Staff

Monti Aguirre, Latin America Program Coordinator
Ms. Aguirre works as part of International Rivers’ Latin America program to support local movements for the protection of rivers; to identify new dam projects in Latin America and to examine their economic, social, and environmental impacts; and to design strategies to counteract their effects. She has worked for more than a decade in support of Amazon indigenous peoples’ rights and is co-producer of Amazonia: Voices From the Rainforest, a film on the fight of grassroots groups in the Amazon to defend their lives and their land. She has also been a tireless supporter of the people affected by Chixoy Dam in Guatemala. Prior to joining International Rivers in 1998, Ms. Aguirre worked with the Environmental Action Coalition and El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice in New York City. Ms. Aguirre has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree from New York University in Environmental Education and Conservation.

Peter Bosshard, Policy Director
Mr. Bosshard leads International Rivers’ efforts to strengthen the social and environmental standards of governments, financial institutions, and the dam industry. He has promoted policy change and corporate social responsibility since the early 1990s, was closely involved with the World Commission on Dams, and has coordinated campaigns to stop destructive projects in many countries. Mr. Bosshard leads our effort to strengthen social and environmental standards, and supervises our Policy, Climate, China and South Asia programs. Mr. Bosshard studied at the universities of Zurich, Minnesota, and the West Indies, and holds a Ph.D. from Zurich University. Before joining International Rivers in 2002, he was the coordinator of the Berne Declaration, a Swiss advocacy organization. Mr. Bosshard has authored numerous reports and articles in books, academic journals and the popular press, blogs for International Rivers and Huffington Post, and tweets @PeterBosshard. His favorite river is the Albula in the Swiss Alps.

Elizabeth Brink, Technology Director/River Revival & Day of Action for Rivers Coordinator
Ms. Brink oversees the Web and IT departments at International Rivers. She also coordinates the annual March 14 International Day of Action for Rivers, as well as River Revival, our river restoration and dam decommissioning project. Ms. Brink began working with International Rivers in 1998 as an intern helping to organize our Dam Decommissioning Strategy Workshop, and joined International Rivers’ staff in 1999. In 2010, she enjoyed helping organize Rivers for Life 3: The Third International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and Their Allies. Ms. Brink has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Environmental Science from California State University, Chico, and a Master’s degree in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Sandy Cappelli, Bookkeeper/Office Manager
Ms. Cappelli was born in the Philippines and grew up in the Bay Area. She has 20 years of accounting experience and has always had a strong ethic of stewardship for the environment. Academically, she has presented on topics such as climate change, and the adverse effects Alaskan oil drilling has on indigenous communities and caribou migration. She graduated with Honors in 2001 from Contra Costa College and made the Deans List at CSU East Bay in 2009. She enjoys hiking, gardening and being outdoors among nature but her joy in life is her family.

Pianporn Deetes, Thailand Campaign Coordinator
Based in Bangkok, Ms. Deetes' work focuses on protecting the Mekong River from dams proposed for its mainstream, and in particular on Thailand's role as dam developer and the main intended market for the hydroelectricity. Before joining International Rivers in 2010, Ms. Deetes spent seven years as coordinator of the Thai NGO Living River Siam (SEARIN), working to empower communities living alongside the Mekong and Salween rivers to protect their rivers, rights and livelihoods, and to stop destructive dams. Ms. Deetes has a Bachelor's degree in English and is an Ashoka Fellow.

Ian Elwood, Web Producer
Mr. Elwood works on all aspects of the website. He coordinates with staff and site users to ensure an accurate and engaging presentation of International Rivers' work in various media. Mr. Elwood previously worked on technology projects for CorpWatch, Media Alliance, Spot.Us and other nonprofits, creating and managing tools used for social change. Mr. Elwood earned a Bachelor's degree in Arts & Social Change and a Master's degree in Media Studies from New College of California.

Inanna Hazel, Director of Finance and Operations
Ms. Hazel oversees International Rivers’s finance, human resources, and office management activities, and serves as a member of International Rivers’s management team. Before joining International Rivers in 2002, she worked at a variety of for-profit and nonprofit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including serving as the office administrator at the San Francisco office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. She is trained as an herbalist, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Theological Studies.

Kirk Herbertson, Mekong Campaigner
Mr. Herbertson works for International Rivers' Southeast Asia program to support the people and ecosystems of the mainstream Mekong River. Prior to joining International Rivers, he worked for five years at the World Resources Institute, an environmental policy organization in Washington, DC. As a human rights lawyer, he has promoted stronger respect for the rights of local communities affected by the investments of international financial institutions, multinational companies, and Chinese state-owned enterprises. This has included helping to lead civil society efforts that resulted in the adoption of a free, prior, informed consent policy for indigenous peoples, as well as stronger consideration of international human rights at the International Finance Corporation. Mr. Herbertson received his law degree and Master of Arts in international politics from American University, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College.

Nichola Hungerford, Lao Campaigner
Ms. Hungerford joined International Rivers in 2011. She monitors hydropower developments in Laos, with a particular focus on tributaries of the Mekong River. Ms. Hungerford has extensive experience as an environmental activist, starting with involvement in the successful Franklin River Blockade in Tasmania, Australia when she was 19 years old. For over 20 years Ms. Hungerford has worked with various environment groups in her native Australia, including the Queensland Conservation Council and the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre. Ms. Hungerford got her taste for working in Southeast Asia when she was the Australian representative on the Asia Pacific Alliance for Population and Environment and decided to build on her international experience. She worked for nearly four years as the Communication Officer with the World Organization for Animal Health in Bangkok, working in eight countries in Southeast Asia. Most recently, Ms. Hungerford worked for two years with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Timor-Leste as their Communication Officer. She is very excited to be working with International Rivers as the Lao Campaigner and feels privileged to be working in such a special area of the Mekong River Basin.

Zachary Hurwitz, Policy Program Coordinator
Mr. Hurwitz coordinates International Rivers' efforts to strengthen international benchmarks on sustainability in the water and energy sectors, and works to improve the social and environmental standards of multilateral development banks, with a focus on emerging markets. As a geographer, Mr. Hurwitz has focused on the outcomes of river basin development and climate policy in Brazil. Before joining International Rivers in 2011, he worked with Rapoport Center for Human Rights to investigate rights violations in the planning and construction of the Texas-Mexico border wall, and has worked and consulted for a number of environmental and human rights organizations in the United States and Latin America. Mr. Hurwitz holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from Wesleyan University, and a Master's degree in Geography and the Environment from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Aviva Imhof, Campaigns Director
Ms. Imhof has been at International Rivers since 1998. She manages International Rivers' Latin America, Southeast Asia, Africa and sub-grant programs, and is actively involved in campaigns to stop dams in Ethiopia, the Amazon and Southeast Asia. She works with regional and international program partners in investigating hydropower projects in Ethiopia, Southeast Asia and Latin America, disseminating information, and providing technical, legal and campaign assistance. She was the lead organizer of Rivers for Life 2: The Second International Meeting of Dam–Affected People and their Allies, which brought together 300 people from 62 countries in Rasi Salai, Thailand in 2003. She co-wrote Dams, Rivers and Rights: An Action Guide for Communities Affected by Dams and a Citizen's Guide to the World Commission on Dams, coordinated the report, Power Struggle: The Impacts of Hydro-Development in Laos, and has written extensively on the movement to stop destructive river development projects in Southeast Asia. She has a Bachelor's degree in Law and a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from the University of New South Wales, Australia. The river of her heart is the Mekong.

Chuck Johnson, IT Administrator
Mr. Johnson provides technical support and system administration to the Berkeley office and to our campaign staff in the field. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2007, he worked for several years on the IT staff at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research in Chapel Hill. Also a composer and musician, Mr. Johnson has composed soundtracks for several award-winning documentary films and performs regularly in the Bay Area and across the U.S. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Psychology from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Electronic Music and Intermedia Art from Mills College.

Berklee Lowrey-Evans, Patagonia Campaign and Social Media Coordinator
Ms. Lowrey-Evans leads International Rivers' involvement in the campaign to stop dams in Chilean Patagonia, and provides support for our work in the Amazon and Mesoamerica. She also coordinates International Rivers' online engagement efforts, including online advocacy and and social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. Ms. Lowrey-Evans was one of the lead organizers of Rivers for Life 3: The Third International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and Their Allies. Ms. Lowrey-Evans joined the International Rivers team in 2008 after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Studies. In her free time, you will find her practicing and performing with a local Salsa dance team, or knitting something interesting for friends and family.

Grace Mang, China Program Director
Ms. Mang manages International Rivers' China Program. She leads efforts to strengthen the environmental and social standards of China's overseas dam builders and their global environmental footprint. Before joining International Rivers in 2010, she worked as an environment and water Policy Adviser in the Australian Prime Minister's Department on major environmental reform issues such as river basin management of the Murray-Darling basin, national environment protection laws and biodiversity protection strategies. Ms. Mang is a lawyer by training and specializes in environment and water law. She graduated from the University of Sydney with Bachelors' degrees in Economics and Law.  

Samir Mehta, South Asia Program Director
Based in Mumbai, Mr. Mehta works with regional partners to campaign against the construction of destructive dams in the Himalayas. He supports social movements and provides advocacy support to South Asian communities and NGOs. Mr. Mehta was appointed by the Bombay High Court on a Committee to assess the impacts of development on the tidal movement of a coastal river in Mumbai. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2010, Mr. Mehta worked with Bombay Environmental Action Group for over 17 years. He worked on environmental and town and regional planning legislation and developed an expertise on declaration and planning of ecologically sensitive areas. He was on several Federal and State appointed Committees. After obtaining his Bachelor's Degree in Statistics from the University of Bombay, India, he started his career in IT. Exposure to environmental activism in the west influenced his decision to change careers. He also has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University.

Brent Millikan, Amazon Program Director
Based in Brasilia, Mr. Millikan supports movements of dam-affected peoples and their allies to successfully resist destructive dams, while promoting alternative policies in energy planning and river basin management that contribute to sustainable livelihoods and environmental conservation in the Amazonian countries, especially Brazil and Peru. He has lived and worked for many years as a researcher, activist and consultant in the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on the impacts of large infrastructure projects, particularly highways and hydroelectric dams. Mr. Millikan has a long history of engagement in the western Amazonian state of Rondônia, where he actively participated in grassroots and international campaigns around the World Bank-financed POLONOROESTE and PLANAFLORO projects. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2010, Mr. Millikan collaborated extensively in Brazil with academic institutions, social movements, the Ministry of the Environment and NGOs such as Amigos da Terra – Amazônia Brasileira. He received a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Latin American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master's degree in Geography at the University of California, Berkeley.

Lori Pottinger, Communications and Africa Program
Since joining International Rivers in 1995, Ms. Pottinger has been the editor of our quarterly publication, World Rivers Review. She also was a co-producer on the video A River Runs Through Us, and on our Google Earth video, Wrong Climate for Damming Rivers. She is executive editor for our Dams, Rivers and People reports. She is also a lead campaigner for our Africa program, working to raise international awareness about the problems with large dams in Africa and alternatives to them. Key campaigns include the Nile River and the proposed Mphanda Nkuwa Dam in Mozambique. She was the primary editor for “A Renewable Energy Plan for Mozambique,” a groundbreaking analysis of that nation’s potential for green energy.  She also solicited research on the relationship of dam operations in Uganda and dropping water levels at Lake Victoria, and helped publicize the results. Ms. Pottinger has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from San Francisco State University, and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. After so many years with the organization, she still finds it challenging and satisfying; she is especially excited about better solutions for meeting energy and water needs, and the prospects for energy efficiency. She regularly blogs for Huffington Post and International Rivers.

Jason Rainey, Executive Director
Before joining International Rivers in 2011, Mr. Rainey served as Executive Director of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) in northern California from 2005-2011, where he built a grassroots movement to restore a healthy Yuba River, championed the decommissioning of two federal dams, protected wild salmon runs, improved water quality and habitats, and fought new dams. Under his leadership, SYRCL expanded its award-winning River Monitoring Program involving hundreds of volunteer "citizen scientists" in community-based watershed assessment, planning and restoration projects. During his tenure, SYRCL's Wild & Scenic Film Festival developed into one of the largest and most successful environmental film events in North America, building a network of over 100 affiliated organizations throughout the country. As a Program Director of the Marin Conservation Corps from 1999-2005, he led a range of innovate collaborative projects focusing on creek rehabilitation, solid-waste recycling and wildlife monitoring through a youth job-training program. He has served as a steering committee member of the California Hydropower Reform Coalition, a founding member of the Calling Back the Salmon Committee, and a board member for SalmonAid. He has also worked as an educator, researcher and organizer for human rights and environmental initiatives throughout the world, including Russia, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, and Thailand. He has a Master's degree from New College of California's program in Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Communities; studied at the School for Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington; and earned his Bachelor's degree in History & Government with an emphasis on International Economic Development from Claremont McKenna College in California. Read his full bio.

Kate Ross, Campaigns and Development Assistant
Ms. Ross provides campaigns and development support across International Rivers' programs. She first joined International Rivers in 2010 as a full-time intern helping coordinate Rivers for Life 3: The Third International Meeting of Dam-Affected People and Their Allies, where she was thrown directly into the middle of the powerful and inspiring movement of activists and organizations working to protect free flowing rivers and the rights of millions who depend on them. After this incredible experience, Ms. Ross went on to become our 2011 International Day of Action for Rivers coordinator, and officially joined our staff shortly after that. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a minor in Global Poverty and Practice.

Elizabeth Sabel, Foundations Director
Ms. Sabel oversees International Rivers' grant proposals and reports. She supports our mission by raising money for our programs and increasing awareness of our issues. She helps develop International Rivers' fundraising strategy and researches new sources of support. She also serves on International Rivers' management team and has coordinated our strategic planning process and staff retreats. She is motivated by the dedication of her colleagues and the communities around the globe who are working to protect their rights, land and livelihoods. Before joining International Rivers in 2003, she applied her research, editing and writing skills in her work for other non-profit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Sabel has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Arizona.

Rudo Angela Sanyanga, Africa Program Director
Ms. Sanyanga joined International Rivers in 2011. She provides advocacy and analytical support to African communities and NGOs working to protect themselves from the destructive impacts of large dams. She monitors proposed dams, helps communities affected by dams to seek reparations, and advocates for decentralized renewable energy options as alternatives to big dams. In her career spanning over twenty-five years, Ms. Sanyanga has conducted aquatic ecology research, university teaching and environmental consulting. She has conducted a major portion of her work on Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River Basin, based at the Lake Kariba Fisheries Research Institute, and later at the University of Zimbabwe Lake Kariba Research Station. She was one of the consultants for the EIAs for the Batoka Gorge Dam Project in 1997-98 and in 2010-11 consulted for the Dam Synchronisation and Flood Releases Project for the Zambezi Basin. As a lecturer she has taught principles of aquatic ecology, environmental sciences, water resource management and EIA methodology. She holds a Ph.D. in Aquatic Systems Ecology from Stockholm University, a Master's of Science in Applied Hydrobiology from the University of Wales, Cardiff and a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Biochemistry from the University of Zimbabwe.

Ame Trandem, Southeast Asia Program Director
Ms. Trandem leads our efforts to stop destructive dams on the Mekong River and its tributaries. She is responsible for supervising members of the Southeast Asia campaigns team, providing strategic direction to the program, developing and managing the program budget and fundraising for the program. Before joining International Rivers in 2010, she spent five years living and working in Cambodia on issues related to hydropower development and community rights first as an advisor to the 3S Rivers Protection Network and then the NGO Forum on Cambodia. Through her work with dam-affected communities and the Rivers Coalition in Cambodia, Ms. Trandem provided support to local activists and assisted national campaign work that focused on seeking remedy for communities impacted by hydropower dams on the Sesan and Srepok rivers in northeastern Cambodia and advocating for improved energy planning processes. In addition, Ms. Trandem has previous work experience with democracy assistance and labor rights organizations in the Netherlands, Honduras, Ecuador and the US. Ms. Trandem holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College and a Master's degree in the Politics of Alternative Development from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands.

Katy Yan, China Program Coordinator and Intern & Volunteer Coordinator
Ms. Yan coordinates International Rivers' efforts to protect China 's transboundary rivers and strengthen the capacity of Chinese activists. She also manages the Intern and Volunteer Program, provides advocacy and analytical support to groups fighting destructive carbon-financed dams, and supports International Rivers' education and outreach efforts. She is publisher of World Rivers Bulletin, International Rivers' Chinese language newsletter, and author of Protecting Rivers and Rights: The World Commission on Dams Recommendations in Action. Prior to joining International Rivers in 2008 as an intern in the China Program, she was a Head Program and Teaching Assistant at Stanford's Earth Systems Program. Ms. Yan received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Earth Systems from Stanford University. In her spare time, she enjoys Chinese Brush Painting and Calligraphy, rock climbing, and hiking trips to the coast or the mountains.

Songqiao Yao, China Program Assistant
Ms. Yao supports our China Program's work to monitor China's global environmental footprint and strengthen the capacity of Chinese civil society. She provides assistance in a variety of programmatic activities, including research, capacity building, translation and Chinese social media outreach. A native Chinese from the estuary of the Yellow River, she has worked with Chinese women's organizations and environmental activists. During her exchange year in Bonn, Germany, she worked with the NGO Germanwatch to coordinate the China-EU Civil Society Forum. She is the youngest advisor in the Asia Oceania region at the Global Fund for Women and is actively involved with Chinese youth climate advocacy efforts. She received a Bachelor's degree in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College. She joined International Rivers in 2011.

Read about how our interns and volunteers are helping us to grow and strengthen the movement for rivers and rights.