United States
Dr. Mark J. Plotkin
Co-Founder & President
Mark Plotkin, ACT President
Dr. Mark J. Plotkin has led ACT and guided its vision since 1996, when he co-founded the organization with his fellow conservationist, Liliana Madrigal. He is a renowned ethnobotanist who has spent almost three decades studying traditional plant use with traditional healers of tropical America.
Dr. Plotkin has previously served as Research Associate in Ethnobotanical Conservation at the Botanical Museum of Harvard University; Director of Plant Conservation at the World Wildlife Fund; Vice President of Conservation International; and Research Associate at the Department of Botany of the Smithsonian Institution.
Among his many influential writings, Dr. Plotkin may be best known for his popular work Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice (1994), which has been printed continuously and has been published in multiple languages. Other works include the critically acclaimed children's book The Shaman's Apprentice - A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest, illustrated by Lynne Cherry, and Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets. His most recent book, The Amazon – What Everyone Needs to Know, was published by Oxford University Press in 2020.
In 1998, he played a leading role in the Academy Award-nominated IMAX film Amazon. Dr. Plotkin's work also has been featured in a PBS Nova documentary, in an Emmy-winning Fox TV documentary, on the NBC Nightly News and Today Show, CBS' 48 Hours and in Life, Newsweek, Smithsonian, Elle, People, The New York Times, along with appearances on National Public Radio. Time magazine called him an "Environmental Hero for the Planet" (2001) and Smithsonian magazine hailed him as one of "35 Who Made a Difference" (2005), along with Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, and fellow New Orleanian Wynton Marsalis.
Dr. Plotkin has received the San Diego Zoo Gold Medal for Conservation; the Roy Chapman Andrews Distinguished Explorer Award; an International Conservation Leadership award from the Jane Goodall Institute; and, with Liliana Madrigal, the Skoll Foundation’s Award for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2010, he received the honorary degree of "Doctor of Humane Letters" from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Plotkin was educated at Harvard, Yale and Tufts University.
His ongoing podcast Plants of the Gods is available on Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
Liliana Madrigal
Co-Founder & Executive Vice President
ACT Senior Director of Program Operations Liliana Madrigal
Liliana Madrigal is Co-Founder and Vice-President of ACT, created in 1996 with Dr. Mark J. Plotkin. Her special mandate is providing the vision, strategic direction, and organizational leadership to advance ACT’s mission. Additionally, Liliana oversees ACT’s fundraising and programmatic activities, traveling frequently to South America to meet and work with ACT's local teams and indigenous partners. Previously she led conservation efforts with the Fundacion de Parques Nacionales de Costa Rica, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy. In 2006, Liliana won the Circle of Bridge-Makers Award from the Angeles Arrien Foundation. She and Dr. Plotkin were co-awardees of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2008. In 2017, she was awarded a residency fellowship at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center. Liliana lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Dr. Mark J. Plotkin.
Karla Lara
Chief Financial Officer
Crisbellt Alvarado
Director, Finance & Operations
Brian Hettler
Director, Mapping
Bruce Hoffman
Senior Manager, Scientific Research
David Stone
Senior Manager, Narrative & Media Content
Francelys Peche
Manager, Travel & Logistics
Thais Santos
Staff Accountant
Diana Wilson
Finance Associate
Bárbara Onkle
Manager, Communications & Marketing
Anna Casey
Manager, External Communications
Thea Van Gorp
Manager, Development
Adriana Balcazar
Officer, Development
Christina Ntova
Coordinator, Development
Tatiana Pulido
Manager, PMEL
Pascual Gonzalez
Officer, Mapping & Spatial Analysis
Pedro Olivera
Information Technology (IT) Generalist
Brazil
Luiz da Silva
Regional Director
ACT-Brasil Program Director Luiz Lopes
Luiz Cláudio joined ACT in May 2020. Previously, he served as Advisor to Brazil’s National Council for Sustainable Rural Development (CONDRAF), and Advisor, Coordinator and National Executive Director of Caritas Brasileira. Additionally, he was a founder and member of the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change and Environmental Justice. Luis Cláudio has long experience in the fields of conservation, human rights, economics and education, with an emphasis on agroecology and sustainable rural development, generating studies and publications. Other areas of expertise are strategic planning, organizational management, and international cooperation. He carries a master’s degree in Politics and Development and a Bachelor’s in agronomy from the Federal University of Bahia.
Abílio Pereira
Analyst, Field Operations
Antonio Assumpção
Analyst, Field Operations
Ayrton Vollet
Coordinator, Programs
Beatriz Silveira
Intern, Communications
Carla Cetina
Analyst, Legal
Elisângela Pinheiro
Supervisor, Administration
Emanuelle Araujo
Intern, Institutional Relations
Eric Lassmann
Analyst, Field Operations
Carlos Felippe
Supervisor, Programs
Daniela Lima
Supervisor, Programs
Edicléia Santos
Analyst, Finance
Leonardo Nery
Assistant, Administration
Lirian Ribeiro
Analyst, Field Operations
Maria Coelho
Analyst, Field Operations - PIACI
Marilane Irmão
Supervisor, Institutional Relations
Maurício Kokama
Analyst, Field Operations
Méle Dornelas
Analyst, Communications
Nian Pissolati
Analyst, Field Operations
Rayane Sousa
Intern, Logistics & Procurement
Ricardo Londoño
Analyst, Field Operations
Robério Almeida
Consultant, Legal
Sarah Farias
Assistant, Logistics & Procurement
Thiago Arruda
Analyst, Field Operations
Colombia
Carolina Gil
Regional Director
Carolina Gil - Directora Regional Noroeste Amazonas
Carolina Gil, a practicing attorney since 1997, has lengthy experience in administrative and financial management, contractual law, and the development of public and private contracting mechanisms, including international assistance and agreements.
Prior to assuming her role as the Amazon Conservation Team’s Director for its Colombia program in November 2011, she served as Financial and Administrative Subdirector for the National Parks Unit of Colombia. Additionally, Carolina served an important role with Colombia’s Fondo Patrimonio Natural, which manages all international environmental cooperation for Colombia.
From 2006-2007, Carolina was ACT-Colombia’s Administrative & Financial Director, overseeing the transition to a reformed institution while also functioning as the organization’s Colombian legal counsel. In 2007, she also served as the Administrative and Financial Subdirector for Colombia’s Natural Heritage Fund for Biodiversity and Protected Areas.
Prior to that, Carolina served three years as the legal coordinator for the Corporation for Environmental and Cultural Protection and Land Management (CORPACOT), facilitating the negotiation and fulfillment of contracts from institutions including the U.S. Department of the Interior, the World Bank, the government of the Netherlands, and Conservation International. She also served three years as the attorney for the Colombian National Parks with respect to the country’s northwest territory.
Carolina carries honors degrees from Colombia’s Universidad de Antioquia and Universidad Nacional. She has a strong academic background and interest in historical research.
Alfredo Babilonia
Assistant, Operations
Álvaro Sánchez
Specialist, Graphic Design
Ana Rozo
Lead, Social Program
Camila Usaquen
Assistant, Accounting
Camilo León
Specialist, Social
Carlos Garzón
Specialist, Topography
Carlos Puentes
Coordinator, Resources & People
Carlos Rodas
Specialist, Administrative
Carmen Martínez
Specialist, Administrative Specialist
Celene Estrada
Specialist, Health
Constanza Bonilla
Coordinator, Accounting
Cristhian Torres
Program Lead, Agroenvironmental
Daniel Montero
Specialist, Socioenvironmental
Daniel Aristizabal
Technical Secretary, GTI-PIACI
Daniela Alturo
Specialist, Social
David Forero
Specialist, Socioenvironmental
David Mahecha
Coordinator, PIACI
Delver Peña
Field Technician, PIACI
Denise Baptiste
Program Lead, Children & Intercultural Education
Diana Bautista
Specialist, Administrative
Edgar Llanos
Specialist, Topography
Edgar Franco
Project Lead, Livelihoods & Restoration
Eduar Rico
Apprentice, SENA
Eduin Peña
Specialist, Socioenvironmental
Enyel García
Specialist, Intercultural
Fernando Pacheco
Assistant, Operations
Hernán Decastro
Specialist, PIACI
Isabella Useche
Specialist, Graphic Design
Jairo Suárez
Coordinator, Rights, Nature & Territory
Jessica Pérez
Coordinator, Connections
José Villalba
Specialist, Social
Juan Rodríguez
Coordinator, Financial
Director, Strategic Affairs
Juanita Niño
Coordinator, Sierra-Caribe
Juliana Morales
Treasurer, Resources & Finance
Assistant, Resources & Finance
Laura Zamora
Specialist, Legal
Laura Calderon
Assistant, Accounting
Apprentice, SENA
Leidy Timote
Apprentice, SENA
Lina Ortíz
Program Lead, PIACI
Specialist, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation
Luis Eslava
Specialist, IT
Luis Guerrero
Assistant, Operations
Specialist, PIACI
María Sepúlveda
Specialist, Administrative
María Sanabria
Director, Resources & Finance
Specialist, PIACI
María Serna
Coordinator, Piedemonte
Mauricio Mendoza
Specialist, PIACI
Program Lead, Legal
Olga Ossa
Coordinator, Connections
Oscar Garavito
Specialist, Finance
Coordinator, Biophysical & Spatial Thematic
Sandra Alcalde
Specialist, Occupational Health & Safety
Sandra Londoño
Lead, One Health Communities & Forests
Specialist, Accounting
Sindy Vanegas
Specialist, Social
Vanesa Mendoza
Specialist, Outreach
Specialist, Outreach
Victoria Motta
Specialist, Legal
Wilmer Castro
Project Lead, Livelihoods & Restoration
Secretary, General
Yeni Velandia
Assistant, General Services
Yury Pulido
GIS Specialist, PIACI
Costa Rica
Max Villalobos
Regional Director, Ancestral Tides
Juan Carlos Cruz
Manager, Science & Conservation - Ancestral Tides
Manuel Sánchez
Coordinator, Conservation Program - Ancestral Tides
Guianas
Minu Parahoe
Regional Director
ACT-Suriname Program Director Minu Parahoe
Minu Parahoe, a Surinamese national, is a specialist in natural resource management and sustainable agroforestry/silviculture systems with local communities in the Guiana Shield region.
Prior to joining ACT, Minu served as project manager for a UNDP/GEF-funded project on Suriname Coastal Protected Areas Management. Additionally, through her consultancy, she conducted auditing of timber operations, developed draft guidelines for high conservation forest value in timber concessions for WWF, and acted as national project coordinator for the government in preparation for a GEF project promoting effective and efficient management of western Surinamese protected areas.
From 2007-2010, she served as Freshwater and Protected Areas Field Officer for WWF Guianas, responsible for project development, monitoring, and reporting in close collaboration with stakeholders. She also served many years as a key staff member/researcher at the Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS) and lectured at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname in GIS, environmental science, and land and environmental management. Longtime study and work areas include Suriname’s Bigi Pan wetlands / multiple use management area, mangrove forests, the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, and the Sipaliwini Nature Reserve.
Minu carries an M.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of the West Indies and a B.S. in Agronomy from the Anton de Kom University.
Aarthi Dhanradj
Manager, Operations
Anil Pershad
Manager, Livelihood
Barbara Dundas
Coordinator, Communications
Ben D'Leon
Consultant, Eco-Tourism
Bernice Jami
Support, IP Trio Tareno
Carlo Koorndijk
Manager, Country
Donicia Molly
Manager, Office
Glynis Williams
Coordinator, Social Science
Guillermo Monsanto
Coordinator, Tribal Regional
Jeanine Playfair
Assistant, Social Science
Jessica Joseph
Manager, Guyana
Joe Daniels
Resource Person Wai wai
Jordy Pawirodinomo
Coordinator, Station
Joseefie Nieuwendam
Consultant, Social Science
Lucio Wajacabo
Assistant, Research & Monitoring
Maike Jaachpi
Indigenous Peoples Support
Raisa Romana Pinas
Coordinator, Finance
Rakesh Benimadho
Assistant, Logistics
Roché Bhola
Regional Manager, GIS & Technology
Matthew Kasankarijo
Coordinator, Station
Mercedes Hardjoprajitno
Manager, Research & Monitoring
Michel Debidin
Coordinator, Logistics
Neville X Goede
Process and Quality Controller
Peggy Baisie
General Services
Romie Djotirto
Coordinator, Assistant IP Regional
Samuel Frederick
Resource Person Region 9
Tristauw Rosiek
Coordinator, Indigenous Peoples Regional
Zevoera Khodabaks
Manager, PMEL