WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME AND EXPERTISE TO SERVE ON THE RAINFOREST TRUST BOARD?
BT | When I initially joined the council and then the board, I was most interested in the organization’ s impact metrics. They are very clear-cut: How many critically important acres and highly threatened species can we protect? Rainforest Trust had big, impressive numbers. I thought,“ Okay, this organization is really getting things done. I want to help it get even more done.”
Everything in the organization is designed to achieve these metrics, from conservation to fundraising to operations. Everybody is rowing in the same direction. Since becoming board chair, I’ ve been able to dive deep into the details, like finances, strategies, and workplans. The more I do, the more impressed I am. Every action is thoughtful and well-developed. The people behind each action are really, really good at what they do, and they really care about our mission.
WHAT STANDS OUT FROM YOUR FIRST YEAR AS BOARD CHAIR?
BT | I’ ve been diving into budgets, understanding how expenses are accounted for and how money is allocated. Rainforest Trust is exceptionally honest. They balance the responsibility of making sure donors’ money is thoughtfully spent with the responsibility of helping partners succeed in protecting threatened land and the species that depend on it.
Our grantees are doing amazing work to protect their countries’ forests. Often they are working closely with, or are even from, communities that are really suffering. Different groups are trying to take their land for mining, logging, industrial agriculture, or energy projects. They are suffering from climate change impacts without the types of insurance and government aid we take for granted after big floods, fires, and storms. They depend on the rainforest’ s natural systems for food, water, medicine, and worship— for everything. They are doing the difficult and dangerous work of protecting the planet and we are fortunate to be able to help them do that work.
I get to talk to a lot of our partners— many of whom I’ ve known for years, long before joining the board. It makes me happy that they see Rainforest Trust as a smart, rigorous, and kind funder that understands the challenges they face.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEAR?
BT | Rainforest Trust is an efficient and effective conservation machine, but there are always iterative tweaks you can make to the mechanism. We’ re thinking about details like the global distribution of mammals, or how to identify and protect threatened plant species.
We are building new partnerships in Panama and Suriname that move beyond single-project funding toward more“ wholesale” support, committing to a number of projects that connect landscapes at a larger scale. That takes a larger investment to get going, and once it does, the return on investment and our impact per dollar will be much greater.
But the main thing is to raise more money so that we can protect more species and more acres.
WHAT WILL YOU CARRY FORWARD FROM YOUR PREDECESSOR, ERIC VEACH?
BT | Eric was a phenomenal board chair, and he is still a resource for me. I feel a responsibility to work really hard to approach the kind of impact he had. We have very different professional backgrounds and skill sets, but I often ask myself,“ What would Eric do?” when approaching a particular challenge.
Eric continues to inspire me, as do our current board members. Like me, all of our board members deeply believe in Rainforest Trust. They really care. I want to inspire them and provide opportunities, not only to achieve our metrics, but to support our staff and partners as they continue their incredible work.
Rainforest Trust 2025 Annual Report 19