About the CI-GEF Project Agency

Orissa Samaroo

Vice President, GEF Agency

Originally from Georgetown, Guyana, Orissa joined Conservation International in April 2011. Before joining Conservation International, she worked at the Global Environment Facility on the Operations and Business Strategy Team and the World Bank in the Water and Sanitation Program. She has a Masters in International Development with a concentration in Environmental Management from George Washington University.

Languages: English

Free de Koning

Vice President, Project Development and Impact

Free returns to Conservation International after two and a half years at the World Resources Institute in DC, where he directed the Natural Resource Governance Practice. Before WRI, he was at Conservation International for 8 years — based in Ecuador — first as director of the Conservation Strategies Unit of the Center for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC)-Andes and later as technical director of Conservation International’s Ecuador program. He has also worked for the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the University of Göttingen, and Wageningen University and Research.

Free’s experience is in conservation incentive programs, ecosystem services, climate change, protected area management, land use planning and natural resource governance. He holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences and a Ph.D. in land use change modeling from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Free is Dutch and likes to explore nature on his bike or hiking.

Languages: Dutch, English, Spanish

Susana Escudero

Senior Director, Grants Management, GEF Project Agency and GCF Implementing Agency

Susana joined Conservation International in 2012 and serves as the Director of Grants Management for the CI-GEF Agency. She focuses on financial management and operations of the CI-GEF portfolio of projects and manages the relationship with the GEF Trustee. Previously, Susana served as the Senior Manager of Multilateral Relations, managing Conservation International’s portfolio of GEF projects through Multilaterals. Susana has also worked for the Inter-American Development Bank as a consultant and Cargill. Susana holds a Master of Public Administration with a focus on non-profit management from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Tulane University. Susana is a native of Brazil and has spent her adult life in the U.S.

Languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish

Daniela Carrión

Senior Director, Project Design and Oversight

Daniela is from Ecuador and has experience in forests and land use, climate change, and sustainable development in Latin America. She started her career working as a government official at the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador. Before joining Conservation International, she worked as regional technical advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean for the UN-REDD Program at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). She holds a bachelor degree in Economics, an M.Sc. in International Relations, and an M.Sc. in Environment and Development from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Languages: Spanish (native), English (fluent)

Ian Kissoon

Senior Director, Environmental and Social Framework

Ian hails from the South American country of Guyana and joined the CI-GEF team in February 2015. He holds two masters degrees from the University of Cape Town, South Africa; an MSc Degree in Conservation Biology and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA). Prior to joining the Agency, Ian worked at the UNDP’s Office in Guyana where he served as the country’s National Coordinator for the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP). He also worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Guyana where he led the work of the Protected Areas Unit, and this included the development of the national protected areas legislation and co-management plans for the Kanuku Mountains and Shell Beach Protected Areas. He developed a passion for ensuring the design and implementation of good conservation projects from having seen the positive impacts such projects can have on the lives of people in communities.

Languages: English

Charity Nalyanya

Director, Project Management and Technical Oversight Africa

Charity is from Kenya and has experience in climate change adaptation, climate change policy development, climate finance, sustainable environmental resource management, community and rural development and gender mainstreaming. She has in-depth understanding of the development of Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Green Climate Fund (GCF) projects. She has also participated in the formulation of national and regional climate change legislative frameworks, and the management and implementation of climate change projects in various anglophone and francophone countries in Africa. For instance, she was the assistant lead author of Kenya’s National GCF Strategy (2018) and Kenya’s GCF Handbook (2018). Further, she was one of the key developers of the Toolkit for Integrating Climate Information and Services into Legislation in Africa (2016) — an initiative funded by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

Prior to joining Conservation International, Charity was a Consultant and Business Development Manager at Climate and Energy Advisory Ltd previously known as CAMCO Advisory Services Kenya Ltd. She holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies and Community Development from Kenyatta University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies (Community Development) (Hons) also from Kenyatta University.

Languages: English, Swahili

Shannon Wiecks

Grants Manager

Originally from Minneapolis, Shannon joined CI in 2017 and currently serves as the Grants Manager for the CI-GEF Project Agency. Prior to joining Conservation International, Shannon worked in finance at an advertising agency in downtown Minneapolis. Her passion for the environment and international development stems from her study abroad travels and interest in nature. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Languages: English

Prapti Bhandary

Senior Manager, Project Support and Delivery

Languages: English, Nepali

Elizabeth Mast

Senior Grants Manager

Before joining CI, Elizabeth lived in Austin, Texas. For 5 years, she worked as a grants manager for the non-profit Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which provides support and funding to the local CASA programs in Texas, which advocate on behalf of children in the foster system.   

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Her studies focused on sustainable development and she did her internship with a solar energy start-up for which she co-authored a peer-reviewed case study on the market barriers the company faced.

Languages: English, French 

Rocky Marcelino

Senior Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation

Rocky (Aki) is from Bataan, Philippines, and has decade-long experience as a statistician and data analyst. His focus on the development sector includes using statistical methodology to monitor and evaluate program and project impacts using data analytics. He served as M&E specialist and resource person to key Philippine national government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. In the international development sector, he worked with numerous international organizations such as the Fundacion CODESPA, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, UNICEF, UNDP, and the Asian Development Bank. Aki obtained his Bachelor's and Master of Science degrees in Statistics from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He developed his passion for development work when he joined as a volunteer at the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, a volunteer organization at his university.

Languages: English, Filipino 

Juliana Rios

Manager, Environmental and Social Management Framework

Juliana joined CI in April 2022. She has experience on gender, inclusion, and social safeguarding issues. She has worked in the past seven years in development projects and programs, making sure that the voices of women and those from disadvantaged groups feature high in project design, decision making and implementation. She has worked for government institutions, local NGOs, and international cooperation for development assistance. Throughout her career, she has contributed to advance rights for women, young people, people with disabilities, LGBTIQ, and children. Before joining the CI-GEF Agency as Manager, Environmental and Social Management Framework, Juliana was a Social Development Adviser for the UK’s FCDO in Colombia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and has an MSc in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Juliana is from Colombia and has spent most of her life living in Bogotá, with some short periods of time in other places around the world.

Languages: Spanish, English

Olivia Reed

Manager, Knowledge Management and Communications

Originally from Pennsylvania, Olivia joined Conservation International in 2021. Her professional background lies in legal studies and communication strategy. Prior to joining CI, she obtained a Master's degree in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development from SOAS University of London and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Temple University. Her studies and thesis work centered around cocoa-related deforestation and ethical consumption. Olivia has a passion for conservation, working towards corporate social responsibility, and environmental justice.  

Languages: English

Laureen Cheruiyot

Manager, GEF Project Support, Africa

Laureen joined the CI-GEF Project Agency in 2023. She has over 5 years of experience in climate change, Natural Resource Management, renewable energy, grants management, and consulting. Before joining CI, Laureen was the Portfolio Manager for the UK PACT Programme in Kenya - a Programme supporting governments to meet their climate change ambitions. Additionally, Laureen has participated in the development of National and Regional climate change legislative frameworks and delivered climate change and Renewable Energy projects across Africa. She was the Team Leader in developing the Financing strategy for Kenya’s Nationally Determined Contributions; and the evaluation of the Green Economy Implementation Plan (GESIP), among others. 

Laureen is finalizing her Master's in Sustainable Energy Transitions at Strathmore University, Kenya, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography from Egerton University, Kenya.  She is also a certified Project Manager from the Project Management Institute. 

Languages: English, Swahili, and French (Intermediate)

Yaisa Bejarano

Manager, GEF Project Support

Yaisa is from Colombia and has previously worked as an advisor for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. During her time at the Ministry of Environment, she worked with the GEF portfolio in Colombia and has experience in the formulation and monitoring of projects focusing on biodiversity, climate change and land degradation topics. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá with a minor in International Cooperation. 

Languages: English and Spanish

Lina Florez

Grants Manager

Lina Maria Florez Ramirez is an Environmental Engineer with a Master's degree in Territory Governance and Public Management from Javeriana University in Bogota. She has experience working on sustainable development projects at UNDP Colombia and managing grants, where she has developed and implemented policies, plans, programs, and strategies to advance environmental sustainability at the territorial level. She also has experience in the private sector and academia as a university professor. She is passionate about building sustainable communities through an inclusive and equitable sustainable development approach, which has allowed her to establish effective relationships with a wide range of actors.

Languages: English and Spanish

Kevin Martinson

Manager, Operations and Administration

Kevin was raised in Aiken, South Carolina, and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from the University of South Carolina Aiken. Kevin is a dual citizen of Costa Rica and the United States and lived in Costa Rica as a hostel administrator in Manuel Antonio. The experience broadened his cultural horizons and instilled a deep appreciation for nature, wildlife protection, and environmental sustainability. Upon returning to the United States, he moved to Washington, DC, where he worked as the Director of Operations for Little Leaf, a local business known for its robust community engagement.  He is an avid houseplant hobbyist with a keen interest in arid and epiphytic plants. When traveling, he loves to visit botanic gardens, nature reserves, and national or state parks.

Languages: English and Spanish

Pearl Caroline Valeros

Senior Coordinator, GEF Project Delivery and M&E Support

Pearl, a graduate in Agricultural Engineering with a master's in Environment and Natural Resources Management, has carved out a career at the Department of Agriculture, focusing on the National Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (NCI-SRD) program. In this capacity, she enhances the capabilities of regional counterparts with a specific focus on developing Convergence Area Development Plans.

As the Technical Liaison Officer at the USAID Protect Wildlife Project and Executive Assistant at CI Philippines, she excels in project coordination, demonstrating a passion for sustainable development that extends beyond her professional commitments. In these roles, she showcased her expertise in coordinating with partners, ensuring the smooth operation of projects. Additionally, she serves as the Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines Chapter Coordinator and Club REDD Coordinator, underscoring her commitment to environmental causes on a national scale.

Languages: English and Filipino