We are pleased to welcome new members to our advisor network. Every few years, advisory board members either rotate off or vote on bringing in new advisors, thus strengthening the diversity of perspectives on the boards and allowing for an infusion of new ideas on prospective grantees. Greengrants currently works with over 120 volunteer advisors around the world. We are proud to include the following outstanding people in this group.
East Africa Advisory Board
Loyce Lema
Loyce Lema is Executive Director of ENVIROCARE, whose mission is to facilitate efforts to create wealth, sustain the natural environment, and reduce the gender gap in Tanzania. Moreover, this organization intends to facilitate a process that leads to a creation of an environment in which information and communication on and about human rights, poverty and environment is directed at the empowerment of communities for sustainable development. Loyce is the 2002 winner of the M’a Afrika prize, which recognizes women of Africa who excel in community activities but have not yet experienced international exposure or recognition for their work.
Pacific Advisory Board
Lucille Apis Overhoff
Lucille Apis Overhoff is a native Pohnpeian and currently serves as The Nature Conservancy’s Partnership Specialist in Micronesia (FSM, Palau, Guam, CNMI, and the Marshall Islands). Lucille’s main responsibility is to develop and leverage strong partner relationships with governments, NGOs, community based organizations, traditional/indigenous groups, and scientific/research organizations. Her work also focuses on building the non-government environmental movement through coordinated assistance to develop both the organizational leaders and their organizations. Prior to working for TNC, she worked at the South Pacific Regional Environmental Program or what is now known as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) for nearly 8 years.
Andes Board
Doris Pilar Balvin (Peru)
Doris is currently the President of Benala, a new NGO working on socio-environmental conflicts, dialogue, and training. Doris has also served as the Peru representative for Canadian Lutheran World Relief since 2002. She is a founding member of the NGO Civil Labor, and provided advice to communities on environmental management issues, with a special focus on mining. Doris is a lawyer by training and has a Masters Degree in Urban Environmental Management from Wageningen University and the Institute for Housing Studies of Rotterdam. Between 2001 to 2003 Doris was President of Peru’s National Environmental Society a network of environmental NGOs from around the country. From 1990 to 1995 she was elected to the Provincial Town Council of Ilo as Secretary of Public Cleaning, Health and Environment and was later responsible for the Urban Development and Environment as Commission President. As President of the Permanent Multisectorial Environmental Commission she oversaw the implementation of the Environmental Improvement Plan for the Southern Region of the country (1990 to 1992).
Cesar Padilla (Bolivia)
From 1986 until 1991 Cesar was the liaison to Latin America for the World Information Service on Environment and Development (WISE) at the headquarters in Amsterdam. He has advised the TOOL Corporation a program of Technology Transfer for Developing Countries. In 1991, upon returning to Chile, he co-founded the Observatorio Latinoamericano de Conflictos Ambientales (OLCA) and served as its national coordinator until 1995. During this period he provided advice to communities and grassroots groups on a range of environmental issues including conflicts around the indiscriminate use of pesticides, promoting urban campaigns on industrial contamination, and helping communities address contamination from mining operations. In 1995 Cesar became OLCA’s international coordinator working mainly on mining, environmental, and social conflicts. In 2006 Cesar relocated to Bolivia to provide leadership for the emerging coordinated work of non-governmental organizations working on mining issues in South America. Currently he is based at the Centro de Ecología and Pueblos Andinos.
Southern Cone Advisory Board
Stefan Gelcich (Chile)
Stefan Gelcich is a marine biologist with an interest in the social dimensions of marine conservation and management. His PhD dissertation was on the experience of co-management in Chilean coastal fisheries. Stefan is currently a researcher at the Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile conducting field research on themes of small-scale fishermen, local government, and scientific research for marine management. Stefan has broad experience working directly with fishing communities in coastal regions of Chile. He also has experience working with impoverished indigenous communities in Chile in the following areas: environmental education, management of fisheries by local fishermen, repopulating invertebrate species, and the creation of protected woodlands.