Environment for the Americas is 501(c)(3) organization is governed by a Board of Directors. Our Board brings a wealth of experience in conservation, management, strategic planning, and more, along with a passion of birds and nature.
The Board meets quarterly to review the activities of Environment for the Americas and to guide its activities. Board Members rotate approximately every two to three years. We seek diverse candidates from across the Western Hemisphere who can contribute their expertise and energy to our work.
Joni Ellis
Board Chair
Joni worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission where she was the statewide coordinator for bird conservation outreach. She founded Optics for the Tropics in 2001 to build capacity for bird conservation across the Western Hemisphere.
Adam Kent
Board Secretary
An Anhinga sparked Adam’s passion for birds when he was about five years old. Since then, he has worked in a variety of research and education projects, including as a naturalist guide. He has guided trips from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego and worked as Florida’s first Scrub-Jay Conservation Coordinator.
Anne Zimmerman
Board Member
Anne served as the Director of the USFS’s national office for Watershed, Fish, Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants from 2005 to 2013. Her career with the agency spanned almost 35 years, beginning with work as a wildlife biologist in the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. She went on to hold biologist positions as well as other natural resource positions in the Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana and National Forests in Alabama.
Guido Berguido
Board Member
Guido is the Director of AdoptaBosque, a strong partner of Environment for the Americas in Panama. He discovered Cerro Chucantí, the tallest mountain of Panama’s isolated Majé mountain range, in the early 2000s. Guido managed to purchase land containing some of the most threatened ecosystems, which quickly became one of the largest private nature reserves in Panama. Guido works closely with EFTA coordinating World Migratory Bird Day in Central American countries. With his associate Chelina Batista, he has been motivating ground and global educational activities in Panama every year for diverse audience.
Kimberly Becerril
Board Member
Kimberly was selected to join the Environment for the Americas Board as a former intern. She worked for us in Monterey Bay, gathering information about migratory shorebirds and offering community programs to engage the public in birdwatching and bird conservation. Her perspectives help us to improve our youth programs. Today, she is also working towards her Master’s at MIT.
Claudia Lewis
Board Member
Claudia is an environmental educator and interpreter with vast experience in the development and management of cutting-edge environmental education curricula and programs focused on achieving measurable conservation outcomes and long-term behavioral change. Innovator, focused on sustainability and building capacity among communities. She is the designer and director of award-winning environmental centers and the exhibits and interpretive materials that support their missions.
ANNE LAW
Anne is the Senior Director & Counsel, Public Policy at the American Institute of Architects. She comes to the Board with a breadth of experience that includes work at other bird conservation – focused organizations. Her passion is lobbying, because she enjoys “demystifying the legislative and political process.” Anne contributes her commitment to conservation, her interest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and her legal expertise to the Board.