Ms. Aguirre works as part of International Rivers’ Latin America program to support local movements for the protection of rivers; to identify new dam projects in Latin America and to examine their economic, social, and environmental impacts; and to design strategies to counteract their effects. She has worked for more than a decade in support of Amazon indigenous peoples’ rights and is co-producer of Amazonia: Voices From the Rainforest, a film on the fight of grassroots groups in the Amazon to defend their lives and their land. She has also been a tireless supporter of the people affected by Chixoy Dam in Guatemala. Prior to joining International Rivers in 1998, Ms. Aguirre worked with the Environmental Action Coalition and El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in New York City. Ms. Aguirre has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree from New York University in Environmental Education and Conservation.
With a strong professional background in fund development and communications, Ms. Bell comes to International Rivers with a passion for community building and public engagement. Prior to joining the International Rivers team in 2012, Ms. Bell worked in Bay Area regional fund development with urban planning and open space organizations, such as SPUR (San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association) and the San Francisco Parks Alliance. With a hybridized background in fundraising and community organizing, Ms. Bell works to bridge the gap between members, supporters and followers, creating a strong community of river protection advocates. She has a Master’s degree in Arts and Non-Profit Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy and Management and earned her Bachelor's degree in Communications, Rhetoric and an advanced certificate in film studies with a focus on ethnographic documentary film. In her free time, you will find her skating with the Bay Area Derby Girls, blogging on her self-love advocacy site (speakingofelephants.com), or training for the annual Girl-on-Girl Dodgeball tournament.
Mr. Bosshard leads International Rivers’ efforts to strengthen the social and environmental standards of governments, financial institutions, and the dam industry. He has promoted policy change and corporate social responsibility since the early 1990s, was closely involved with the World Commission on Dams, and has coordinated campaigns to stop destructive projects in many countries. Mr. Bosshard leads our effort to strengthen social and environmental standards, and supervises our Policy, Climate, China and South Asia programs. Mr. Bosshard studied at the universities of Zurich, Minnesota, and the West Indies, and holds a Ph.D. from Zurich University. Before joining International Rivers in 2002, he was the coordinator of the Berne Declaration, a Swiss advocacy organization. Mr. Bosshard has authored numerous reports and articles in books, academic journals and the popular press, blogs for International Rivers and Huffington Post, and tweets @PeterBosshard. His favorite river is the Albula in the Swiss Alps.
Ms. Brink oversees the Web and IT departments at International Rivers. She also coordinates the annual March 14 International Day of Action for Rivers, as well as many of our broad organizational communications efforts. Ms. Brink began working with International Rivers in 1998 as an intern helping to organize our International Dam Removal Strategy Workshop, and joined International Rivers’ staff in 1999. In 2010, she enjoyed helping organize Rivers for Life 3: The Third International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and Their Allies. Ms. Brink has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Environmental Science from California State University, Chico, and a Master’s degree in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Ms. Cappelli was born in the Philippines and grew up in the Bay Area. She has 20 years of accounting experience and has always had a strong ethic of stewardship for the environment. Academically, she has presented on topics such as climate change, and the adverse effects Alaskan oil drilling has on indigenous communities and caribou migration. She graduated with Honors in 2001 from Contra Costa College and made the Deans List at CSU East Bay in 2009. She enjoys hiking, gardening and being outdoors among nature but her joy in life is her family.
Based in Bangkok, Ms. Deetes' work focuses on protecting the Mekong River from dams proposed for its mainstream, and in particular on Thailand's role as dam developer and the main intended market for the hydroelectricity. Before joining International Rivers in 2010, Ms. Deetes spent seven years as coordinator of the Thai NGO Living River Siam (SEARIN), working to empower communities living alongside the Mekong and Salween rivers to protect their rivers, rights and livelihoods, and to stop destructive dams. Ms. Deetes has a Bachelor's degree in English and is an Ashoka Fellow.
Ms. Devaporihartakula is responsible for providing administrative and campaigns support for the implementation of our Southeast Asia Program’s work in Thailand and our broader regional agenda. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2012, Ms. Devaporihartakula interned with the United Nations Development Programme helping the Development Strategy and Advocacy Unit on HIV and gender related issues. Additionally, Ms. Devaporihartakula has five years of experience working as a web administrative assistant for a private company. Ms. Devaporihartakula holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business English and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations. She is currently enrolled in Chulalongkorn University’s Master’s Program in International Relations with a special focus on renewable energy and human development.
Ms. Hazel oversees International Rivers’s finance, human resources, and office management activities, and serves as a member of International Rivers’s management team. Before joining International Rivers in 2002, she worked at a variety of for-profit and nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including serving as the office administrator at the San Francisco office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. She is trained as an herbalist, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Theological Studies.
Mr. Herbertson works for International Rivers' Southeast Asia program to support the people of the Mekong River and indigenous groups in Sarawak, Malaysia. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2011, he worked for four years at the World Resources Institute, an environmental policy organization in Washington, DC. As a human rights lawyer, he has promoted stronger respect for the rights of local communities affected by the investments of international financial institutions, multinational companies, and Chinese state-owned enterprises. This has included helping to lead civil society efforts that resulted in the adoption of a free, prior, informed consent policy for indigenous peoples, as well as stronger consideration of international human rights at the International Finance Corporation. Mr. Herbertson received his law degree and Master of Arts in international politics from American University, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College.
Mr. Hurwitz coordinates International Rivers' efforts to strengthen international sustainability benchmarks for the water and energy sectors, and to improve the risk management practices and social and environmental standards of public and private sector banks, with a special focus on emerging markets. Before joining International Rivers in 2011, he worked as a geographer, researching the outcomes of river basin development and climate change policies in Brazil's Amazon region. He has previously worked with the Rapoport Center for Human Rights to investigate human rights violations in the planning and construction of the Texas-Mexico border wall, and has collaborated with numerous civil society organizations from the United States and Latin America. Mr. Hurwitz holds a Master of Arts in Geography and the Environment from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wesleyan University. He tweets @ZacharyHurwitz.
Mr. Johnson administers and produces multimedia content for International Rivers website, and he provides system administration and technical support to the Berkeley office and to our regional staff. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2007, he worked for several years on the IT staff at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research in Chapel Hill. Also a composer and musician, Mr. Johnson has composed soundtracks for several award-winning documentary films and performs regularly in the Bay Area and across the U.S. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Psychology from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Electronic Music and Intermedia Art from Mills College.
Ms. Lazarou provides technical support and network/systems administration for our Berkeley office and regional staff. Before joining International Rivers in 2013, Ms. Lazarou worked as a freelance IT technician and web administrator for several years. When she is not happily tinkering with computers at International Rivers, she is making websites and playing instruments. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Ms. Lee works for International Rivers' Southeast Asia Program to monitor hydropower developments in Laos, with a particular focus on tributaries of the Mekong River. She documents the implementation of mitigation and compensation measures for existing dams in Laos, advocates for compensation for dam-affected communities, researches and highlights the impacts of new hydropower projects planned for Laos, and pushes for the implementation of the Lao National Hydropower Policy and other relevant laws. Originally from Anishinabek Territory on Turtle Island (Toronto, Canada), Ms. Lee has previous work experience campaigning with communities defending their lands from mining and oil extraction, on community rights to water and food sovereignty, for labour rights, migrant justice and women’s health rights. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Globalization Studies and Women’s Studies from Trent University and a Master’s in International Human Rights Law from the UN Mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica.
Ms. Lowrey-Evans works to increase awareness of the threats facing the world's rivers using online and offline communication channels. She coordinates International Rivers' online engagement efforts, including online advocacy and social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Pinterest in order to reach our partners and members of the movement for healthy rivers and human rights throughout the world. Ms. Lowrey-Evans led International Rivers' involvement in the Patagonia Sin Represas campaign for 2 years, and was one of the lead organizers of Rivers for Life 3: The Third International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and Their Allies. Ms. Lowrey-Evans joined the International Rivers team in 2008 after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies. In her free time, you will find her practicing and performing with a local Salsa dance team, or knitting something interesting for friends and family.
Ms. Mang manages International Rivers' China Program. She leads efforts to strengthen the environmental and social standards of China's overseas dam builders and their global environmental footprint. Before joining International Rivers in 2010, she worked as an environment and water Policy Adviser in the Australian Prime Minister's Department on major environmental reform issues such as river basin management of the Murray-Darling basin, national environment protection laws and biodiversity protection strategies. Ms. Mang is a lawyer by training and specializes in environment and water law. She graduated from the University of Sydney with Bachelors' degrees in Economics and Law.
Based in Mumbai, Mr. Mehta works with regional partners to campaign against the construction of destructive dams in the Himalayas. He supports social movements and provides advocacy support to South Asian communities and NGOs. Mr. Mehta was appointed by the Bombay High Court on a Committee to assess the impacts of development on the tidal movement of a coastal river in Mumbai. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2010, Mr. Mehta worked with Bombay Environmental Action Group for over 17 years. He worked on environmental and town and regional planning legislation and developed an expertise on declaration and planning of ecologically sensitive areas. He was on several Federal and State appointed Committees. After obtaining his Bachelor's Degree in Statistics from the University of Bombay, India, he started his career in IT. Exposure to environmental activism in the west influenced his decision to change careers. He also has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.
Based in Brasilia, Mr. Millikan supports movements of dam-affected peoples and their allies to successfully resist destructive dams, while promoting alternative policies in energy planning and river basin management that contribute to sustainable livelihoods and environmental conservation in the Amazonian countries, especially Brazil and Peru. He has lived and worked for many years as a researcher, activist and consultant in the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on the impacts of large infrastructure projects, particularly highways and hydroelectric dams. Mr. Millikan has a long history of engagement in the western Amazonian state of Rondônia, where he actively participated in grassroots and international campaigns around the World Bank-financed POLONOROESTE and PLANAFLORO projects. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2010, Mr. Millikan collaborated extensively in Brazil with academic institutions, social movements, the Ministry of the Environment and NGOs such as Amigos da Terra – Amazônia Brasileira. He received a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master's degree in Geography at the University of California, Berkeley.
Since joining International Rivers in 1995, Ms. Pottinger has been the editor of our quarterly publication, World Rivers Review. She also was a co-producer on the video A River Runs Through Us, and on our Google Earth video, Wrong Climate for Damming Rivers. She is executive editor for our Dams, Rivers and People reports. She is also a lead campaigner for our Africa program, working to raise international awareness about the problems with large dams in Africa and alternatives to them. Key campaigns include the Nile River and Ethiopia's dam boom. She edited a number of manor reports published by International Rives, including The Downstream Impacts of Ethiopia's Gibe III Dam and A Risky Climate for Southern Africa Hydro. She also solicited research on the relationship of dam operations in Uganda and dropping water levels at Lake Victoria, and helped publicize the results. Ms. Pottinger has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from San Francisco State University, and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. After so many years with the organization, she still finds it challenging and satisfying; she is especially excited about better solutions for meeting energy and water needs, and the prospects for energy efficiency. She regularly blogs for Huffington Post and International Rivers. Follow her on Twitter: @loripottinger_r
Before joining International Rivers in 2011, Mr. Rainey served as Executive Director of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in northern California from 2005-2011, where he built a grassroots movement to restore a healthy Yuba River, championed the decommissioning of two federal dams, protected wild salmon runs, improved water quality and habitats, and fought new dams. Under his leadership, SYRCL expanded its award-winning River Monitoring Program involving hundreds of volunteer "citizen scientists" in community-based watershed assessment, planning and restoration projects. During his tenure, SYRCL's Wild & Scenic Film Festival developed into one of the largest and most successful environmental film events in North America, building a network of over 100 affiliated organizations throughout the country. As a Program Director of the Marin Conservation Corps from 1999-2005, he led a range of innovate collaborative projects focusing on creek rehabilitation, solid-waste recycling and wildlife monitoring through a youth job-training program. He has served as a steering committee member of the California Hydropower Reform Coalition, a founding member of the Calling Back the Salmon Committee, and a board member for SalmonAid. He has also worked as an educator, researcher and organizer for human rights and environmental initiatives throughout the world, including Russia, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, and Thailand. He has a Master's degree from New College of California's program in Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Communities; studied at the School for Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington; and earned his Bachelor's degree in History & Government with an emphasis on International Economic Development from Claremont McKenna College in California. Read his full bio.
Ms. Ross leads International Rivers’ involvement in the campaign to stop dams in Chilean Patagonia, and provides support for our work in the Amazon, Mesoamerica, South Asia and Southeast Asia. She first joined International Rivers in 2010 as a full-time intern helping coordinate Rivers for Life 3: The Third International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and Their Allies, where she was thrown directly into the middle of the powerful and inspiring movement of activists and organizations working to protect free flowing rivers. After this incredible experience, Ms. Ross went on to become our 2011 International Day of Action for Rivers coordinator, and officially joined our staff shortly after that. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice.
Ms. Sabel oversees International Rivers' grant proposals and reports. She supports our mission by raising money for our programs and increasing awareness of our issues. She helps develop International Rivers' fundraising strategy and researches new sources of support. She has also served on International Rivers' management team and has coordinated our strategic planning process and staff retreats. She is motivated by the dedication of her colleagues and the communities around the globe who are working to protect their rights, land and livelihoods. Before joining International Rivers in 2003, she applied her research, editing and writing skills in her work for other non-profit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Sabel has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona.
Ms. Sanyanga provides advocacy and analytical support to African communities and NGOs working to protect themselves from the destructive impacts of large dams. She monitors proposed dams, helps communities affected by dams to seek reparations, and advocates for decentralized renewable energy options as alternatives to big dams. Before joining International Rivers in 2011, Ms. Sanyanga worked as an aquatic ecology researcher, university lecturer and an environmental consultant. She has conducted a major portion of her work on Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River Basin, based at the Lake Kariba Fisheries Research Institute, and later at the University of Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Research Station. She was one of the consultants for the EIAs for the Batoka Gorge Dam Project in 1997-98 and in 2010-11 consulted for the Dam Synchronisation and Flood Releases Project for the Zambezi Basin. As a lecturer she has taught principles of aquatic ecology, environmental sciences, water resource management and EIA methodology. She holds a Ph.D. in Aquatic Systems Ecology from Stockholm University, a Master's of Science in Applied Hydrobiology from the University of Wales, Cardiff and a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Zimbabwe.
Ms. Trandem leads our efforts to stop destructive dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries. She is responsible for supervising members of the Southeast Asia campaigns team, providing strategic direction to the program, developing and managing the program budget and fundraising for the program. Before joining International Rivers in 2010, she spent five years living and working in Cambodia on issues related to hydropower development and community rights first as an advisor to the 3S Rivers Protection Network and then the NGO Forum on Cambodia. Through her work with dam-affected communities and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia, Ms. Trandem provided support to local activists and assisted national campaign work that focused on seeking remedy for communities impacted by hydropower dams on the Sesan and Srepok rivers in northeastern Cambodia and advocating for improved energy planning processes. In addition, Ms. Trandem has previous work experience with democracy assistance and labor rights organizations in the Netherlands, Honduras, Ecuador and the US. Ms. Trandem holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College and a Master's degree in the Politics of Alternative Development from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands.
Ms. Van Valer-Campbell provides administrative support for the Berkeley office. She comes to International Rivers with a passion for human rights and seven years administrative experience. She has degrees in Political Science and Theology from Fordham University and a Master's degree in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with concentrations in Conflict Resolution and Spanish. Academic pursuits have taken her to the former Yugoslavia to study nationalism and to work with genocide survivors. Her interests and passions include mediating, dancing, cooking, and crafting.
Ms. Yan coordinates International Rivers' efforts to protect China's transboundary rivers and strengthen the capacity of Chinese activists. She also manages the Intern and Volunteer Program, provides advocacy and analytical support to groups fighting destructive carbon-financed dams, and supports International Rivers' climate education and outreach efforts. She is publisher of World Rivers Bulletin, International Rivers' Chinese language newsletter, and author of Protecting Rivers and Rights: The World Commission on Dams Recommendations in Action.Prior to joining International Rivers in 2008 as an intern in the China Program, she was a Head Program and Teaching Assistant at Stanford's Earth Systems Program. Ms. Yan received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Earth Systems from Stanford University. In her spare time, she enjoys Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy, rock climbing, and hiking along coasts, mountains, deserts, and volcanoes.