Staff

Paige Brown

CEFG Program Director

Paige Brown is the Program Director for the Climate and Energy Funders Group at Biodiversity Funders Group where she works with funders to facilitate collaboration and expand the field of climate and energy philanthropy. Paige Brown most recently served as the Senior Program Manager for the Natural Assets and Environmental Equity program at the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) where she focused on natural asset-based strategies that both improve environmental stewardship and promote economic development. Previously, she was the Climate Change Program Director at Redefining Progress (RP), where she led the successful effort to promote auctioning permits under trading, rather than giveaways. Before RP, Ms. Brown was a research analyst at the World Resources Institute, where she worked on incentive-based measures for biodiversity protection. Ms. Brown served as a lead author on an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on the role of forests and land use change in climate change, which led to her receiving a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Albert Buixadé Farré

Director of Finance and Operations

Albert holds a BA in Business Administration, a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and is a Certified Public Accountant. As a management and administration professional he has several years of experience in public and private accounting, primarily serving non-profit organizations. He has also worked in corporate governance, investment management, and organizational development. As an international relations practitioner his goal is to develop and synthesize an understanding of the interdependencies of economic development, international politics, energy, human rights, and environment, with the purpose of shaping better policymaking and resource allocation. He leads New Economy initiatives at Biodiversity Funders Group.

Cristina Castiglioni

Data Analysis & Member Engagement Specialist/Manager, Chile Conservation Funders

Cristina first joined Biodiversity Funders Group as an Intern while completing her master’s degree in International Relations at San Francisco State University. During her graduate studies, Cristina paid particular attention to the intrinsic connection of environmental issues as they relate to economic development with a specific focus on conflict outbursts in Colombia and the Middle East. In addition to her master’s degree, she holds a bachelor of the arts in Languages and Literature from the University of Milan and is proficient in Italian, Spanish and German. Cristina is particularly interested in animal welfare and in further exploring the connections between current environmental issues and our global economic system.

Laura Escobosa

Consultant Program Manager Mexico Conservation Funders

Laura Escobosa has eight years of experience in marine conservation management in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Most recently served as the Project Manager for the World Mosquito Program in Mexico, where she implemented a biotechnology method in the public health sector to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Previously, she was the Coordinator for a marine and coastal cooperation project between Mexico and Germany, executed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Natural Protected Areas Commission (CONANP), aimed on improving the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the Gulf of California. She has worked for the nonprofit sector on various positions related to the design, implementation, and oversight of marine conservation projects. She holds a bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, and a master's degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. Through her work, Laura hopes to continue enabling cooperation spaces with a holistic lens to advance the conservation of her favorite place on earth: the sea.

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Judy Hatcher

Executive Director

Judy Hatcher, Executive Director of the Biodiversity Funders Group, was first introduced to social change philanthropy when she joined the staff of the Crossroads Fund in the 1980s. She later led national grantmaking programs at the Funding Exchange and at the Environmental Support Center. She co-authored The Unfinished Civil Rights Agenda in the South, wrote Voices From the Field: Rural Organizers on What They Need From Funders, and spearheaded to other reports: We Want to Be At the Table: Helping Environmental Groups Rebuild After Katrina and Everybody’s Movement: Environmental Justice and Climate Change. Judy has served on the boards of directors of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, the Black Philanthropic Alliance, and other philanthropic institutions. She currently sits on the board of directors of Tides Advocacy.
Other previous employers include People’s Action; Amnesty International USA; the Center for Community Change; and Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America. She has provided organizational development and fundraising consulting and training for hundreds of groups, through the Community Resource Center, the Grantsmanship Center, and as an independent contractor.
A graduate of Northwestern University, Judy has certificates in nonprofit leadership from Naropa University, Rockwood Leadership Institute, East Bay Meditation Center, and Spirit Rock. She is board treasurer of Coming Clean, Inc. and an active volunteer with the East Bay Meditation Center.

Lisa Pawlek Jaguzny

Senior Program Director

Lisa joins the Biodiversity Funders Group as Senior Program Director after a long career in leadership roles in various sectors of the conservation community. She has recently led Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, where she transformed the 240 acre farm into a force for promoting climate resilient practices through regenerative agriculture and environmental stewardship. Prior to Oxbow, Lisa led the Campion Foundation where she served as CEO for nearly 10 years and created the Campion Advocacy Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit focused on protecting US public lands and fostering indigenous-led campaigns to protect Alaska’s lands and waters. Lisa served as Deputy Director for People For Puget Sound for 11 years, during which time she led the campaign that resulted in the protection of more than 1,000 miles of Puget Sound shorelines. Lisa has served as a Board Member for the Western Conservation Foundation and the Biodiversity Funders Group. She holds a BA from Trinity College, and an Executive MBA Certificate from Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation.

Denise Luk

Membership Coordinator

Denise promotes peer-to-peer learning and the sharing of knowledge among our foundation community at BFG. Previously, she worked at Meyer Memorial Trust funding Oregon’s environmental nonprofits as a part of the Philanthropy Northwest Momentum Fellowship Program. Denise spent about a decade working in the areas of animal welfare, grassroots community advocacy, and environmental and administrative law. She partnered with organizations in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide, such as the Animal Law Clinic at Lewis and Clark Law School and Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, on sustainable farming issues and fighting the abusive practices of large-scale industrial agriculture. She graduated with a J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law and a B.A. in English from University of California, Berkeley. Denise loves to sing, create art, and explore the world with her human and canine family.

Gerald Reese

Communications & IT Specialist

Gerald most recently worked as the facility manager/ webmaster with the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. He also spent several years as the webmaster for the Oakland Museum of California, as well as various roles with the City of Oakland. Prior to becoming interested in technology and design, Gerald had a long career in professional theater, including serving as the production manager for the University of Delaware's Professional Theater Training Program, as well as the Oakland Ensemble Theater. He has a BA in Theater/Film production from Columbia College Chicago, and has done graduate work in Media Studies. He has recently been active in local politics, focusing particularly in the areas of affordable housing and mass transportation.

Alicia Srinivas

Global Conservation Manager/Funders of the Amazon Basin Coordinator

Alicia joins BFG with over twelve years experience working in international conservation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a master’s degree in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, where she did her thesis research on the effects of oil palm plantations on bird communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Alicia previously worked as Program Manager for the Wildlife Conservation Society (first in New York, and later at their Ecuador office), and as Associate Program Manager for the Coral Reef Alliance. From 2007 to 2009, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small, rural community on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Alicia loves animals and is passionate about birds, wildlife rehabilitation, and tropical biodiversity. She is endlessly fascinated with the Amazon region for its biological and cultural diversity, unique conservation challenges, and interconnectedness with global systems. At Biodiversity Funders Group, she devotes 80% of her time to Funders of the Amazon Basin (FAB).

Kyla Van Maanen

Program Specialist

With a professional and academic background in marine science, environmental studies, and the fine arts, Kyla Van Maanen joins the Biodiversity Funders Group as the part-time Program Fellow, supporting the Marines and Land and Fresh Water Programs and the planning and execution of their respective annual meetings. After six years working in artist and art gallery management in Los Angeles, Kyla was compelled to switch directions and pursue a career in marine research and conservation to further efforts to mitigate climate change and adapt in the Anthropocene. Kyla holds a BA in environmental studies from Pitzer College and an MS in marine biology from Northeastern University. Her master’s thesis research was on UNFCCC-financed coastal climate change adaptation actions in developing countries and their contribution to adaptive capacity building. Previously, Kyla worked as the Program Manager for Research Partnerships at the Global Resilience Institute where she managed the Global Resilience Research Network, a consortium of international and interdisciplinary professionals and researchers from academia, industry, and government. Kyla has also worked in marine mammal rehabilitation on California’s central coast and in environmental data design consulting. Kyla is the lead marine biologist on a passion project creating and monitoring underwater art installations that act as artificial reefs in the British Virgin Islands. She is passionate about the intersection of art, science, and technology and innovation in the oceans.