy Post-Doctoral Fellowship through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Greg lived and worked as a naturalist in the Galápagos Islands and the Andes for many years and has held a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, biodiversity conservation, and the outdoors.

Russell A. Mittermeier Russell A. Mittermeier is Executive Vice Chair at Conservation International. He served as President of Conservation International from 1989 to 2014. Named a “Hero for the Planet” by TIME magazine, Mittermeier is regarded as a world leader in the field of biodiversity and tropical forest conservation. Trained as a primatologist and herpetologist, he has traveled widely in over 160 countries on seven continents, and has conducted field work in more than 30 − focusing particularly on Amazonia (especially Brazil and Suriname), the Atlantic forest region of Brazil, and Madagascar. The scope of his activities goes way beyond his position at Conservation International. Since 1977, Mittermeier has served as Chairman of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group, and he has been a member of the Steering Committee of the Species Survival Commission since 1982. Prior to working for Conservation International, he spent 11 years at World Wildlife Fund − U.S. (1978−1989), starting as Director of its Primate Program and ending up as Vice-President for Science. He also served as an IUCN Regional Councillor for the period 2004−2012, was elected as one of IUCN’s four Vice-Presidents for the period 2009−2012, and then was elected a lifetime Honorary IUCN Member in 2012. In addition, he has been an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook since 1978 (and received an Honorary Doctorate there in 2007), a Research Associate at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University for more than two decades, and President of the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation since 1996. Most recently, he was instrumental in the creation of the €25 million Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, a new species-focused fund based in Abu Dhabi, and serves as one of only two international board members. Mittermeier was born in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and went to college at Dartmouth, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1971. He did his graduate work at Harvard University, and received his doctorate in biological anthropology there in 1977 for a thesis entitled, “Distribution, Synecology, and Conservation of Suriname Monkeys”. Much of his early inspiration came from frequent visits as a child to the Bronx Zoo and the American Museum of Natural History, and from the Tarzan books and movies, based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Mittermeier has been married twice and has three children, John (31), an ornithologist working on his Ph.D. at Oxford, Michael (24), currently a senior in college at the University of South Florida, and Juliana (20), a sophomore in college at the University of Victoria in Canada.

David Chadwick O’Connor For the past 12 years, David O'Connor has been Chief of Policy and Analysis of the Division for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In that role his team has guided the analytical support to the negotiations for the Rio+20 Conference, the proposal on sustainable development goals of the General Assembly's Open Working Group on SDGs, and the September Summit outcome, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. His team also helped support the work of the Intergovernmental Expert Committee on Sustainable Development Financing, which helped shape the Addis Ababa Action Agenda agreed in July of this year. His former team also produces the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), mandated by the Rio+20 Conference as an important means of strengthening the science-policy interface in international discussions on sustainable development at the United Nations. Before joining the United Nations, Dr. O'Connor worked for 14 years as a researcher at the Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), based in Paris. Soon after the first Rio Conference in 1992, he published a study entitled Managing the Environment with Rapid Industrialisation: Lessons from the East Asian Experience. He has also written extensively on estimating the co-benefits of climate policy in emerging economies in terms of reduced health and agricultural impacts from local and regional air pollution. He has also served on the Economic Options Panel of the Montreal Protocol on ozone depleting substances. Prior to joining the OECD, Dr. O'Connor worked as consultant to the World Bank and to UNIDO, where he was responsible for helping develop the electronics industry development strategy as part of the Government of Malaysia's Industrial Master Plan. Dr. O'Connor holds degrees from Yale, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University College London, where he completed his doctorate.

Collin O’Mara Collin O’Mara serves as President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, America’s largest wildlife conservation organization with 51 state and territorial affiliates and nearly six million members and supporters. Under O’Mara’s leadership, the National Wildlife Federation is focused on conserving wildlife ranging from bison and bighorn sheep to pollinators like monarch butterflies and native bees, defending public lands and access to outdoor recreation, restoring America’s waterbodies, improving habitat resilience, advancing environmental education (including publishing Ranger Rick magazines), and connecting every American child with the great outdoors. He comes to the National Wildlife Federation from the state government of Delaware where he led the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control as Cabinet Secretary from 2009 through 2014. In that position, Secretary O’Mara served as the state’s top environmental official, led the state’s efforts to conserve and restore wildlife and fishery habitat, improve air quality and public health, ensure access to clean water, expand outdoor recreation and environmental education opportunities, and enhance the state’s resilience to extreme weather and other climate impacts. O’Mara has served on numerous boards including as Co-Chair of the Natural Resources and Agriculture Subcommittee of the President’s Task Force on Climate Adaptation and Preparedness, Chair of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Chair of the Ozone Transport Commission, Chair of the Climate and Energy Subcommittee of the Environmental Council of the States, and the Executive Council of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Prior to his position with the state of Delaware, O’Mara served as the Clean Tech Strategist for the City of San Jose, California, where he was a primary architect of the City’s Green Vision, and as the Director of SyraStat for the City of Syracuse, New York, where he oversaw the City’s performance management and accountability program. A native of Syracuse, New York, O’Mara was a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford, a University Fellow at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Presidential Scholar at Dartmouth College. He is a Catto Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional, and completed Stanford Business School’s Executive Management Program in Environmental Sustainability. O’Mara lives in Delaware and spends every possible moment in nature with his wife Krish and daughter Riley.

Kristen Painemilla-Walker Kristen Walker Painemilla has been with Conservation International (CI) for 17 years; she is Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Policy Center for Environment and Peace at CI, leading a staff of 40. Prior to leading the Policy Center efforts, Kristen was Vice President for Social and Environmental Governance at CI’s Center for Environment and Peace. Kristen continues to provide institutional leadership and comprehensive technical assistance on a range of international policy issues (biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development), social policy (indigenous peoples, rights based approaches, and social safeguards) and engages with the peace and development community to further CI’s mission. In 2003, Kristen created the Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program (ITPP) at CI to consolidate CI’s work with key community partners, as well as to strengthen the collective capacity of indigenous and traditional peoples and CI to achieve mutual goals. In more recent years, Kristen led efforts on behalf of CI to form the Conservation Initiative on Human Rights (CIHR), a consortium of international conservation NGOs that seek to improve the practice of conservation by promoting integration of human rights in conservation policy and practice. She published the book Indigenous Peoples and Conservation: From Rights to Resource Management in October 2010, drawing on years of experience working with indigenous peoples. In 2012, she was named Co-chair of the Specialist Group on Indigenous Peoples Customary and Environmental Law and Human Rights with the Commission on Environment, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In September, 2016, she was elected Chair of CEESP, which contributes to the IUCN Mission by providing insights and expertise and promoting policies and action to harmonize the conservation of nature with the crucial socioeconomic and cultural concerns of human communities—such as livelihoods, human rights and responsibilities, human development, security, equity, and the fair and effective governance and equitable sharing of natural resources. During her time at CI, Kristen has also served as Vice President for Social Policy and Practice (2010- 2012), Executive Director for the Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Program (2003-2009) and the Senior Director of Program Strategy in the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science (CABS) at CI from 1999 through 2003. Kristen was integral in the development and strategic direction of the CABS. She led several initiatives within CABS such as ‘Defying Nature’s End’, CABS Bushmeat Initiative and scientific communications. Kristen holds her degree in Latin American Studies and Anthropology from George Washington University. She was a Cotlow Scholar in 1996, a U.S. Fulbright Scholar 1997-1998 and is a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program. She serves on several boards including the Equator Initiative, the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force and the Chol-Chol Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose principal aim is to provide integral education for the women of indigenous rural communities with limited resources. She resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband Fabian, a Mapuche Indian from Chile and her 2 children.

Ann Powers Ann Powers is an emerita professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law’s Center for Global Environmental Legal Studies at Pace University. She has taught and written on a range of environmental issues, including the law of oceans and coasts, international environmental law, and UN diplomacy. She has worked with various projects of the UN Environment Programme and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), including the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, and the Oceans, Coasts & Coral Reefs Specialists Group of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. She serves as a representative to the UN for the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL).

Ron Regan Ron has served as the Executive Director for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies since 2010. Prior to this he spent over 25 years with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department where he served as Deer Project Leader, Director of Wildlife, and Commissioner. Ron serves on several national boards including those of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports, the National Deer Alliance, and the National Conservation Leadership Institute. Ron is a professional member of The Wildlife Society and the Boone and Crockett Club. John Robinson As the Executive Vice President for Conservation and Science at the Wildlife Conservation Society, John Robinson oversees WCS conservation programs in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Focusing on primate behavior and ecology, he received his doctorate in zoology from the University of North Carolina in 1977. His postdoctoral studies were with the Smithsonian Institution. In 1980, he joined the faculty of the University of Florida, and established the Program for Studies in Tropical Conservation, a graduate program providing training to students from tropical countries. He joined the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1990. He is a Past President of the Society for Conservation Biology, served as Chairman of the Board of The Christensen Fund and of Foundations of Success. He has served as Councilor for North America and Vice President with the IUCN since 2012. In 2003, Dr. Robinson was inducted into the Royal Order of the Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, in recognition of lifetime achievement and service to conservation. He is a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. John Robinson has written extensively on the impact of subsistence and commercial hunting in tropical forests, and has a long interest in the sustainable use of natural resources. He is interested in the relationship between conservation research and practice, and the application of conservation theory to conservation policy and implementation. He has over 180 publications, including "Neotropical Wildlife Use and Conservation" (1991), co-edited with Kent Redford, “Hunting for sustainability in tropical forests" (2000), co-edited by Elizabeth Bennett, “The Cutting Edge. Conserving wildlife in tropical forests” (2001), co-edited with Robert Fimbel and Alejandro Grajal, and “Conservation of exploited species” (2001), co-edited with John Reynolds, Georgina Mace and Kent Redford.

Paul Salaman A wildlife enthusiast since grade school, Paul has spent his career dedicated to furthering tropical conservation. At the age of eight, Paul met Sir David Attenborough and became enthralled by international wildlife conservation. By age 14, he was managing a nature reserve in London and travelling across England bird watching and volunteering in protected areas. As an undergraduate, Paul led a series of research expeditions across Colombia. These three years in the field culminated in the creation of a new national park and four nature reserves. He has described four bird species that were new to science, including the Chocó Vireo–which he discovered at the age of 19. In 1998, Paul was a co-founder of Colombia’s Fundación ProAves, which has become one of the most effective conservation organizations in South America. After graduating with a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 2001, he accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at The Natural History Museum and was also the Biodiversity Science Coordinator in the Andes for Conservation International. In 2002, Paul inherited a townhouse in central London and, despite being saddled with student debt, donated the entire house to a UK non-profit to benefit international conservation. Paul is a member of the Amphibian Survival Alliance’s Global Council. He joined Rainforest Trust in 2008 as the Director of Conservation and was appointed CEO in January 2012.

Todd Shelton Before coming to World Wildlife Fund as Vice President for U.S. Government Relations, Todd Shelton was Senior Director of Public Policy and External Relations at InterAction where he directed government relations and budget and policy advocacy for the networks 187 member NGOs from 2005 to 2011. Prior to joining InterAction, Todd served as lead government relations representative for the Sheridan Group focused on its international development portfolio from 2002-2005. He was Congressional Liaison Officer for USAID from 1998 to 2002, as well as Deputy Research Director for Policy and Public Affairs from 1996-1998 for Mathis & Associates. Todd also worked as Deputy to the Chief of Staff in the Office of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) from 1990 to 1994. He has been VP, US Government Relations, WWF from 2011 to present. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a BA in American Government and a Certificate in Public Policy.

Sean Southey Sean is deeply committed to community empowerment and using creative media to facilitate powerful social change. A resourceful manager with over 25 years of experience in the development and communications field, he has spent the last seven years leading PCI Media Impact’s growing portfolio of Environment, Social Justice and Health programs that now span over 40 countries.

His work as CEO of PCI Media Impact provides him the perfect synergy between IUCN CEC and PCI Media Impact, uniting innovative communication and education tools to communicate critical biodiversity research and implementation. From the Caribbean to Laos and across Africa and Latin America, PCI Media Impact is sharing stories on climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. He is a true believer in the transformative power of storytelling and education in effecting behavior change. He also sees the immense potential within IUCN CEC networks to amplify this behavior change and influence policies at different levels.

With a multi-sector background, Sean spent 12 years with the United Nations Development Programme, 5 years with the Canadian government and 3 years working with other international non-government organizations such as ICLEI (Secretary General) and Rare (Vice-President). Sean is a dual Canadian and South African citizen and has lived, worked and travelled in over 90 countries. He holds a MSC from the London School of Economics and a BA in Economics from University of British Columbia.