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 Killers Within: The Deadly Rise of Drug-Resistant Bacteria, coauthored with Michael Shnayerson, was selected as a Discover Magazine book of the year.
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.
Liliana Madrigal
Co-Founder & Senior Director of Program Operations
ACT Senior Director of Program Operations Liliana Madrigal
Liliana Madrigal is co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), created in 1996 with Dr. Mark J. Plotkin. Previously, over a decade, she led conservation efforts with the Fundacion de Parques Nacionales de Costa Rica, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy.
Liliana is ACT’s Senior Director of Program Operations, and serves on its board. 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.
In particular, she drives the implementation of programs focusing on indigenous leadership and rights, especially with regard to women, elders, and youth.
Liliana also serves as the chair of the board of directors of the Costa Rican NGO Osa Conservation. 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.
A native of Costa Rica, Liliana lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Dr. Mark J. Plotkin. She is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles.
Karla Lara
Director of Operations & Finance
Crisbellt Alvarado
Finance & Human Resources Manager
Angie Bolzan
Grants and Development Coordinator
Liliana Chacon-Menay
Head of Communications
Jessica Hardy
Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning & Reporting Coordinator
Brian Hettler
GIS & New Technologies Manager
Rudo Kemper
GIS & Digital Storytelling Manager
Francelys Peche
Office Coordinator
David Stone
Information and Content Management Specialist
Sarah Voelkl
Corporate Partnerships
Antonio E. Peluso
Brazil & Communications Support
Brazil
João Nunes
ACT-SynBioBrasil Coordinator
Colombia
Carolina Gil
Program Director
ACT-Colombia Program Director Carolina Gil
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. At this time, she is completing a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from the Universidad de los Andes. She has a strong academic background and interest in historical research.
Maria C. Prada
Administrative & Financial Subdirector
Camilo Andrade
Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, Middle Caquetá River Program
Camilo Andrade
Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, Middle Caquetá River Program
Lady Angarita
Field Technician, Fragua-Churumbelos Program
Daniel Aristizabal
Isolated Peoples Program and Lower Amazon Coordinator
Wilmar Bahamón
Middle Caquetá River Program Coordinator
Claudia Bueno
Administrative and Accounting Support, Bogotá Office
Edgar Castro
Survey Engineer
Rafael Calderón
Field Technician, Fragua-Churumbelos Program
Alcira Cao de Guerrero
General Support, Bogotá Office
Lina Castro
Environmental Education Specialist, Middle Caquetá River and Isolated Peoples Program
Ubency Cerquera
Field Promoter, Fragua-Churumbelos Program
Libardo Chanchy
Agroecologist, Fragua-Churumbelos Program and Lower Caguán River
Eduin Cuellar
Field Technician, Putumayo Program
David Delgado
Survey Technician
Guillermo Fernandez
Land Program Coordinator
Valentina Fonseca
Ecologist, Isolated Peoples Program and Lower Amazonas
Maria Franco
Forestry Engineer, Putumayo Program
Paula Galeano
Putumayo Program Coordinator
Linda García
Survey Group Coordinator
Alvaro Gil
Graphic Designer
Gonzalo Gómez
Field Promoter, Fragua-Churumbelos Program
Yojan Gutiérrez
Field Technician, Middle Caquetá River Program
Carlos Hernández
Survey Technician
John Hoyos
Survey Technician
Pedro Jiménez
Field Promoter, Fragua-Churumbelos Program
Yanelis Julio
Administrative Assistant
Daniel Kraus
Liaison Officer, Suriname and Colombia
Germán Laserna
Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, Fragua-Churumbelos Program and Lower Caguán River
Juanita Londoño
Coordinator, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Program
Germán Mejía
Biologist & GIS Specialist, Isolated Peoples Program and Lower Amazonas
Ayda Melo
Legal Advisor, Land Program
Joanne A. Montoya
Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist
Carmen Moreno
Administrative & HR Support
María P. Navarrete
Coordinator, Fragua-Churumbelos Program and Lower Caguán River
Edgar Núñez
Field Technician, Fragua-Churumbelos Program and Lower Caguán River
Santiago Palacios
GIS Coordinator
Juan P. Parra
Biologist, Middle Caquetá River Program
Ricardo Rey
Field Technician, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Animaría Rodríguez
Support Staff, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Carolina Rodríguez
Infrastructure Advisor, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Felipe Samper
Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist
Hector Silva
Field Technician, Middle Caquetá River Program
Wilmer Silva
Field Technician, Fragua-Churumbelos Program and Lower Caguán River
Claudia Suárez
Accountant
David Taborda
Liaison Officer, Land Program
Carlos Vinasco
Agroecologist, Middle Caquetá River Program
Europe
Dominiek Plouvier
Director
Suriname
Minu Parahoe
Program 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.
Erna Aviankoi
Communications Coordinator
Peggy Baisie
General Services
Roché Bhola
Field Station Coordinator, Sipaliwini & Urunai
Michel Debidin
Logistics Officer
Katia Delvoye
Education and Outreach Coordinator
Niradj Hanoeman
Field Station Coordinator, Matawai
Johan Hardjopawiro
Field Operations Supporting Officer
Bruce Hoffman
Land and Resources Specialist
Maikie Jaachpi
Office Assistant (Indigenous Peoples)
Hemwattie Jagroop
Finance Coordinator
Keoma Jungerman
Finance & HR Manager
Carlo Koorndijk
Management Assistant and Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator
Rayan Madhar
Field Station Coordinator, Apetina
Donicia Molly
Administrative Coordinator
Poernima Monilall
Finance & Administrative Assistant
Maureen Silos
Program Manager
Lucio Wajacabo
Field Station Coordinator, Curuni and Kwamalasamutu