Experience

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  Adventure Scientists

  • Washington DC-Baltimore Area

  • Head of Strategic Partnerships

    • Sep 2022 - Present
    • Washington DC-Baltimore Area

    In charge of forging partnerships with external organizations and agencies to build meaningful scientific collaborations at a global scale. As part of the leadership team crafts and implements strategies for increasing global impact. Leads the long-term strategy for international expansion and builds/guides the team required across the organization to fill gaps to operate internationally.

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  Inter-American Development Bank

  • Washington D.C. Metro Area

  • Consultant

    • Aug 2019 - Jul 2022
    • Washington D.C. Metro Area

    In charge of providing technical and policy support to the Transboundary Waters Program. Preparation and implementation of international waters processes through coordination and negotiations with governments, international development agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders. Among the main projects, I led the design and multi-stakeholder negotiations of the Pantanal/Upper Paraguay River Basin project approved by the Global Environment Facility and I also provide technical and policy support to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in the design of a climate change adaptation technical proposal for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and to other regional projects.

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  World Wildlife Fund

  • Washington, DC

  • Senior Director Policy

    • Sep 2017 - Jul 2019
    • Washington, DC

    Led the creation of the Pantanal Initiative as a multiple country effort to conserve its rich biodiversity and promote sustainable development in a coordinated fashion. I coordinated the strategy with the governments of Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, as well as with other WWF country offices and international cooperation agencies. I promoted and conducted the process that led to the three countries to sign the Pantanal Declaration at the 8th World Water Forum. I coordinated the strategy and work towards the adoption and implementation of the Pantanal Initiative.

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  World Wildlife Fund

  • Santa Cruz, Bolivia

  • Bolivia Country Representative

    • Jan 2010 - Jul 2017
    • Santa Cruz, Bolivia

    In charge of the Bolivia office overseeing management, policy, fundraising, and relations with a diversity of international cooperation agencies, NGOs, private sector companies, government agencies, grassroots and other organizations. I was personally engaged in negotiations for the designation of the largest Ramsar site -wetland- in the world (Llanos de Moxos at 7 million hectares) and promoted the Pantanal initiative process. I supported WWF international policy team in United Nations negotiations mainly for Rio+20, the UN Sustainable Development Goals process and also for the Climate Accord. I represented the Latin American Secretariat in the Public-private Sector Partnership. I promoted private sector engagement in the sustainable agenda mainly in responsible use of natural resources, production, markets, trade, certification, footprint among others. I also worked towards strengthening local and indigenous peoples’ rights and participation in conservation and sustainable development.

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  The Nature Conservancy

  • Arlington, Virginia USA

  • Senior Policy Advisor

    • 2006 - 2010
    • Arlington, Virginia USA

    Protected areas, biodiversity conservation, policy, economics and social issues. Responsible for developing, coordinating and negotiating TNC´s principles on indigenous peoples, the conservation and human rights framework and the development of tools for social impact assessment in conservation projects jointly with UN, WB, major academic institutions and NGOs. Started a series of environmental economics pilot projects on protected areas in countries (Latin America, Caribbean and Asia) in coordination with UNDP, the CBD Secretariat, governments, NGOs and academic institutions. I represented TNC in international UN conventions and other biodiversity related events.

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  Conservation International

  • Arlington, Virginia USA

  • Director - Global Protected Areas Management

    • Feb 2004 - Mar 2006
    • Arlington, Virginia USA

    Support CI regional programs worldwide and partners in developing strategies for creating, consolidating, and managing public and private protected areas in CI’s tropical hotspots and wilderness areas. Develop technical manuals, extension tools, training programs, and monitoring methods to build the capacities of protected area specialists in CI regional programs. Direct assistance in PA management planning, PAs designation, trust funds, national PA systems to programs in: Mexico, Guyana, E. Guinea, the Philippines, Fiji and Cambodia. Lead CI team on the Program of Work on Protected Areas – Convention of Biological Diversity. CI’s representative to the Conservation Finance Alliance group

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  World Bank Group

  • Washington D.C. Metro Area

  • Consultant Protected Areas

    • 2002 - 2003
    • Washington D.C. Metro Area

    Design of the technical and institutional components of the GEF project for creating Guyana’s national protected areas system and for supporting the World Bank team in negotiations with the government of Guyana and other local stakeholder organizations. Responsibilities included support to the development of the project appraisal document, of technical papers, implementation plans and budgets

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  National Protected Area Service - SERNAP

  • Bolivia

  • Executive Director

    • 1999 - 2002
    • Bolivia

    Head of SERNAP in charge of managing and supervising all protected areas in Bolivia. Responsibilities included staff management, strategy guidance, policy, coordination with diverse stakeholders at national and local levels, facilitating international relations with bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and representatives, fund raising. Main achievements: area under protection in Bolivia increased 40% (4.5 M Has); introduced human development and sustainable resource management concepts in PA national policies; signed more than 85 agreements with municipalities, regional governments, grassroots organizations, local and international foundations and NGOs; negotiated projects and contributed to fund raising for nearly $20 million with more than 10 multilateral and bilateral donor agencies. Supervised over 350 staff.Planning Director (1998-99) Responsible for designing and implementing the protected areas planning, monitoring and evaluation system including guidelines for management planning, operational plans and programs. I supervised the different protected areas and projects. Increased the project portfolio including designing, developing and negotiating a WB – GEF II project, KfW and GTZ, CIDA-Canada and other projects.

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  UNICEF

  • Bolivia

  • Social Development and Participation Consultant

    • 1997 - 1998
    • Bolivia

    Lead the design of a rural information system for economic and social development and its institutional set-up as well as in the identification of social indicators, instruments for data collection and methods for data analysis. The system covered the entire country but was operated at the local levels. This project was coordinated with the government’s Social Policies Analysis Unit (UDAPSO) and the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Monitoring and evaluation of social policies, strategies and development programs for rural areas in Bolivia.