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OUR STAFF
Our program would not be possible without the contributions of thousands of community leaders world-wide

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (volunteer)

Dr. John R. Moore Chairman, retired professor, University of Maryland Mr. Peter Falk, Biochemist, MD Mr. David E. Deppner, President, Wheaton, MD Mr. Oscar V. Gruspe, Financial Consultant, Riverdale, MD Mrs. Mahlu Herman, Nurse, Crofton, MD Mr. Bedru Sultan, Advisor on Africa, Alexandria, VA Ms. Grace G. Deppner, Recording Secretary (non-voting)

ADVISORY COUNCIL (volunteer)

Mr. Franz N. Stuppard, Advisor on Haiti Dr. Mizani Kristos, West African Development Dr. James Brewbaker, University of Hawaii Mr. William Campbell, Seasoned Energy Mr. Steve McCrea, Global Climate Change, FL Dr. Malcolm Novins, George Mason University Dr. Pascal Woldemariam, Greener Ethiopia Dr. Noel Vietmeyer, The Vetiver Institute Mr. Sean Griffin, Forestry & GIS Specialist Mr. Mark Dafforn, National Academy of Science, Wash. DC Mr. Tebabu Assefa, Advisor on Ethiopia Mr. John Leary, Advisor on Senegal Mr. John Kyle, Advisor on Business Management

Headquarters (Silver Spring)

	Dave and Grace Deppner, Founders, Executive Director For more than 30 years, Dave Deppner and his wife, Grace, have worked to develop a program that empowers local communities to restore tree cover and life to lands degraded by deforestation. In 1988, they started TREES FOR THE FUTURE to reach more communities in need. Since that time, TREES has helped more than 6,500 villages in Asia, Africa, and the Americas to develop environmentally beneficial projects.

	Gorav Seth, International Programs Manager Gorav developed a keen interest in agroecology, agroforestry, and permaculture while studying Plant Biology at UC Berkeley. He took this interest out into the world, working on projects in the USA, Honduras, India, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas. In 2004, he completed his MBA in International Business from the George Washington University. At TREES, he is coordinating our programs in India, working on monitoring and evaluation systems, and maintaining the IT systems at our office.

	Ethan Budiansky, West Africa and Haiti Ethan is working on our West African Program, along with Haiti and other french speaking countries. As an Agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal for 2 and a half years, he worked on community based natural resource management. He has a dual masters degree in Natural Resource Management / Sustainable Development and International Affairs from American University and the University for Peace in Costa Rica.

	Francis Deppner, Business Partnership Coordinator Francis Deppner has joined Trees for the Future to develop and manage our business partnerships. Francis is the son of TREES founder Dave Deppner, and has been around the organization since its inception in 1988. He is currently majoring in International Business at the University of Maryland, College Park.

	Jeff Follett, Latin America and the Caribbean Jeff Follett served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Suriname, and will coordinate our new South America/Caribbean Program. He will also be coordinating our distance agroforestry training program. Presently he is contacting local groups in Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, and Bolivia, while also assisting the expansion of the Central America program.

	Joshua Bogart, Honduras Josh completed his 3rd year with the Peace Corps Honduras on Dec 31, 2007, and started working for TREES the next day. In the Peace Corps, he has been working on protected areas management, and has start- ed reforestation, diversification of production, and bio- gas projects. He is completing his masters in Forest Entomology from the State University of New York, and he has a bachelors in Biology (honors) with a minor in Environmental Studies.

	Tebabu Assefa, East Africa A long term volunteer on our Ethiopian project, Tebau has joined TREES to assist on East African Project Development and to help manage our promotional campaigns. He studied communications at the University of Minnesota, and has extensive experience in marketing and promotional strategy development and management.

	Brandy Lellou, Communications and Fundraising Brandy, a civil engineer, originally from Colorado, joined TREES as a volunteer in June 2006. From 1999 to 2001 she served as a Health and Water Sanitation Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania, West Africa. Following her service, she worked as the Facilities Maintenance Officer for the American Embassy in Nouakchott for two years. In 2003 she formed a local NGO (Nature's Voice – Our Choice) in Mauritania to develop waste water treatment systems using aquatic plants and constructed wetlands. This pilot project was successful and now she plans to implement it on a larger scale in conjunction with developing tree nurseries in Mauritania.

	Maryann Malou , Member Services Maryann comes to us with a wealth of experience, and is helping us work to better communicate with our members. She will most likeley be the first person you speak with when you call us at the office!

	John Leary, Consultant -, West Africa Drawing from experience as an agroforestry trainer and volunteer for the Peace Corps in Senegal, as well as from ecotourism and conservation projects in East Africa, John supports our work with his technical knowledge on agroforestry systems, project design and management, sustainable agriculture and income generating activities. John worked full time for TREES for nearly 4 years, and is now managing our programs in Senegal and Mali as a consultant.

	Corrie Mauldin, Consultant - East Africa Corrie worked for TREES in 2006, and is still helping with our programs in Eastern and Central Africa. After returning from a position as an agroforestry volunteer in Cameroon with the Peace Corps in 2000, Corrie worked in natural resource management on the West Coast. In 2003, she moved to Massachusetts to study sustainable agriculture and organic farming systems at Clark University. Shortly after getting her masters degree in environmental science and policy she and her husband moved to DC.

	Babacar 'Baka' Ndao, Volunteer Baka (left) is helping to expand our projects in Africa. Originally from Senegal, West Africa, he is specfiically interested in training local cooperatives in processing, marketing, and exporting of non-timber agroforestry products.

International Field Staff and Volunteers

	Gabriel Mondragon, Program Coordinator, Southeast Asia (R) Originally from Palawan, Gabriel has a background as an agronomy engineer, as well as having served as Director of SASFI and having spent three years in the uplands of Zambales studying indigenous peoples. He is currently working with several municipal and community organizations to expand TREES' projects in the region, including establishment of a firebreak in the hills of Zamabales.

	Bedru Sultan, Regional Program, Coordinator, East Africa With a solid background in economic development and emergency planning and administration, and with experience working in Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, Mr. Sultan leads the East Africa Program and the Energy Department, focusing particularly on his homeland, Ethiopia

	Jorge Betancourt, Honduras Jorge Betancourt (left), standing here with Dave, is an extemely knowledgable technician and program manager in Honduras. He has worked with Peace Corps and other groups in natural resource management throughout the country. Jorge is now assisting Trees for the Future's efforts in the Lake Yojoa watershed and northern Honduras.

	Adam Norikane and Anne Toomey After serving in Peace Corps Senegal as an agroforestry extension agent, Adam worked to give on-site training to communities in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Honduras. He is now going to Zambia on a fellowship. Anne Toomey has volunteered for Trees for the Future since the fall of 2005. Anne is now working with community development projects in rural Nicaragua.

	Omar Ndao , Senegal Omar has been a farmer and tree planter in Senegal for 20 years. Inspired by his father who taught him the value of a tree, Omar followed his father's footsteps and continues to help people throughout Kaffrine, Senegal to reforest degraded lands and implement agroforestry technologies in crop fields. Since beginning with Trees for the Future, Omar has helped plant nearly a half million trees.

	Abdou Diane , Senegal Abdou is now helping Omar further develop our Agroforestry training site, and will be an active part of our Senegal program for many years to come.

	Subramanian Periswamy, India Subramanian's organization, the Rural Development and Afforestation Society, is one of TREES' oldest partners in India. Subramanian is leading tree planting efforts in and around the community of Tiruvannamalai, and is also helping distribute treeseed to other local NGOs.

	Sagapala Gangisetty, India Mr Gangisetty is an schoolteacher, and is also the founder and director of The Green Tree Foundation. He has been working with farmers and villagers in the drought-stricken state of Andhra Pradesh for over eight years, trying to promote a "Green Tree Rich Society" in this state that is experiencing catastrophic droughts and an epidemic of farmer suicides.

	Mohamed Traore, Mali Representative A graduate from the University of Bamako, Mohamed now works for the Malian Association for the Conservation of Fauna and the Environment. As an agroecolgist, Mohamed coordinated Trees for the Future's seed distribution and agroforestry trainings in Mali, and he delivers integrated pest management and market gardening training to rural communities.

	Max Antoine, Haiti Max is one of a number of technicians in Haiti helping to reforest the country's degraded lands. Through the Border Development Project he leads, we are reforesting massive expanses of land in southeast Haiti.

	Grace Ghamogha Birnsai, Cameroon Grace first contacted us early in 1990. She was then administrative assistant to the director of Peace Corps in Yaounde. Since then Grace has helped us plant over 4 million trees in northwest Cameroon (none of which were the eucalyptus that are causing so many problems today). Grace is now studying to finish her masters debegree at Grambling University.

	Terri Kempton, Volunteer Now working for Sustainable Conservation Partnership for the Prevention of Invasive Plant Introductions through Horticulture in San Francisco, Terri volunteers for Trees for the Future at conferences and trade shows.

	Sylvie Leary, Volunteer Originally from Senegal, West Africa, Sylvie volunteers for Trees for the Future at publics shows and events, helping to sign up new members and inform the public about how Trees for the Future is addressing major environmental issues. In this picture, Sylvie is seen with Johnny Apple Seed at the Arbor Day Celebration in Maryland.



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	Trees for the Future \| P.O. Box 7027 \| Silver Spring, MD 20907 \| 1.800.643.0001 or 1.301.565.0630 \| LINK PARTNERS