Adrian Ake Gomez is the founding partner, consultant, and legal representative of the civil society organization SEINQROO, formed in 2008 by entrepreneurial professionals who offer consulting and training services for the different local and regional economic system actors. His expertise includes organizational change and human community development, including a focus on social, environmental, and economic sustainability with market tools and administrative processes (entrepreneurship). He holds a Master's in Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment.

Norman Avila is a Guatemalan software engineer working in software and IT consulting since 1997. For the last 10 years, Norman has focused on weather, databases, and mapping, assisting Central American weather services in climatic database management systems. He manages the Latin American weather portal ClimaYa.com and the mobile app ClimaDiario, targeting small farmers with weather forecasts and crop-related alerts. He is passionate about applying technology to improve life conditions and development in Guatemala.

Mr. Douglas Barcenas has more than 15 years of experience in managing international development projects in the areas of program implementation, field operations, financial management, and other areas. He has supported small and medium producer organization development in Angola, Uganda, Mozambique, Namibia, and El Salvador. Currently, he serves as NCBA CLUSA's COP for the USDA-funded El Salvador Coffee Rehabilitation and Agricultural Diversification project that as supported 7,741 farmers as of April 21, 2018.

Elizabeth Bryan is a Senior Research Analyst at the IFPRI where she conducts policy-relevant research on sustainable agricultural production, natural resource management, climate-smart agriculture, gender, small-scale irrigation, and the water-energy-food nexus. She has published several journal articles on these topics. Elizabeth has extensive experience collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, regularly presenting research results to audiences at policy workshops and international conferences. Elizabeth holds an M.A. in Development Economics from American University.

Kristin Callahan is the International Programs Director at INMED Partnerships for Children, which promotes climate-smart agriculture via aquaponics to improve climate adaptation, food security and economic self-sufficiency in developing regions. As a former Peace Corps volunteer with a degree in public and environmental health from the University of Washington, she promotes program excellence, impact and sustainability in all regions in which INMED works, including the aquaponics program in Jamaica, South Africa and Peru.

Michael Carson has worked on agriculture and small business development programs across Sub-Saharan Africa for 25 years. He is a former Peace Corps Kenya Volunteer and has previously worked at Africare, Partners for Development, and Global Communities. He holds an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Stanford University.

Mauricio Chacón Navarro, Zootechnist Engineer, is the Manager of the National Livestock Program for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) in Costa Rica. In that capacity he is the coordinator the National Strategy for Low Carbon Livestock Farming (ENGBC) and the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action on Livestock.

Liuben provides programmatic support for Connexus' portfolio of projects, including the USDA LIFFT-Cashew project and USAID/Rwanda PSDAG and Huguka Dukore projects. Prior to joining Connexus, Liuben worked at Diamax Information Systems where he assisted on digital media and strategy projects in the public and private sectors. Liuben received his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service with a concentration in Culture and Politics from Georgetown University and is fluent in French and Bulgarian.

Antonio Ek Flores is a Partner and General Manager of USAEC Apiculturists S.C., a cooperative society formed in 2016 by 51 honey producers. Their strength lies in the commercialization of 100% natural honey, generating added value for the sugar market through the diversification of presentations and marketing. In the last two years the cooperative has implemented a strategic plan and made adjustments to their community structure, which has generated significant dividends. Mr. Flores holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Management.

Juan is the Director of the Conservation of Forests and Watersheds Program for the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature A.C. He coordinates the Committee of Protection and Forest Conservation of the National Forestry Commission. He holds a Masters in Rural Development from the Autonomous Metropolitan University.

Eduardo is a civil engineer specializing in hydric resource management with a Master's degree in climate change and sustainable development, working with CARE for more than 14 years. Currently, he is the Program Quality and Resources Mobilization Specialist assisting the country office by coordinating the emergency response strategy, technical advisory for climate change and resilience, and proposal design. His experience includes development of technologies for WASH, structuring impact measurement systems, and capacity building processes.

Geoff is a Senior Technical Advisor for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Livelihoods for the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Geoff provides technical assistance to CRS agriculture and environment programs primarily in Africa through sharing innovations, managing learning opportunities, and strengthening relationships. He has a Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Science and 30 years of on-farm R&D experience with smallholder farmers. Geoff represents CRS on the Africa-wide AU-NEPAD iNGO Alliance for Scaling Up Climate-Smart Agriculture in Africa.

Troy Hoppenjan is the CRS Agriculture and Livelihoods Program Manager, providing support, analysis, knowledge management and coordination to the CRS Global Agriculture portfolio. His background is in economic policy and cost-benefit analysis with specific experience in Ag value chains, public-private partnerships, and ICT4D solutions. Troy Hoppenjan has worked in research and rural development issues in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2003 when he served as an agroforestry extension agent with the Peace Corps.

Christoph has built a career around promoting scalable green inclusive finance. He held various positions in SME and smallholder finance with IPC/ProCredit Holding, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Mobisol and as independent consultant. He is co-founder and Managing Director of YAPU Solutions, a sustainable finance consultancy and software provider of a customizable one-stop, off-the-shelf SaaS solution for microfinance and other institutions, supporting cash-flow based, climate- and data-smart lending to smallholder farmers and microbusinesses worldwide.

Daniel Lapidus is a senior economist and policy analyst at RTI International, an independent nonprofit research institute dedicated to improving the human condition. With more than 10 years of experience managing international agricultural and climate change programs with a focus on Latin America, Mr. Lapidus leads efforts spanning socioeconomic impact analysis, benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analyses, and technology transfer. He leads multi-disciplinary teams and molds approaches to address issues in both developed and low-income contexts.

Karen Lopez leads Semilla Nueva’s collaborations program, which assists local Guatemalan organizations to produce biofortified seed. Under her direction the program has trained four organizations to produce and promote nutritious seed, improving the nutrition of 47,000 people in 2017. Karen has a degree in Economics from the University of Francisco Marroquin and previously worked in finance. She has represented Guatemala at international events related to development, including Youth Ag-Summit and One Young World.

Cristina Manfre is a gender and development specialist with ten years of experience improving development organizations’ attention to gender issues in economic growth, agriculture and trade programming. She guides organizational change efforts on gender integration for a number of institutions and is co-author of the “Assessing How Agricultural Technologies can change Gender Dynamics and Food Security Outcomes” developed under the USAID-funded Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services (INGENAES) project.

Mona has over 12 years’ experience developing and implementing agriculture and food security programs. At Grameen Foundation, Mona drives the innovation in agriculture strategy and oversees engagements with a range of public, private and government partners to develop new approaches to reaching the poor. Mona holds a Master’s degree in International Agriculture Development from University of California, Davis and served as a small enterprise development volunteer with the Peace Corps in Mali.

Luis is the Advisory Services Lead in Central America and Lead Investment Officer at IDB Invest where he oversees pioneering investments in carbon markets and climate finance focused on mitigation in land use, forestry, agroforestry, renewable energy and transport sectors. He has extensive experience with multilateral banks, private banks and corporate agribusinesses, and international NGOs, managing projects creating sustainable agriculture. Luis has an MBA with a focus on Sustainable Development and a minor in Industry and Technology.

Rafael Merchan is a development practitioner with over 10 years of experience specializing in agriculture, food security, and nutrition. He is currently the CRS Livelihoods Coordinator for a food security and nutrition project in the Guatemalan Western Highlands. Previously, he was an agriculture program manager in Afghanistan and a fellow in Malawi. He holds a MPA in Development Practice from Columbia University, and a B.S in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland.

Gerson joined USAID/Guatemala´s Agriculture team as a Program Management Specialist in 2016. Gerson is passionate about agriculture and the economic growth of this sector. He has led agriculture development programs for international organizations such as The World Wildlife Fund and the Neumann Stiftung Foundation. He holds a Master´s Degree in International Finance and Economics from Brandeis University and a B.S. in Agriculture from Zamorano University in Honduras. Gerson Morales grew up in rural Guatemala.

Asdrubal Negrete is the Chief of Party of the Colombia Rural Finance Initiative. He oversaw the financial services team as Deputy Chief of Party/Senior Financial Services Specialist for two years. Asdrubal brings private sector expertise in microfinance, credit risk analysis, financial inclusion, and financial services information systems. Previously, Mr. Negrete worked in Colombia’s financial sector, most recently at Opportunity International, where he spearheaded business operations and portfolio development and managed an annual microfinance portfolio of $38 million.

Camilo Pagés is Director of Operations and co-founder of Sistema Biobolsa. He has a particular interest in designing and promoting the sustainable management of small and medium-sized units of productive livestock through the transfer of renewable energy technologies and responsible water use. Camilo has a background in management and administration with specialization in social marketing and entrepreneurship of companies with high social and environmental impact.

Judy Payne is an independent consultant helping USAID missions use digital tools to increase their reach and impact. She served as USAID's Digital Solutions Advisor for Agriculture until 2017. She has designed and managed public-private partnerships related to ICT and agriculture service delivery. Prior to USAID, Judy worked for over 25 years in the US private sector. Judy holds a BA from Stanford University, a Masters degree from Harvard and was a Fulbright Scholar.

Linda Pfeiffer is founder, president and CEO of INMED Partnerships for Children, a nonprofit international humanitarian organization that has transformed the lives of millions of children and families in over 100 countries since 1986. INMED’s work in climate-smart agriculture has led to an innovative, scalable aquaponics system using inexpensive and locally accessible materials to provide year-round fresh food and revenues for families, small-scale farmers, individuals with disabilities, communities, schools, businesses and government institutions.

For the past 18 years, Mr. Randall has worked at the intersection of climate change, economic development, and environmental conservation in developing countries. Mr. Randall has a range of expertise in environmental management, disaster recovery, climate resiliency, and climate-smart agriculture. He has supported the development and launch of several initiatives, including the Executive Order on Climate Resilient International Development, Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, USAID/Nepal freshwater biodiversity and climate change program, and WWF-American Red Cross Partnership.

Amanda Rycerz has five years’ experience in climate vulnerability, risk and resilience focused on North America, and a background in climate communications. Acclimatise founded in 2004, is a specialist advisory and analytics firm providing word-class expertise in climate risk management. The team has successfully completed 400 climate change adaptation projects for clients across a range of business and public sectors in nearly 80 countries.

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Pamela Schreier is the Regional Sustainability Manager for Ecom Agroindustrial in South America. She began her career in sustainable economic development in the Peace Corps working with a cooperative of bee keepers. She has spent the last 5 years successfully implementing sustainable partnerships within the chocolate industry as well as development organizations to leverage resources and continuously improve services provided to cocoa producers in effort to create resilient and sustainable supply chains.

Alfredo is Shellcatch's Founder and CEO. He created the world's first artisanal-based traceability and fish fraud monitoring service in Chile in 2008 and is now implementing electronic monitoring platforms in four countries. Shellcatch’s technology is fully focused on creating transparency in the sector by digitizing all fishing activity. Shellcatch’s mobile app is being deployed to over 12 thousand fishers, its bycatch camera system is on over 400 vessels, and ShellCatch is currently implementing new cutting-edge mobile and video apps.

Carmen Tedesco has 15 years’ experience as a geographer, specializing in human-environment interrelationships, geospatial technologies, and climate change. She combines strong knowledge management skills in natural resource management with experience in community-based mapping, spatial planning, and climate services. She is a translator of technology, assisting others in finding innovative solutions through the use of spatial tools and visualizations. She has multiple degrees in geography.

Macani Toungara is Director of Program Development at the international nonprofit TechnoServe. She leads global strategic engagement with partners such as the Gates Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.K. Department for International Development; oversees responses to major solicitations; and leads TechnoServe’s private-public partnership strategy. With expertise in supply chains, SME development and job creation, Macani has led TechnoServe to secure over $45M for programs increasing incomes for the poor and developing inclusive market systems.

Marie-Soleil Turmel is an Agronomist/Soil Scientist with 15 years of experience conducting research and extension. Marie is currently a Regional Technical Advisor in Soil Science for Catholic Relief Services. Her work integrates research and extension activities to promote soil health improving practices for smallholder farmers in the dry corridor of Central America and Mexico. She previously worked as an Associate Scientist for both CIMMYT and Bioversity International and has a Ph.D. from McGill University, Canada.

Renee leads the agriculture innovation portfolio at GKI. She has worked extensively in East Africa on challenges related to post-harvest food loss, digital extension services, and market access. Renee has a B.S. in Business Administration and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Prior to GKI, she worked as a quantitative researcher at the Institute for Health Research and Policy and as an economic development Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda.