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WHO
WE ARE
Our talented staff works hand-in-hand with local and Tribal leaders, civic organizations, policymakers, agency staff, and nonprofit and academic partners to meet our shared goals of helping communities build resilience to climate change while nourishing the lands, waters, and wildlife they steward.
TEAM MEMBERS.
Nancy Gilliam
Executive Director
Margaret Hall
Associate Director
Gwen Griffith
Program Director
Barb Cozzens
Strategy & Integration Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
Patricia Loria
Chairman of the Board
Patricia Loria is a leader in the burgeoning carbon removal space. She recently joined Carba, a biochar burial company as the SVP of Commercial after 3 and a half years at CarbonCapture, Inc., a direct air capture company. Both of these companies remove atmospheric CO2 with long-term (1,000+ years) storage to address global challenges in meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. In these roles on the leadership team, Patricia manages company strategic direction, carbon removal credit sales, marketing, and partnerships. Previously, Patricia was the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute’s Senior Client Engagement Lead for the Americas. She joined GCCSI in 2018 and managed membership recruitment and support, aiming to advocate for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and assisted in implementation of CCS projects in the energy and industrial sectors.
Patricia is a seasoned marketing and business development professional with more than 20 years of experience in the private sector working primarily in the financial services and insurance industries in a global capacity and spent five years working in the international NGO sector focused on post-conflict development. Patricia is also the Chairman of the Board for Model Forest Policy Program, a non-profit organization that advocates for policies and practices that restore and sustain water resources, healthy productive forests, sustainable ecosystem services, and economically thriving climate-resilient communities.
Patricia received a Master’s in Business Administration from Darden Business School, University of Virginia, and a Master’s in Natural Resources from Virginia Tech’s Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability. She is based in Washington, DC.
Patricia Loria is a leader in the burgeoning carbon removal space. She recently joined Carba, a biochar burial company as the SVP of Commercial after 3 and a half years at CarbonCapture, Inc., a direct air capture company. Both of these companies remove atmospheric CO2 with long-term (1,000+ years) storage to address global challenges in meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. In these roles on the leadership team, Patricia manages company strategic direction, carbon removal credit sales, marketing, and partnerships. Previously, Patricia was the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute’s Senior Client Engagement Lead for the Americas. She joined GCCSI in 2018 and managed membership recruitment and support, aiming to advocate for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and assisted in implementation of CCS projects in the energy and industrial sectors.
Patricia is a seasoned marketing and business development professional with more than 20 years of experience in the private sector working primarily in the financial services and insurance industries in a global capacity and spent five years working in the international NGO sector focused on post-conflict development. Patricia is also the Chairman of the Board for Model Forest Policy Program, a non-profit organization that advocates for policies and practices that restore and sustain water resources, healthy productive forests, sustainable ecosystem services, and economically thriving climate-resilient communities.
Patricia received a Master’s in Business Administration from Darden Business School, University of Virginia, and a Master’s in Natural Resources from Virginia Tech’s Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability. She is based in Washington, DC.
Sarah Caryl
Board Member
As an experienced executive leader within growth-oriented organizations, Sarah Caryl has extensive experience leading across functions and industries with particular expertise in organizational development, talent management, and business strategy alignment. Using a systems approach to facilitate business leadership and talent strategies, she has led and partnered with global, remote and diverse teams, leading organizational design initiatives as well as M&A processes and integration. Sarah currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for effecterra Inc., a public benefit corporation specializing in technical sustainability pathways for GHG reduction and related engineering technology.
Sarah holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI and maintains a primary residence in the metropolitan area. Beyond her business leadership experience, Sarah is a natural coach, guide and mentor. She has served as a college and university educator, both in traditional classrooms and schools of continuing education, supporting communication, training and leadership development of others and their teams. She has successfully partnered with every functional area in business on matters of leadership, organizational design and team development, and worked alongside other leaders and board members on enterprise strategy and initiatives. Sarah enjoys her work most when she is working on aligning the intersections between strategy and people, business and the natural world.
As an experienced executive leader within growth-oriented organizations, Sarah Caryl has extensive experience leading across functions and industries with particular expertise in organizational development, talent management, and business strategy alignment. Using a systems approach to facilitate business leadership and talent strategies, she has led and partnered with global, remote and diverse teams, leading organizational design initiatives as well as M&A processes and integration. Sarah currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for effecterra Inc., a public benefit corporation specializing in technical sustainability pathways for GHG reduction and related engineering technology.
Sarah holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI and maintains a primary residence in the metropolitan area. Beyond her business leadership experience, Sarah is a natural coach, guide and mentor. She has served as a college and university educator, both in traditional classrooms and schools of continuing education, supporting communication, training and leadership development of others and their teams. She has successfully partnered with every functional area in business on matters of leadership, organizational design and team development, and worked alongside other leaders and board members on enterprise strategy and initiatives. Sarah enjoys her work most when she is working on aligning the intersections between strategy and people, business and the natural world.
Bruce Hull
Former Chairman
Writer & Senior Fellow at the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, Virginia Tech
Hull is a professor, writer, and parent concerned about wicked sustainability challenges, especially climate, food, justice, and water. He works on promoting systems-change where business, government, and civil society intersect with environmental sustainability and economic development. He is faculty at the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability and co-author of several books, including Leadership for Sustainability: Strategies for Tackling Wicked Problems.
Writer & Senior Fellow at the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, Virginia Tech
Hull is a professor, writer, and parent concerned about wicked sustainability challenges, especially climate, food, justice, and water. He works on promoting systems-change where business, government, and civil society intersect with environmental sustainability and economic development. He is faculty at the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability and co-author of several books, including Leadership for Sustainability: Strategies for Tackling Wicked Problems.
Neil Matouka
Board Member
Neil Matouka is an experienced climate policy leader focused on developing and implementing data-driven policies to address climate change challenges. He currently manages Net-Zero California's Clean Power program, and has expertise in managing large, complex technical projects, policy analysis and novel issue development, and scoping and managing research portfolios.
Neil launched California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and served as the California Air Resource Board’s Local Government Climate Action Planning Liaison, working with communities across California to develop climate solutions and transition to an equitable, low-carbon future. He serves as the chair for the National Parks Conservation Association's Pacific Regional Council, supporting regional and national staff on issues relevant to National Parks.
Neil has a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a BA from the University of Michigan. He lives in Sacramento, CA with his lovely wife and daughter.
Neil Matouka is an experienced climate policy leader focused on developing and implementing data-driven policies to address climate change challenges. He currently manages Net-Zero California's Clean Power program, and has expertise in managing large, complex technical projects, policy analysis and novel issue development, and scoping and managing research portfolios.
Neil launched California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and served as the California Air Resource Board’s Local Government Climate Action Planning Liaison, working with communities across California to develop climate solutions and transition to an equitable, low-carbon future. He serves as the chair for the National Parks Conservation Association's Pacific Regional Council, supporting regional and national staff on issues relevant to National Parks.
Neil has a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a BA from the University of Michigan. He lives in Sacramento, CA with his lovely wife and daughter.
Lionel Mbanda
Board Member
Dr. Lionel Mbanda has research expertise in climate policy, energy economics, management science, climate finance, and investment modeling. His primary research focuses on developing and applying economic models, data analysis, and policy-based approaches to enhance decision-making in mobilizing finance and investment for the clean energy transition in developing countries. He currently drive innovative solutions via policy advocacy, governance and reforms to strengthen long-term national strategies for optimizing investment and finance for climate related projects for countries in the Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. In this capacity, he collaborated with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Beijing Key Laboratory of New Energy and Low-Carbon Development in leveraging solutions to advance an equitable energy transition and mitigate climate risk respectively in the USA, China, and Cameroon. Lionel holds a PhD Degree in Engineering and Project Management from the North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) Beijing and a Master of Science Degree in Applied Geosciences from the University of Buea in Cameroon.
For over 8 years, he led projects and collaborated in designing, monitoring and executing youth leadership development, empowerment and innovation programs on climate action and policy advocacy for the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNITAR, Carnegie Climate Governance (C2G) Initiative and World Green Design Organization (WGDO) following the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and the African Union (AU) 2063 Agenda. He previously coordinated the United Nations Youth Leadership Development Program (UNYLDP) for COP28 with global partners and the participation of more than 100 experts and climate youth leaders from 20 countries. In 2024, he acted as Chairperson for the roundtable discussion on the integration of green skills and training for advancing innovation in green development, at the ACUNS Annual Meeting in Tokyo, Japan. He played an active role as NGO stakeholder representing the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) in providing inouts to the Pact of the Future report at the Summit of the Future and 79th UN General Assembly in New York, USA. Moreover, he has been a member of the CSO/NGO stakeholders platform of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and contributed in public consultations in drafting the 2023 Energy Sector Strategy Document. Since 2020, he is an international expert and consultant for the African Union (AU) Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
His experience working with non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society goes as far back during the creation of the United Nations (UN) Major Group for Children and Youths (MGCY), as a member he contributed in drafting policy papers and outcome documents to advance youth voices in decision making processes towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is currently a member of the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) and the International Public Policy Association (IPPA).
As a researcher on climate investment and finance for clean power generation projects in developing countries, he has published research papers, and policy briefs in journals such as; the Journal of Cleaner Production, IEEE Journals and Frontiers in Energy Research. In addition, he provides annual reviews and policy contributions since 2022 to the REN21 Global Renewables Status report, on global energy demand and contribution from renewable energy.
Dr. Lionel Mbanda has research expertise in climate policy, energy economics, management science, climate finance, and investment modeling. His primary research focuses on developing and applying economic models, data analysis, and policy-based approaches to enhance decision-making in mobilizing finance and investment for the clean energy transition in developing countries. He currently drive innovative solutions via policy advocacy, governance and reforms to strengthen long-term national strategies for optimizing investment and finance for climate related projects for countries in the Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. In this capacity, he collaborated with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Beijing Key Laboratory of New Energy and Low-Carbon Development in leveraging solutions to advance an equitable energy transition and mitigate climate risk respectively in the USA, China, and Cameroon. Lionel holds a PhD Degree in Engineering and Project Management from the North China Electric Power University (NCEPU) Beijing and a Master of Science Degree in Applied Geosciences from the University of Buea in Cameroon.
For over 8 years, he led projects and collaborated in designing, monitoring and executing youth leadership development, empowerment and innovation programs on climate action and policy advocacy for the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNITAR, Carnegie Climate Governance (C2G) Initiative and World Green Design Organization (WGDO) following the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and the African Union (AU) 2063 Agenda. He previously coordinated the United Nations Youth Leadership Development Program (UNYLDP) for COP28 with global partners and the participation of more than 100 experts and climate youth leaders from 20 countries. In 2024, he acted as Chairperson for the roundtable discussion on the integration of green skills and training for advancing innovation in green development, at the ACUNS Annual Meeting in Tokyo, Japan. He played an active role as NGO stakeholder representing the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) in providing inouts to the Pact of the Future report at the Summit of the Future and 79th UN General Assembly in New York, USA. Moreover, he has been a member of the CSO/NGO stakeholders platform of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and contributed in public consultations in drafting the 2023 Energy Sector Strategy Document. Since 2020, he is an international expert and consultant for the African Union (AU) Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
His experience working with non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society goes as far back during the creation of the United Nations (UN) Major Group for Children and Youths (MGCY), as a member he contributed in drafting policy papers and outcome documents to advance youth voices in decision making processes towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is currently a member of the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) and the International Public Policy Association (IPPA).
As a researcher on climate investment and finance for clean power generation projects in developing countries, he has published research papers, and policy briefs in journals such as; the Journal of Cleaner Production, IEEE Journals and Frontiers in Energy Research. In addition, he provides annual reviews and policy contributions since 2022 to the REN21 Global Renewables Status report, on global energy demand and contribution from renewable energy.
Chinoso Nwanevu
Board Member
Chinonso Nwanevu is a dynamic sustainability leader with over 7+ years of experience
driving environmental initiatives and social impact projects across diverse sectors. He is a
LEED Green Associate of the US Green Building Council and an Advisory Council Member of
the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) with
expertise in sustainability frameworks such as CDP, SBTi, CSRD and GRI. Chinonso served
as a UNEP GEO-7 reviewer for the 7th edition of the Global Environment Outlook 2025.
Proven track record of implementing sustainability strategies, improving recycling rates, and
managing green projects at organizations including IKEA, University of South Dakota, and
RecyclePoints. Skilled in data analysis, ESG reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
Recognized as a VERGE emerging leader by Green Biz Group (now Trellis) for impactful work
in the climate-tech sector. Passionate about advancing sustainability through zero waste
strategies and renewable energy policy. Chinonso has served on the board of some
sustainability driven organizations like ISEC. A major part of my research focuses on
renewable energy smart grid development policy. Chinonso holds a bachelor’s in chemical
engineering from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and a Masters degree
in Sustainability from University of South Dakota.
Chinonso Nwanevu is a dynamic sustainability leader with over 7+ years of experience
driving environmental initiatives and social impact projects across diverse sectors. He is a
LEED Green Associate of the US Green Building Council and an Advisory Council Member of
the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) with
expertise in sustainability frameworks such as CDP, SBTi, CSRD and GRI. Chinonso served
as a UNEP GEO-7 reviewer for the 7th edition of the Global Environment Outlook 2025.
Proven track record of implementing sustainability strategies, improving recycling rates, and
managing green projects at organizations including IKEA, University of South Dakota, and
RecyclePoints. Skilled in data analysis, ESG reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
Recognized as a VERGE emerging leader by Green Biz Group (now Trellis) for impactful work
in the climate-tech sector. Passionate about advancing sustainability through zero waste
strategies and renewable energy policy. Chinonso has served on the board of some
sustainability driven organizations like ISEC. A major part of my research focuses on
renewable energy smart grid development policy. Chinonso holds a bachelor’s in chemical
engineering from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and a Masters degree
in Sustainability from University of South Dakota.
William Paddock
Treasurer
William Paddock is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of WAP Sustainability Consulting. William is a trusted leader and serves as a sustainability expert to leading brands, manufacturers and corporations. William brings a unique blend of business and environmental perspectives acquired over his nearly 15 years of sustainability experiences. He is well known for his ability to create scalable, credible, and measurable sustainability programs that provide his clients with industry and category leadership. His specialties include sustainability strategy & positioning, carbon accounting and management, life cycle assessment & embodied carbon, sustainable supply chain, and product transparency (EPDs, HPDs etc).
At WAP, William is responsible for management of key accounts and leading business development efforts that include strategic growth, M&A, and start-up advising. He currently serves on the Board of the climate adaptation focused Model Forest Policy Program and the Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington. He is the current Co-Chair the U.S. Green Building Council’s Materials and Resource (MR) TAG, USGBC LEED Technical Committee, member of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative Technical Committee, and the IWBI WELL Materials Advisory. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Institute for Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb University.
Before starting WAP Sustainability, William served as the Sustainability Manager for Mars, Inc. His experience as a sustainability manager motivated him to create his consulting firm that provided sustainability leaders and company leaders a one-stop-shop on how to prioritize sustainability issues, manage complex sustainability data, and generate internal funding for sustainability projects. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the Lipscomb University College of Business.
William Paddock is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of WAP Sustainability Consulting. William is a trusted leader and serves as a sustainability expert to leading brands, manufacturers and corporations. William brings a unique blend of business and environmental perspectives acquired over his nearly 15 years of sustainability experiences. He is well known for his ability to create scalable, credible, and measurable sustainability programs that provide his clients with industry and category leadership. His specialties include sustainability strategy & positioning, carbon accounting and management, life cycle assessment & embodied carbon, sustainable supply chain, and product transparency (EPDs, HPDs etc).
At WAP, William is responsible for management of key accounts and leading business development efforts that include strategic growth, M&A, and start-up advising. He currently serves on the Board of the climate adaptation focused Model Forest Policy Program and the Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington. He is the current Co-Chair the U.S. Green Building Council’s Materials and Resource (MR) TAG, USGBC LEED Technical Committee, member of the Health Product Declaration Collaborative Technical Committee, and the IWBI WELL Materials Advisory. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the Institute for Sustainable Practice at Lipscomb University.
Before starting WAP Sustainability, William served as the Sustainability Manager for Mars, Inc. His experience as a sustainability manager motivated him to create his consulting firm that provided sustainability leaders and company leaders a one-stop-shop on how to prioritize sustainability issues, manage complex sustainability data, and generate internal funding for sustainability projects. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and the Lipscomb University College of Business.
Emily Talley
Board Member
Emily Talley, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, and offers twenty-five years of leadership, communication, and organizational development experience. In addition to leading the Center, she has developed curricula and served as an instructor in both Master of Natural Resources program formats and published research focused on systems thinking competency development for graduate students in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Talley advanced organizational and partnership development in the national nonprofit and multinational corporate sectors, as well as higher education, with a focus on building capacity across boundaries and advancing programmatic scale. Resulting partnerships engaged thousands of individuals and garnered the Points of Light Institute Corporate Engagement Award for Excellence, the Washington Business Journal Nonprofit Capacity Building Award, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center Award.
Talley received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of William and Mary, a Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, and an Executive Master of Natural Resources and Doctor of Philosophy from Virginia Tech. She serves on the board of the Model Forest Policy Program and is a member of Virginia Tech's professionally-oriented graduate programs steering committee. She also represents the College of Natural Resources and Environment on Virginia Tech's global education approval committee.
Emily Talley, Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability, and offers twenty-five years of leadership, communication, and organizational development experience. In addition to leading the Center, she has developed curricula and served as an instructor in both Master of Natural Resources program formats and published research focused on systems thinking competency development for graduate students in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Talley advanced organizational and partnership development in the national nonprofit and multinational corporate sectors, as well as higher education, with a focus on building capacity across boundaries and advancing programmatic scale. Resulting partnerships engaged thousands of individuals and garnered the Points of Light Institute Corporate Engagement Award for Excellence, the Washington Business Journal Nonprofit Capacity Building Award, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center Award.
Talley received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of William and Mary, a Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, and an Executive Master of Natural Resources and Doctor of Philosophy from Virginia Tech. She serves on the board of the Model Forest Policy Program and is a member of Virginia Tech's professionally-oriented graduate programs steering committee. She also represents the College of Natural Resources and Environment on Virginia Tech's global education approval committee.
Denise Thompson
Board Member
Denise D.P. Thompson is an associate professor in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY). Denise publishes on disaster risk management, resilience, and sustainable development mainly from the Global South perspective and is a subject matter expert in these areas. Focusing on marginalized groups and working to continually integrate their voices in development, disaster planning, policy, and decision-making are central to her work. Denise was the inaugural recipient of the Jeremy Collymore Award for Humanitarian work in the Caribbean. She is a research faculty Affiliate of The Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies (RaCERS) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an Honorary Research Fellow at SALISES, University of the West Indies. Denise serves on several academic journal editorial and professional boards, including the International Journal of Disaster Risk Science (IJDRS), Disaster Prevention and Resilience (DPR), and the Crisis Response Journal (CRJ), and is a Site Visit Chair for the Network of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). She has significantly contributed to student learning and career success outcomes at CUNY.
Denise D.P. Thompson is an associate professor in the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY). Denise publishes on disaster risk management, resilience, and sustainable development mainly from the Global South perspective and is a subject matter expert in these areas. Focusing on marginalized groups and working to continually integrate their voices in development, disaster planning, policy, and decision-making are central to her work. Denise was the inaugural recipient of the Jeremy Collymore Award for Humanitarian work in the Caribbean. She is a research faculty Affiliate of The Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies (RaCERS) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an Honorary Research Fellow at SALISES, University of the West Indies. Denise serves on several academic journal editorial and professional boards, including the International Journal of Disaster Risk Science (IJDRS), Disaster Prevention and Resilience (DPR), and the Crisis Response Journal (CRJ), and is a Site Visit Chair for the Network of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). She has significantly contributed to student learning and career success outcomes at CUNY.
Arnoud de Villegas
Board Member
With 25 years of experience across forestry and environmental stewardship, venture growth, and global finance, Arnoud de Villegas operates at the intersection of nature and capital. As Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Viridian Ecosystems, a natural capital advisory firm, he develops and executes scalable, market-driven solutions that generate sustainable financial returns while enhancing natural assets.
He was previously VP of Business Development at Mast Reforestation, a VC-backed reforestation technology company, where he spearheaded carbon product originations and led all growth-oriented initiatives that expanded the company's influence in reforestation and natural capital markets—from Series A through Series B funding rounds—earning recognition on the CNBC Disruptor 50 and TIME Top GreenTech Companies lists. Prior to joining Mast Reforestation, Arnoud served as COO of Growpro Inc., a diversified family agricultural business in Northern California. Day-to-day, he led its principal vertical, Cal Forest Nurseries, the largest independent reforestation stock producer in the American West. Under his leadership, CalForest gained significant market share and produced over 130 million seedlings, meaningfully contributing to large-scale reforestation efforts across the region.
Earlier in his career, Arnoud built a strong foundation in global capital markets, raising and managing diverse forms of alternative investment capital in London, New York, and New Delhi. He was head of equity strategies in the US at Petercam Capital, a $250M fund of hedge funds. Backed by Hayground Cove, a $1B hedge fund, he went on to co-lead and complete the first successful SPAC (LSE:AIM) in Indian capital markets history. Thereafter, he managed select investments for the Chairman of GEM, a $1.5B VC and PE group. Building on this foundation, he pivoted to reforestation, applying his expertise to scale impact and develop innovative natural capital solutions.
Arnoud serves as a Board Advisor to the University of Montana’s National Science Foundation FARTHER Engine. Its mission is to build an economic engine for regional rural, tribal, and urban communities in Montana and Idaho by advancing nature-based innovations and precision technologies in forests and rangelands. He also serves on the Board of the Model Forest Policy Program, which empowers rural and indigenous communities across the U.S. to reduce their climate risks and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
With 25 years of experience across forestry and environmental stewardship, venture growth, and global finance, Arnoud de Villegas operates at the intersection of nature and capital. As Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Viridian Ecosystems, a natural capital advisory firm, he develops and executes scalable, market-driven solutions that generate sustainable financial returns while enhancing natural assets.
He was previously VP of Business Development at Mast Reforestation, a VC-backed reforestation technology company, where he spearheaded carbon product originations and led all growth-oriented initiatives that expanded the company's influence in reforestation and natural capital markets—from Series A through Series B funding rounds—earning recognition on the CNBC Disruptor 50 and TIME Top GreenTech Companies lists. Prior to joining Mast Reforestation, Arnoud served as COO of Growpro Inc., a diversified family agricultural business in Northern California. Day-to-day, he led its principal vertical, Cal Forest Nurseries, the largest independent reforestation stock producer in the American West. Under his leadership, CalForest gained significant market share and produced over 130 million seedlings, meaningfully contributing to large-scale reforestation efforts across the region.
Earlier in his career, Arnoud built a strong foundation in global capital markets, raising and managing diverse forms of alternative investment capital in London, New York, and New Delhi. He was head of equity strategies in the US at Petercam Capital, a $250M fund of hedge funds. Backed by Hayground Cove, a $1B hedge fund, he went on to co-lead and complete the first successful SPAC (LSE:AIM) in Indian capital markets history. Thereafter, he managed select investments for the Chairman of GEM, a $1.5B VC and PE group. Building on this foundation, he pivoted to reforestation, applying his expertise to scale impact and develop innovative natural capital solutions.
Arnoud serves as a Board Advisor to the University of Montana’s National Science Foundation FARTHER Engine. Its mission is to build an economic engine for regional rural, tribal, and urban communities in Montana and Idaho by advancing nature-based innovations and precision technologies in forests and rangelands. He also serves on the Board of the Model Forest Policy Program, which empowers rural and indigenous communities across the U.S. to reduce their climate risks and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
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