global citizen - mother -
environmental anthropologist
I work to bridge social-environmental leaders in the global North and South to promote tropical forest conservation that benefits people and place.
As Project Director with the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force, I work with closely with governments, conservation practitioners, Indigenous and local community level leaders, NGOs and the international donor community.
I also teach graduate courses on stakeholder engagement, run a field course on integrated conservation and development in Brazil’s Amazon and Atlantic Forests which unites students and professors from CU and two Brazilian universities, mentor students, and conduct research on topics ranging from people and conservation, to environmental governance, to artisanal mining.
I have just completed a book on social movements in the global biodiversity hotspot of Southern Bahia, Brazil, Running After Paradise: Hope, Survival, and Activism in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.
Based at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU), I serve as an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies (ENVS) and the Masters of the Environment (MENV) Programs, a Research Associate with the Environment and Society Program at CU’s Institute of Behavioral Science.host (with UCLA) the global secretariat of the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF Task Force).
My husband, Jeff, and my children Max (23), Ella (20) and Maya (17), and inspire and support my work each and every day.
My Mission and how my work fits together
Collectively, these experiences allow me to work toward my life’s mission: to bridge social-environmental leaders in the global North and South to promote tropical forest conservation that benefit people and place. I am passionate about engaging diverse groups of people—from governmental leaders and civil servants to Indigenous and local community leaders, NGOs, private sector, and philanthropic actors—to co-construct integrated approaches to conservation, development, and education.
While today I lead the GCF Task Force, teach, write, conduct research, and occasionally consult, in the past I have worked with a range of social-environmental institutions and organizations including: the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA), the American Forum for Global Education, the City of Boulder Open Space Department, the Climate Reality Project, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Global Greengrants Fund.
While my geographic expertise lies in Brazil, where I have nearly three decades of experience, I have also developed projects in Bolivia, Belize, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Uganda, and the United States. I hold a BA in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame, MA degrees in International Development and Anthropology from the School for International Training and CU, respectively, and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from CU.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
+1-303-916-4714