WLT-US Board and Council

Board:

  • John Mitchell Chair: Dr John Mitchell
    John Mitchell is an Honorary Curator at the New York Botanical Garden and a director of the Beneficia Foundation and the Pennypack Watershed Association in Pennsylvania. John has published a variety of scientific papers including a monograph of the cashew plants and their relatives, a book chapter on trees of the tropical Brazil nut family and papers on spacial patterns of temperate and tropical forest trees and Peruvian birds. He belongs to a wide variety of scientific and environmental organizations and has special interests in conservation and birding, having pursued these activities worldwide from the Antarctic and Africa to Borneo and South America.


  • Gerard Bertrand Vice-chair: Dr. Gerard Bertrand
    With over 30 years' experience in environmental science and conservation Jerry Bertrand's primary interest has always revolved around the preservation of habitat and species. Former Executive President of Massachusetts Audubon Society, former Chairman of BirdLife International and current Vice President, Jerry is currently the Honorary President of the World Land Trust and serves on the board of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest Trust (BART).


  • Treasurer: Sally F. Davidson
    Sally is the Chairman of the Board at Clyde's Restaurant Group headquartered in Washington DC.

  • Secretary: Byron Swift

  • Dr. Robert Ridgely

  • Russ Mittermeier Dr. Russell A. Mittermeier
    Russ Mittermeier is the President of Conservation International and widely recognised as one of the greatest conservationists alive, including being selected as one of Time magazine's "EcoHeroes for the Planet" in 1998. Russ has been described as the Indiana Jones of conservation amd is the only working field biologist at the head of a major international environmental organization. Russ received his Ph.D. from Harvard in Biological Anthropology in 1977, served as Chairman of the IUCN-World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission's Primate Specialist Group since 1977, Vice President for Science at the World Wildlife Fund, President of the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation and an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

  • Wayt Thomas Dr. Wayt Thomas
    Wayt Thomas is a leading authority on the plants of the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil, one of the most critically endangered rainforests in the world, with less than 5% of its original vegetation remaining. The high level of endemic species (i.e., found only in the region) led the journal Nature to cite the Atlantic coastal rain forest of Brazil as one of the eight "hottest hotspots" on the planet. Dr. Thomas works with Brazilian collaborators to survey these special forests and make their data available for conservation action. Dr. Thomas is a faculty member and advisor in the Garden's Graduate Studies Program. Dr. Thomas received his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Botany from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

    • Frank Kling
      Frank is from Woodstock, Illinois (born Feb 12, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri), educated at Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PA, and graduated in 1986 from the University of Missouri- Columbia with a BSc in Business Administration. Frank is proficiency in Spanish and served in the US Army National Guard from 1983 to 1989. Frank's professional career has been as an Investment Securities Trader for Landmark Bancshares Corporation (SEC Series 7 Licensed) from 1986-1988 and as Senior Vice President of International Risk Management Services at Willis Corroon Corporation (Willis Group) from 1988-2004. Frank Friedrich Kling has generously donated half of the funds for the Roncesvalles cloud forest appeal to leverage additional support.

      Council:

    • Robert Giles
      Robert Giles Robert Giles started supporting WLT-US in 2008 with several large gifts for land acquisition to our partner ProAves Colombia. Robert is from London, UK (born 12 May 1961), graduated with a MA in Economics from the University of Cambridge in 1982 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1985. Robert's professional career included working as a Utility Analyst and trader for the Crédit Lyonnais in the City of London from 1987 to 2002 and is the owner of ATRIUM software company in the UK. Robert is an active birder and conservationist and has been supporting conservation in Colombia, Tanzania and other countries since 1991. Robert has been particularly involved in helping reserve sustainability for ProAves Colombia establishing EcoTurs Colombia that manages ecotourism to ProAves reserves and other destinations. Robert is presently the Chairman of ProAves Advisory Council and member of the Board of Directors of ProAves.

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