Previous to co-founding TWP, Executive Director Richard Fox was the Executive Director of the Potomac Conservancy, a Washington D.C.-based river protection land trust.  His earlier work as President of Global Resources included working with the First Lady of Honduras to plant one million trees and working with USAID to establish the first private forestry sector in Albania.  Richard has more than 32 years of experience designing and implementing land and water conservation and protection programs in the interior west.  He has worked extensively with Great Plains and Southwestern tribes as well as national and international nonprofit organizations.  Throughout his career, he has built environmental partnerships between the public, business, and conservation sectors and supervised hundreds of environmental projects including the planting of more than 32 million trees in 17 states and 4 countries. richard@treeswaterpeople.org

Before co-founding TWP, Stuart Conway, Director of Special Projects, served in the Peace Corps for 3 years and worked for eight years as the Director of the Washington D.C.-based New Forests Project.  He has a BS in Forest Management from Colorado State University and a Masters in Professional Studies in International Development with an emphasis in Agroforestry from Cornell University.  Stuart’s lifelong dedication to serving people and the planet has received significant recognition over the years, including an E-chievement award from E-town, the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy, the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service, and the Frances K. Hutchinson Medal for his distinguished service to conservation.
Stuart@treeswaterpeople.org

Heather Herrell, Director of Development, joined TWP in 2007. She grew up in Fort Collins and earned her degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University. Heather has enjoyed working in the nonprofit sector for the past decade, raising critical funds for worthy causes. She brings to TWP her extensive development background, fundraising talents, and enthusiasm for making a difference. heather@treeswaterpeople.org

Director of Finance since 2007, Diane Vella has worked for 25 years as an accountant for environmentally-conscious businesses in California and Colorado.  She has supported Fort Collins' bike-to-work activities for seven years and commutes to TWP by biking, running, or riding the bus.  Diane has co-led bicycle tours in Spain, France, Italy, Sicily, Greece, and Croatia.  She is deeply committed to personal, social responsibility for ethical business and sustainable community programs. diane@treeswaterpeople.org

Amanda Haggerty joined TWP in 2009 as the Data and Mailings Manager.  She comes to TWP with a BA in Natural Resource Management and Geographic Information Systems (GIS).  Her work experience includes forestry surveying field work and vegetation mapping with the federal government, as well as working as a plant biologist in a local laboratory where she developed several databases.  Amanda is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in GIS at the University of Denver. amanda@treeswaterpeople.org

As Trees, Water & People’s National Director, Lacey Gaechter oversees all the organization’s, well, National Programs. These include the Tribal Renewable Energy Program, through which Lacey coordinates the distribution of renewable energy systems to tribal families, organizes renewable energy trainings for Native Americans, and facilities sustainable business development among this same population. Through TWP’s local environmental education campaigns, Lacey manages TWP’s SunMobile, our Fort Collins Outdoor Classrooms, and Renewables on Schools projects.   

Lacey is a certified Pilates and GYROTONIC© instructor, and a community volunteer. Before beginning her life with TWP in 2009, Lacey graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado, then went to work for the Roaring Fork Conservancy, the City of Aspen Environmental Health Department, the Aspen Global Change Institute, and interned for the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective and New York State’s Farm Sanctuary. “I rode many miles and shoveled many pounds of poop that summer,” Lacey remembers of her carefree days as an intern. lacey@treeswaterpeople.org

Sebastian Africano, International Director for TWP, was trained as a Rocket Stove consultant by the Aprovecho Research Center in 2004, and began working with TWP in early 2005 as a marketing and commercialization intern for TWP’s Clean Cookstove Program in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  He subsequently went on to develop his own consulting practice in the region, supporting clean cookstove projects in five Central American countries.  Later, he worked as a Senior Environmental Adviser to International Lifeline Fund’s Projects in Sudan, Eastern Kenya, Northern Uganda, and Tanzania before accepting the position of Deputy International Director at TWP in 2009.  He holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Penn State University. sebastian@treeswaterpeople.org

Claudia Menendez, International Program Coordinator for TWP, has been working closely on community development projects in Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Cuba since 2004. She was International Project Coordinator with the Canadian Environmental NGO Falls Brook Centre 2005-2009 implementing environmental education and biodiversity restoration programs. In early 2009, Claudia worked with International Lifeline Fund in Lira, Uganda on the strategic planning, marketing, and training components of their clean cookstove and environmental programs. She earned a BA in Latin American Studies and International Development from the University of Calgary, Canada.  Claudia joined the TWP team in October 2009 and works with TWP partners on international clean cookstove and reforestation programs in Central America and Haiti. claudia@treeswaterpeople.org

Megan Maiolo-Heath, TWP’s Communications Coordinator, has been with TWP since 2009. Megan is TWP's online voice; she writes the blog, tweets, and Facebooks a lot! Megan has a passion for finding new and creative ways to use technology for social good.  Megan has a Bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Masters of Public Administration from University of Colorado at Denver with concentrations in nonprofit management and environmental policy, management, and law. In her free time, you can find her exploring the outdoors of Colorado by foot, raft, kayak, or snowboard. megan@treeswaterpeople.org

Pete Iengo is TWP’s Office and Facilities Manager.  Since receiving a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, he has developed professionally in areas such as Hotel Operations and Facilities Management, as well as becoming an experienced grassroots Community Organizer.  In his free time, Pete likes to challenge himself physically and mentally with various mountain sports, as well as work towards a more sustainable future by volunteering within the local community.  Pete has an everyday focus on social and environmental responsibility as a means to positive social change. pete@treeswaterpeople.org

Elliot Cooper, Assistant International Coordinator, graduated from Colorado State University with an MBA from the Global, Social & Sustainable Enterprise Program in 2010, executing the on-ground feasibility study for the first ever organic fertilizer company in Ethiopia.  From 2007-2009, he served with the United States Peace Corps as a sustainable agriculture specialist in Ecuador, helping to craft a network of organic greenhouses, farmers markets & agro-forestry systems in 15 rural villages.  He also planned and managed a network of youth leadership camps and environmental education workshops.  Elliot has previously worked in leadership facilitation and youth environment education for six years.  He completed his Bachelor’s degrees in Technical Theatre & Philosophy and was named CSU’s Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006. elliot@treeswaterpeople.org