Staff

Meet our staff in the U.S. and Latin America who handle EcoLogic’s day-to-day operations, working with our local partners and communities to implement the projects we support and identifying new opportunities for us to pursue.

EcoLogic Staff in Guatemala, June 2009.

U.S. Staff

Shaun Paul, Executive Director
Peter Kalil, Managing Director
Barbara Vallarino, Director of Development
Bryan Foster, CarbonPlus Program Director
Melissa Haley, Operations Manager
Eric Jacobson, Communications Officer
David Kramer, Program Officer for Institutional Development
Gina Rindfleisch, Program Officer for Individual Giving
Jessica Massanari Sapp, Operations Associate/Executive Assistant
Christina Sullivan, Development Associate

Regional Staff

Sebastián Charchalac Santay, Regional Director
Claudia González, Regional Director of Programs
Francisco Tzul, Program Officer for Guatemala
Kenya Mejia Suazo, Program Officer for Honduras
Yaira Allois Pino, Program Officer for Panama
Rafael Sambula, Pico Bonito Forestry and Carbon Offset Project Officer
Mario Tuch, Regional Administrative Assistant

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.

Peter Kalil, Managing Director

Mr. Kalil runs the day-to-day operations of EcoLogic. He has broad and deep experience in the field of international economic development. Prior to joining EcoLogic, he worked for 27 years at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., where he served in a number of lending and senior managerial positions, including project officer, adviser to the Executive Vice-President, and Division Chief. Over this span, he worked on a wide variety of development projects in many sectors and countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. These include loans and technical cooperation grants, as well as several regional initiatives. Prior to joining the IDB, he was staff assistant to U.S. Senator John A. Durkin of New Hampshire. Mr. Kalil holds a B.A. degree in Spanish from Tufts University and an M.B.A. (with honors) from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He has lived in Chile, Spain, Mexico, and Honduras and is fluent in English and Spanish.

Barbara Vallarino, Director of Development

A member of the EcoLogic team since 2004, Ms. Vallarino has played a variety of fundraising and program development roles, helping to expand the funding and operations of the organization. In her current position as Director of Development, Ms. Vallarino is responsible for the strategic direction and overall management of fundraising initiatives, both institutional and individual, and coordinates closely with the Regional Office in managing regional fundraising efforts. Prior to joining EcoLogic, she completed the Hydropower Program Fellowship at American Rivers in Seattle, WA. She holds a J.D. with a concentration in Environmental Law from the University of Washington and a B.A. cum laude in Environmental Earth Science and Anthropology from Dartmouth College. Ms. Vallarino is from Panama City, Panama. She is fluent in Spanish and English and is proficient in French.

Bryan Foster, CarbonPlus Program Director

Mr. Foster is responsible for development of EcoLogic's forestry-based carbon projects. He has both academic training in forest science and professional skills in forest carbon validation and verification. On the academic side, he earned a Master’s in Forest Science from Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, a Certificate in Ecological Economics from the Gund Institute, and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the Rubenstein School at the University of Vermont. He has spent his academic training studying ecological and economic implications of forest management. His published journal articles include "An exploratory, post-harvest comparison of ecological and economic characteristics of FSC certified and non-certified northern hardwood stands" and "Implementing sustainable forestry using six concepts in an adaptive management framework." On the professional side, Bryan is trained and has worked for five years as an auditor for ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, ISO 14064 Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). He previously worked for the Rainforest Alliance, an accredited CCB validator and VCS verifier, as a technical specialist to develop their international climate change initiative.

Melissa Haley, Operations Manager

Ms. Haley provides operational support to EcoLogic's Cambridge headquarters and field offices. She also leads budgeting and financial management activities. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Ms. Haley worked as project and financial manager at a foreign language translation company. She holds a B.A. in International Politics and Economics and Russian Language and Literature from Middlebury College. She is fluent in Russian and proficient in Spanish and French.

Eric Jacobson, Communications Officer

Mr. Jacobson manages the design and implementation of our communications strategy as well as our outreach and public relations activities. He joins EcoLogic with extensive experience in education, outreach, and program support for the environmental non-profit sector. He has conducted research on the regeneration of mahogany in community forests of the southern Yucatan in Mexico, and he spent a semester abroad in Costa Rica where he studied tropical biology and environmental policy with the Organization for Tropical Studies. Mr. Jacobson holds a Master of Arts in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is proficient in Spanish and a part-time West Coast Swing dance instructor.

David Kramer, Program Officer for Institutional Development

Mr. Kramer researches and authors EcoLogic's proposals and reports to institutional funders. He also helps coordinate staff and partners in EcoLogic's participatory project design and evaluation. He first served EcoLogic as an intern in Cambridge and Central America. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Mr. Kramer was a Teaching Fellow for Citizen Schools, teaching Boston-area 8th graders and writing curriculum guides for the film company Walden Media. Previously, he served as a classroom and outdoor educator in Cali, Colombia. He holds a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School, a certificate in Outdoor Leadership from Greenfield Community College, and a B.A. in English from Dartmouth College. He is fluent in Spanish and is a Switzer Environmental Fellow.

Gina Rindfleisch, Program Officer for Individual Giving

Ms. Rindfleisch manages EcoLogic's fundraising activities targeting individual donations. Prior to joining EcoLogic, Ms. Rindfleisch worked as the outreach coordinator/executive assistant for the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, a quasi-state entity that funds projects on water and water-related issues in Massachusetts. Ms. Rindfleisch served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua working in environmental education. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Long Island University and is working part-time toward her master's degree in Environmental Policy and Management. She is proficient in Spanish.

Jessica Massanari Sapp, Operations Associate/Executive Assistant

Ms. Massanari Sapp provides support to the operations manager, maintains the office’s daily administrative needs and provides support to the executive director. Prior to coming to EcoLogic, Ms. Massanari Sapp worked as an environmental educator in Boston for "e" Inc. She holds an M.A. in Community Development and Applied Economics and a Certificate in Ecological Economics from the University of Vermont where she was a Peace Corps Fellow. She also has a B.A.in Environmental Biology from Colgate University. Ms. Massanari Sapp has studied Tropical Biology in Costa Rica through the Organization for Tropical Studies and was a Peace Corps Environmental Education volunteer in Nicaragua. She is fluent in Spanish.

Christina Sullivan, Development Associate

Ms. Sullivan works collaboratively with the Communications and Development teams to deepen EcoLogic's base of support. Primarily working on the Ambassador Campaign, she also organizes EcoLogic events, including the 15th Anniversary Celebration. She joins EcoLogic with a background in investment operations and research in Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). She also spent two years in the Bay Area volunteering with the Latin American community. Ms. Sullivan holds a B.A. in International Relations and Economics from Boston University. She is proficient is Spanish and Armenian.

Regional Staff

Sebastián Charchalac Santay, Central American and Mexican Regional Director

Sebastián Charchalac, an agricultural engineer, manages EcoLogic’s field staff and volunteers from the Regional Office in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. He colaborates and coordinates with EcoLogic's partner organizations in strategic planning and program development for participatory environmental conservation. He has extensive professional experience with indigenous community groups and non-governmental organizations that operate at the local, national, and regional levels. He has held positions in the public sector (with the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock for 10 years); private sector (working for an English transnational corporation for 5 years); and the non-governmental sectoras a consultant to diverse organizations in Mexico and Central and South America. Mr. Charchalac has an M.S. in agricultural engineering from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. He is fluent in Spanish and Quiché Maya.

Claudia González, Regional Director of Programs

Ms. González, an industrial engineer, is EcoLogic’s regional director of programs. In this capacity she assists EcoLogic’s regional director in project development, implementation, and monitoring. She manages EcoLogic’s project portfolio in Guatemala, as well as EcoLogic’s regional freshwater conservation initiative. Prior to EcoLogic, Ms. González spent 10 years as Director of Intermón Oxfam in Guatemala, where she was responsible for setting policy and strategy for Guatemala, evaluating Intermón Oxfam’s work in the country, identifying and carrying out new projects, and raising funds for programs. In addition to her experience at Intermón Oxfam, she has worked for Oxfam Great Britain and Casa María. Ms. González holds degrees in industrial engineering and administration from the Rafael Landívar University. She has also studied sustainable development and management and leadership. Ms. González speaks Spanish, English, German, and Italian.

Francisco Tzul, Program Officer for Guatemala

Mr. Tzul provides technical assistance to EcoLogic’s Guatemalan partner organizations. He is from the western highlands of Guatemala and has an agricultural engineering degree focused on systems of production. Prior to coming to EcoLogic, Mr. Tzul worked for the Guatemalan government as well as several local and international organizations, including World Neighbors and the European Union. He enjoys working directly with people and looks forward to developing new ways to support EcoLogic’s partners in Guatemala. He speaks Spanish and Quiché.

Kenya Mejia Suazo, Program Officer for Honduras

Ms. Mejia resides in the city of Ceiba, Honduras. She provides technical assistance to the Honduran organizations associated with Ecologic. Ms. Mejia is an agronomic engineer with a degree in agribusiness from the Pan-American Agricultural School, Zamorano. She has experience in sustainable tourism projects, focused on the local development of communities bordering protected areas. She is proficient in Spanish and English.

Yaira Allois Pino, Program Officer for Panama

Ms. Pino is from Santiago de Veraguas, Panama. Her last position was coordinating the Strengthening Project of the subcommittees of the Upper Region of the Santa Maria Watershed, a high-priority drainage basin because of its importance. She has had some experience as facilitator of Rural Participatory Diagnoses used for Municipal Development Plans. She has studied Industrial Engineering, and is working on her thesis for a masters in Environmental Management.

Rafael Sambula, Pico Bonito Forestry and Carbon Offset Project Officer

Mr. Sambula serves as EcoLogic’s Pico Bonito Forestry and Carbon Offset Project Officer based in La Ceiba, Honduras. He coordinates all field activities related to building Pico Bonito Inc. as a viable forestry operation. Mr. Sambula is trained as an agricultural engineer and has 20 years experience in natural resource management. He directed several local conservation organizations and provided consulting services to a wide range of international and governmental agencies.

Mario Tuch, Regional Administrative Assistant

Mr. Tuch serves as an assistant in the regional office in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, providing support to the regional director and the regional program director. He comes to EcoLogic with more than 13 years of experience as a certified public accountant.