BOARD
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POLITICAL INCIDENCE
Director of Avina Stiftung, a Swiss foundation for social and ecological sustainability, since 2012. Sibylle began working for Fundación Avina (sister organization of Avina Stiftung) in 2001, analyzing and evaluating projects in Latin America. She served as a member of the board of directors of Avina and as secretary of the VIVA Trust.
He is the chairman of the subcommittee for the project to modernize Panama’s marine-commercial legislation. He is the president of the International Bar Association, and a member of the presidential committee for the protection of international and financial services in Panama. He is also a member of the International Maritime Committee. He was head of the Panamanian Association of Maritime Lawyers.
He holds a master’s degree in commercial law from the School of Economics at the University of London, and a bachelor’s degree in law and political science.
He has been a partner at the law firm Arias, Fábrega & Fábrega since 1994. His main areas of work are commercial, corporate and maritime law. He is a private advisor in several fields of expertise: asset management, management and structuring of foundations and trusts, and philanthropic entities, tax planning and corporate consulting. He is also a professional advisor to several NGOs in Panama: MarViva, Avina, América Latina en Acción Solidaria (ALAS), Fundes, Latinoamérica Posible, Red Forum Empresa and Un techo para mi país.
Jorge holds a PhD in marine ecology. His extensive experience in the field has made him a researcher at the School of Biological Sciences, a member of the Postgraduate Academic Committee, coordinator of the Mangrove Forest Ecology and Management Program, and a member of the University Council of the National University of Costa Rica. He has been a visiting professor at institutions in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia and Europe. He has also worked as an ad-honorem professor of the Postgraduate Studies System and as an associate researcher at the Marine Research Center of the University of Costa Rica.
Before joining MarViva, he worked with the Tropical Agronomic Research and Teaching Center (CATIE) as a specialist in management of mangrove and wild areas. At the Instituto de Forestería Tropical, Puerto Rico, he served as an instructor of the Tropical Forest Management course, and as an instructor in postgraduate courses of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS), where he is also a member of the assembly and the board of directors. He was director of biological inventories at the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio), director of scientific programs and general director of the OTS.
His experience in mangrove ecology is summarized in several publications, including maps, technical reports, scientific articles and books. His book “The Mangroves of the Central American Pacific” stands out.
Biologist from Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá, Colombia, with a Master’s in Sustainable Management of Aquatic Resources and a PhD in Aquatic Sciences from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.
She has more than 15 years of experience working for natural resources as a researcher in bio monitoring projects, particularly analyzing the impact of human activities on aquatic ecosystems, as a teacher in schools and universities, and in recent years, as a project manager in organizations dedicated to the protection of the sea, its resources and the human communities that interact with it. She is a devoted mom and culinary apprentice who enjoys books, physical activity, the beach, the mountains and good wine. Her greatest professional motivation is knowing that her work contributes to the sustainable development and progress of the region. Through the projects she works on, she seeks to ensure the fair and sustainable use of marine resources and to reduce social gaps. She sees in MarViva the opportunity to connect the diverse areas of knowledge represented by the excellent professional team, to develop transdisciplinary projects that address the problems of coastal communities and to ensure the protection of the oceans in a comprehensive manner.
“All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.” Mahatma Gandhi.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Finance, Banking and Stock Exchange, from Universidad Veritas. She has a Diploma in Accounting from the Technological Institute for Business Administration (Instituto Tecnológico de Administración de Negocios).
With more than 13 years of experience as a financial analyst, she worked for 6 years in private banking and for 5 years in the largest national savings and credit cooperative in Costa Rica. Through this work she obtained experience in both the complete processes of credit analysis, investment portfolio management, preparation and filing of taxes with the Ministry of Finance, customer service, personnel management, and payroll processing.
She has also studied leadership, emotional intelligence, teamwork and interpersonal relations.
Edna is a family woman: she enjoys the company of her children and husband, she loves to cook to please her family. She loves to garden and go to the beach. She is passionate about listening to the stories of older adults, for whom she feels great affinity and respect.
“If God blesses us every day with the gift of life, we should positively impact somebody by being kind, empathetic, giving a smile and taking an interest in the needs of others.”
Social anthropologist from Universidad del Rosario. She is currently completing her master’s degree in Rural Development at the Universidad Javeriana. Her professional experience has focused on the protection and defense of the human rights of historically marginalized communities, and on the research about the forms of local governance regarding natural resources in strategic ecosystems in Colombia.
What she likes about working in MarViva is that conservation is thought of as a participatory process in which management proposals are constructed with the communities that have generated multiple relationships with the territory, and that the objectives of conservation are not solely to guarantee the environmental sustainability of the territory but also the sustainability of the life projects of the communities that inhabit it.
Working in MarViva means advancing in the recognition of community work in these processes and in the construction of conservation models based on social, community, environmental and climate justice. It also means learning from multiple actors in the territories and opening the field of research, public policy and environmental care to the contributions of all interested parties.
Public Administrator and Economist from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia with experience in research, technical assistance and strengthening of value chains of ethnic communities of the Colombian Pacific region. She is convinced of the importance of generating conservation strategies hand in hand with the coastal communities of the country, allowing them to build their own models of sustainable local development.
Addressing local value chains from the perspective of sustainable use of marine-coastal resources implies working permanently in the transformation of community practices and customs that affect the survival of their ecosystems. This is a progressive and long term task, but it is full of learning and small victories, and that is precisely what is most significant about working with MarViva: adapting, learning, unlearning and perceiving firsthand the impact of the actions that are undertaken.
Being part of the MarViva team, being a professional in the area of economic sciences, has given her the satisfaction of putting the economy at the service of nature and the improvement of people’s quality of life.
She enjoys having the beach and the sea as her office, the communities that inhabit it as her work team, and measuring her time according to the tides.
Environmental Administrator from the Universidad Distrital, completing a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano.
Gloria has more than 10 years of experience in the interdisciplinary environmental, social and economic approach. She has extensive knowledge in issues related to marine spatial planning; analysis of artisanal and industrial fishing activities, including monitoring, project follow-up and project management, work with Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities and productive associations.
In her work, she enjoys having the opportunity to get to know new places, learn about the cultural and environmental richness of the country, as well as the opportunity to combine technical knowledge with the ancestral knowledge of the communities and contribute to their sense of appropriation.
Working in MarViva means a lot, it is a goal and a great challenge because of its mission of conservation and participatory work and because of the learning it has given her; she wishes to contribute her knowledge in favor of the projects it works on.
Political Scientist and Anthropologist from the Universidad de los Andes, with a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies and Development from The University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He has nine years of experience working with indigenous, afro-descendant and peasant communities accompanying environmental management scenarios, and diagnosing socio-environmental impacts associated with the armed conflict and conflict resolution in intercultural negotiation scenarios for participatory environmental governance in the Colombian Pacific region.
In his spare time he enjoys playing with his daughter, playing rugby, soccer and dominoes, salsa music and cooking.
One of the things he values most about the work is being surprised each time by the magnitude of the knowledge and wisdom of the people in the Pacific region of Chocó. Listening to the stories of resistance and the local commitment to conservation and defense of the territory has motivated him to place his profession at the service of the people. He is in love with the region and hopes to repay everything it has given him.
Working at MarViva means learning and unlearning. Being surrounded by exceptional, committed and passionate professionals makes him confident that he is in the right place. He hopes to contribute to ocean sustainability, participatory management and tasty living for people all along the coast.
“Man is not much beside the great birds and beasts. Still I would rather be that beast down there in the darkness of the sea.” Ernest Hemingway
Professional in Government and International Relations, Master in Sustainability. She has experience in political advocacy, strategies for participation in public policies and positioning of social and environmental issues in local, national and international public agendas. With expertise in research, monitoring, multi-stakeholder dialogues and analysis of the political situation. Activist in different social and environmental causes.
In her free time she enjoys books, podcasts, series and exploring nature. She likes to contribute to directing evidence and needs into accurate regulations and better public policies for the sustainable management of the seas. Bringing key stakeholders in environmental protection and marine resource conservation closer to decision making in innovative and creative ways. Support and promote public decisions that have environmental sustainability at their core with a focus on human rights, inclusion and social justice.
Working in MarViva means learning from local communities, academia, the team, allied organizations, and ecosystems to awaken new sensitivities and dialogue regarding environmental protection and to make calls to action to the competent entities and stakeholders.
“What do I care about the sea if I live inland? Our way of life has an impact on the ocean, but what affects it, also affects us all”. – Cristina Romera Castillo
Professional in Government and International Relations, Master in Sustainability. She has experience in political advocacy, strategies for participation in public policies and positioning of social and environmental issues in local, national and international public agendas. With expertise in research, monitoring, multi-stakeholder dialogues and analysis of the political situation. Activist in different social and environmental causes.
In her free time she enjoys books, podcasts, series and exploring nature. She likes to contribute to directing evidence and needs into accurate regulations and better public policies for the sustainable management of the seas. Bringing key stakeholders in environmental protection and marine resource conservation closer to decision making in innovative and creative ways. Support and promote public decisions that have environmental sustainability at their core with a focus on human rights, inclusion and social justice.
Working in MarViva means learning from local communities, academia, the team, allied organizations, and ecosystems to awaken new sensitivities and dialogue regarding environmental protection and to make calls to action to the competent entities and stakeholders.
“What do I care about the sea if I live inland? Our way of life has an impact on the ocean, but what affects it, also affects us all”. Cristina Romera Castillo