Davison Collins (Board Chair & Founder) has been a leader of numerous conservation initiatives along the Costalegre for over two decades.  Collins founded the first ecotourism initiative in the region (Immersion Adventures) as well Tierralegre, both dedicated to local environmental education and conservation efforts.  His leadership and vision built organizational capacity for Tierralegre to host a variety of international university field study courses, including Earthwatch Institute´s Mexican Mangroves and Wildlife Program. Collins also established the first agroecology community center in La Manzanilla, Jalisco. His is also the Co-Founder and Principle for the Capacha Center. linkedin.com/in/davison-collins-3605488

Donald Trent Jacobs [Four Arrows] (Board Member) is an American college professor whose research has focused on American Indian rights, Indigenous worldviews, wellness, and counter-hegemonic education. Jacobs is a faculty member in the School of Educational Leadership for Change at Fielding Graduate University. He was formerly a tenured associate professor at Northern Arizona University and was the Dean of Education at Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. In 2004 he received the Moral Courage Award from the Martin Springer Institute at Northern Arizona University for his activism. In 2009, the American Education Resource Organization selected him as one of “27 visionaries in education” for their text, Turning Points. linkedin.com/in/four-arrows-aka-don-trent-jacobs-5b714810

Antonio Trejo Robles (Board Member) Marine Biology Professor and Researcher at University of Guadalajara´s Melaque Campus and Director of La Gloria Sea Turtle Conservation Program.  Robles has over 30 years of experience as a professor and researcher focused on sea turtle conservation while serving as faculty at the University of Guadalajara´s Department for the Sustainable Development of Coastal Zones.  Toño is dedicated to marine conservation nationally and across the globe.  He provides technical advisement for our turtle protection program and unites the University faculty and students to the Center’s activities. independent.academia.edu/TTrejoRobles

Francisco de Asís Silva-Bátiz (Board Member) is an academic researcher from University of Guadalajara’s Department for the Sustainable Development of Coastal Zones. As Director of the Department, Francisco provides academic support and university outreach to rural communities along the Coastalegre. As a prolific researcher, he has published on numerous environmental issues in our region, including recent research on environmental quality indicators to detect, predict and scientifically evaluate the environmental impacts of chemical substances as emerging contaminants (ECs) impacting wastewater of urban and rural settlements in the states of Colima and Jalisco.  linkedin.com/in/francisco-de-asis-silva-batiz-aab1126a

Jerónimo Domínguez Laso is the Lead Biologist for Military Macaw Rehabilitation & Reintroduction Project. Jerónimo specializes in the sustainable management of wild species through “UMAs” (Unidad de Manejo Ambiental / Environmental Management Permit) sanctioned by PROFEPA (the prosecutorial branch of the Secretary of the Environment in Mexico).  He has worked extensively with resident and migratory birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, and has spearheaded 25 UMAs.  His expertise supports habitat improvement and ecological restoration design and treatment effectiveness monitoring on sensitive species for the Center’s conservation initiatives. linkedin.com/in/jer%C3%B3nimo-dom%C3%ADnguez-laso-29549992

David Robledo, Project lead for Communication and Public Affairs, is a lecturer in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication at Old Dominion University. He has taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and at Texas Tech University where his PhD research concentrated on visual and written communication of international biodiversity policy. A 2021 U.S. Fulbright fellow for science communication studies in Costa Rica, his research centers on the biodiversity benefits of small-scale fishing cooperatives. linkedin.com/in/01technicalcommunication

Salvador Hernandez Vasquez, Project Ornithologist, has over 30 years of experience as a professor and researcher focused primarily on the monitoring of marine birds along coastal wetlands.  Chava has directed over 25 avian research projects and has published in numerous scientific journals and books, including the premiere birding guide for the Costalegre region, Sal a Pajarear.  A frequent contributor to the International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation, Vasquez brings local expertise to support varied approaches to avain habitat conservation and species protection efforts. linkedin.com/in/martin-salvador-hernandez-vasquez-9340aa15a/?originalSubdomain=mx

Corey Lewis, Co-Founder of the Capacha Center and Community Development Project Advisor, is an accomplished author, life coach, and environmental activist.  After retiring from his professorship at Humboldt State University as an environmental writer and scholar, Lewis pursued his lifelong commitment to supporting others in personal growth, continuing education, and community engagement along the northern California coast.  Corey supports the Tierralegre and Capacha operations through coordinating planning and financing strategies, as well offering support for workshop development and outreach strategies. mbmcoach.com/about-mbm

Jerry Keir, Conservation Director, is Co-Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of the Great Basin Institute, an environmental research, education, and service organization serving the western US.  For the past 28 years, Jerry has taught and directed interdisciplinary research and field studies for the Institute throughout the Intermountain West, Central Pacific Mexico, and Costa Rica. He has extensive experience managing diverse research and monitoring initiatives, as well as leading collaborative conservation projects at landscape scale. As a skilled fundraiser and project lead, Keir has overseen $240 million in grants and contracts to support conservation and biodiversity. Keir provides environmental planning, fundraising and conservation financing for Tierralgre projects. linkedin.com/in/jerry-keir-96222920

Jörg Stramm, Project Building Architect, brings traditional German carpentry and wood technology and is preeminent bamboo craftsman. Residing in Colombia, Jorg works internationally and is recognized for his design and construction of structurally expansive bamboo bridges and planned eco-communities.  His recent projects include Green Village Bali and Playa Viva, as well as serving as principal bamboo building consultant for Tierralegre and the Capacha Center. www.jorgstamm.com

Doug Collins, Project Agricultural Advisor, is an Extension Professor and Soil Scientist with Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. Doug has a Ph.D. in soil science from Washington State University and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from Montana State University. He focuses on managing and monitoring soil fertility on diverse organic vegetable farms, composting systems, and evaluating soil quality in different vegetable cropping systems. Doug studies ecological variability across landscapes and biological indicators of soil quality. He consults on composting, organic waste management, and soil health in the Dominican Republic and Colombia. csanr.wsu.edu/people/doug-collins

Sanjay Pyare, Project Geospatial Analyst, is a Professor at the University of Alaska Southeast where he teaches environmental science courses and is the Director of the Spatial Ecosystem Analysis Lab. He earned his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno and also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hartwick College in New York. In addition to his post at UAS, he is also an affiliate professor with the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, as well as their Institute of Arctic Biology. He is also a research associate with the Conservation Biology Department of the Denver Zoological Foundation. uas.alaska.edu/dir/spyare.html

Gabriel de Jesus Cabrera, Project Chemical Ecologist, is a PhD candidate in Organic Chemistry at the University of Nevada, Reno.   As an experienced chemistry researcher with extensive experience working in an academic and professional setting, Cabrera is skilled in total synthesis, data analysis, chromatography, process chemistry, materials chemistry, and physical organic chemistry. Cabrera provides technical advisement and support for Capacha’s biochemical data capture and analyses, and provides added capacity for the monitoring and assessment of regional natural resource trend and condition. linkedin.com/in/gabriel-cabrera415