STAFF PROFILES
Evelyn Arce, Executive Director, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) Evelyn, of Chibcha descent (Colombian-American) has been leading IFIP since 2002. She obtained her Master‘s of Art in Teaching degree at Cornell University with a concentration in Agriculture and Adult Education, and was a high-school teacher of Science, Horticulture, and Independent Living for seven years. Evelyn was chosen to participate in the Donella Meadows Fellowship Leadership program, a systems think tank on creating sustainable ways to effectively make long term changes through leadership. Evelyn was a communications consultant for the Iewirokwas Program, a Native American Midwifery Program and coordinated the American Indian Millennium Conference held at Cornell University in 2001. She has also been a diversity consultant for Cornell’s Empowering Family Development Program. Evelyn serves on the board of United Way for Franklin County in New York State.
As IFIP’s Executive Director, Evelyn brings a vision of philanthropy that is in accord with Indigenous culture, values, and spiritual sensibilities. She leads IFIP into its second decade of educating funders about critical Indigenous issues and supporting the philanthropic community in its efforts to increase funding to Indigenous communities and causes around the world. A tireless networker, Evelyn has brought together culturally diverse individuals and organizations through IFIP‘s programs and events, helping to leverage vast reserves of resources.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE ASSOCIATE
Joseph D. Bowen Brewer serves as the Executive Assistant for International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. In this capacity, he is critical to the organization, supporting the Executive Director in all functions, including office management, system efficiency, and financial reporting. He holds an Associate’s degree in Accounting and a Bachelor’s in Human Resource Management. His work experience has been centered in management in the service and retail sectors. Joseph believes strongly in human rights and works as an advocate for the GBLT community, along with elder and disability rights. He volunteers as a tenant representative for group and elder residencies. Joseph and his partner extend their large family through participation and support for various community programs, such as St. Vincent De Paul, The Neighborhood Center, and the Salvation Army.
BOARD PROFILES
PRESIDENT
Ken Wilson, Ph.D. has served as Executive Director of The Christensen Fund since August 2002. Born in Malawi with a life spread rather across the world, Dr. Wilson studied zoology at the University of Oxford and anthropology at University College London where his doctorate focused on indigenous knowledge, health and human ecology in the agro-pastoral arid savannahs and woodlands of Southern Zimbabwe.
VICE PRESIDENT
Jose Malvido, Jr. Xicano, Yoeme, and Tohono O‘odham, formerly served as the Native American Programs Manager for the Seva Foundation since February 2005. In November 2000, Mr. Malvido began his tenure as the North American coordinator of the Peace and Dignity Journeys, which covers the territories, form Alaska to Panama, an intercontinental spiritual movement that works to unite Indigenous Peoples throughout North, Central, and South America. Jose brings extensive experience supporting the work of indigenous peoples internationally from a philanthropic as well as an active member in grass roots organizing.
TREASURER
Amy N. Fredeen, CPA. Amy is of Inupiaq heritage and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. Amy attended the Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washingtonand graduated Cum Laude in 1996 with a bachelor of Business Administration. Amy is the Chief Financial Officer for the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC) where she oversees both Finance and Social Enterprise Operations. Amy serves on Cook Inlet Native Head Start Board of Directors, Alaska Center for the Performing Arts Board of Directors, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska, Montana, Northern Idaho & Washington Board of Trustees, as well as on the Finance and Audit Committee for IFIP‘s board.
Josh Mailman, President of the Joshua Mailman Foundation, Board member Sigrid Rausing Trust, U.K., Board member of the following non profits: Human Rights Watch, Witness, the Fund for Global Human Rights, Blacksmith Institute, Afropop Worldwide, Sierra Madre Alliance, Advisor to RSF Social Finance, Director Serious Change Fund, L.P., Active Private Investor in Socially Driven Enterprises, Founder Social Venture Network, Threshold Foundation, Business for Social Responsibility.
Liz Hosken, born near Johannesburg, South Africa, Liz Hosken was active from a young age in both environmental issues and the anti-apartheid movement. She was exiled to the UK in her early 20s, and co-founded the Gaia Foundation in 1984. As Executive Director of Gaia Foundation, she works with pioneers and visionaries for ecological and social justice. In 1991, Liz received the Jameson Award and, on behalf of Gaia, has received the Schumacher Award and a One World Award for media work on biodiversity related issues. She is a fellow of the Findhorn Foundation and advisor to the Goldman Environmental Prize.
James Stauch (Approved March 2009), James Stauch is Vice President, Programs and Operations, at the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. Previously, James managed the Community Grants Program at The Calgary Foundation and before that worked in the field of urban and community planning in the private and non-profit sectors. James holds a Masters in Environmental Design (Planning) and has worked on culturally-based community development and regional planning initiatives in the urban and rural and northern and southern contexts. James is past Chair of the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network and a Director of International Funders for Indigenous Peoples. He is a co-founder of the Arctic Funders Group and a Steering Committee member of the Circle on Aboriginal Grantmaking in Canada.
Stephen E. Cornelius, Program Officer, Conservation and Sustainable Development of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Stephen Cornelius is a Program Officer in the Conservation & Sustainable Development area of the Foundation’s Program on Global Security & Sustainability. Prior to joining the Foundation, Cornelius directed the Sonoran Desert Program for the Sonoran Institute focusing on cross-border collaboration between U.S. and Mexican resource managers, residents and non-governmental organizations. Before this he was a Peace Corps volunteer, helping to establish the Costa Rican National Parks System and later as Regional Wildlife Coordinator for World Wildlife Fund (WWF) managing WWF’s conservation program in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean for seven years. Cornelius has a M.S. in Wildlife Sciences from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Biology from Iowa State University.
Shaun Paul, Executive Director Mr. Paul co-founded EcoLogic in 1993 and currently serves as its Executive Director. Mr. Paul has extensive experience in rural Latin American economic development, environmental protection, and natural resource management. Prior to launching EcoLogic, he served as a field representative for social service organizations working in Central America. Mr. Paul has also held positions with the United Nations Non-Governmental Organization Liaison Service, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Inter-American Foundation. He has an M.A. in natural resource and development economics from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in international relations from American University. He is fluent in Spanish and was designated a Next Generation Leader Fellow by the Rockefeller Foundation in 2001.
Dune Lankard, Founder, Eyak Preservation Council, Executive Director, NATIVE Conservancy Executive Director, Fund for Indigenous Rights and the Environment. “The morning the oil spill happened was the day the ocean died and the day that something came to life in me,” says Dune Lankard, recalling the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. A member of the Eyak tribe in Alaska, Dune has spent most of his life as a commercial fisherman in Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta. After the oil spill, Dune felt compelled to work to preserve, protect, and restore his tribe’s culture, ecosystem, and sustainable fishing economy. Dune hopes what he calls “social profits,” successful businesses that are socially beneficial, will transform the way people think about their impact on and relationship to the environment. He is developing a cold storage facility where local fishermen can sustainably process and directly market the fish they catch; the facility could jumpstart 50 new small businesses in his hometown of Cordova and serve as a model for indigenous people across the country and around the world. Every year Dune donates thousands of Copper River salmon to individuals, nonprofits, and other organizations to support their events, an avenue through which he is publicizing the importance of preserving natural salmon habitats. Dune believes his work in Alaska will act as a catalyst for environmental change at the national level: “I create effective models of change to empower people to positively influence their local economy, protect endangered homelands, and provide real solutions for energy and pollution challenges.”
Theresa Fay-Bustillos is Principal and Co-Founder of Ideal Philanthropy LLC and oversees the West Coast office. Theresa is a recognized civil rights and human rights lawyer, and philanthropic and business executive. She is the former Vice President, Worldwide Community & Corporate Citizenship for Levi Strauss and Co. and the Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation. Over her eight years there, she and the team worked in 35 countries in the areas of human rights, asset-building and HIV/AIDS prevention. As the Executive Director of the foundation, she was also the chief legal officer addressing issues of governance, self-dealing, endowment management and the USA Patriot Act. As the Vice President, she led the company‘s corporate citizenship efforts globally.
Theresa received her bachelor‘s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. She serves on several boards including the Council on Foundations, Women‘s Foundation of California, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, and TransFair USA. Among her many awards and recognition, she was selected as one of the Most Influential Women in San Francisco by the San Francisco Business Times in 2007 and 2008; she has participated at gatherings of world leaders including the Clinton Global Initiative Retreat at White Oak and Fortune Magazine‘s Brainstorm 2002.
Peter Kostishack is Director of Programs for Global Greengrants fund. He has worked for many years supporting communities and indigenous organizations in defense of their rights, territories, and natural resources. Prior to coming to Greengrants, he coordinated the Amazon Alliance, a coalition of indigenous and non-governmental organizations protecting the Amazon Basin. He has also been a community mapper, researcher, blogger, activist against mega projects, and consultant to funders and organizations on how to partner with indigenous peoples’ organizations. Peter has an MESc in Social Ecology and community development from Yale University and a B.A. in Biology from Harvard University
Sonja Swift has a BA in Cultural Ecology from the University of Santa Cruz, California. Sonja is an active trustee, working both programmatically as well as on aligning her family foundation’s mission with its investments. She is focused on finding strategies that support land stewards to tangibly address the climate crisis through regenerating landscapes and communities. She is intent on putting decision making control back in the hand of local communities. Sonja recently spent two months on the Pira Parana River in the Colombian Amazon accompanying the work of Gaia Amazonas. She has field related experience in Guatemala, Ecuador, Canada, among other countries and has been the main liaison for Swift Foundations work in Latin America and British Colombia. She currently works part time as the Family Philanthropy Organizer for Resource Generation, organizing the next generation around social change philanthropy. she also serves on the advisory board of confluence Philanthropy and is co-char of the Next Gen Fellowship on Mission Related Investing, under resource generation. Simply put, she is a messenger between worlds and tries to use her passport in philanthropy wisely.
Galina Angarova is Pacific Environment’s Russia Program Director. Galina was born and raised in the Lake Baikal area. She has several years of experience in non-profit management and a strong background in environmental activism in Burytia and Irkutsky region. She graduated with honors from Buryat State University in 1998 and spent a year in Mongolia teaching English as a second language. In 2000 she received a Muskie scholarship from the US Department of State to go to graduate school in the United States. She received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of New Mexico in 2002. She worked with the Red Cross, Project Harmony (a US non-profit), and the Asia Foundation. Galina is fluent in English and Russian and has a basic knowledge of Buryat, Mongolian, and Chinese.
Jessica Brown is Executive Director of the New England Biolabs Foundation, an independent, private foundation whose mission is to foster community-based conservation of landscapes and seascapes and the bio-cultural diversity found in these places. Prior to joining the Foundation she was Senior Vice President for International Programs at the Quebec-Labrador Foundation/Atlantic Center for the Environment (QLF), responsible for its capacity-building and peer-to-peer exchange activities in diverse regions. Over the past two decades Jessica has worked in countries of Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Central and Eastern Europe. A member of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), she chairs its Protected Landscapes Specialist Group, and is a founding member of the ICCA Consortium, concerned with advancing recognition of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas. She serves on the governing board of Terralingua. She has published widely on topics related to stewardship of cultural landscapes, civic engagement in conservation, and governance of protected areas. Jessica has an M.A. in International Development from Clark University and a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Brown University.
