Board of Directors

Melina was founding director of the Amazon Alliance for Indigenous Peoples and Their Environment in WDC, a coalition of 80 organizations – including International Rivers. Recently she was a program officer at the Goldman Environmental Prize. She has consulted with dozens of organizations in the areas of strategic program development and indigenous rights. She has a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University and teaches Latin American politics. Widely published, Melina is the author of Ethnopolitics in Ecuador: Indigenous Rights and the Strengthening of Democracy. Board member since 2019. 

Chance Cutrano is the Director of Programs at the Marin-based Resource Renewal Institute (RRI). Chance’s work centers around large landscape conservation—from the preservation of wildlife in National Parks to the restoration of biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems. Most recently, Chance has been developing Fish in the Fields, a regenerative aquaculture program, reintroducing native fish to rice fields in the United States. Prior to his time at RRI, Chance researched food, water, and energy policy in Vietnam, Morocco, and Bolivia. For his various environmental pursuits, Chance has been honored with the Sierra Club California’s 2018 Emerging Leader award and Acterra’s 2021 Champion of Promise award in food sustainability. In addition to his work at RRI, Chance serves as Vice-Chair of the Sierra Club’s San Francisco Bay Chapter and holds elected office on the Town Council in Fairfax, California. Chance received a Bachelors in Political Science and Philosophy from Saint Xavier University and a Masters of Public Administration in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. Board member since 2021.

Sharon Khan is a senior director and multilingual economist with over 20 years of global experience in water resource protection. She is currently the Recruiting Director at Waterkeeper Alliance, responsible for expanding its global network of grassroots leaders protecting everyone’s right to clean water. Sharon has lived and worked around the world. In Switzerland, she consulted with the United Nations Environment Programme, authoring publications on the costs and benefits of environmental protection and spearheading global leaders into action. In India, Sharon lived under U.S. diplomatic status and worked with high-level officials in the energy sector. She was born in Guyana, grew up in Canada, and currently lives in New York with two sons off to college. When she can, Sharon loves to spend her time in pristine waters around the world. Board member since 2021.

Evelyn Arce-Erickson, a descendant of the Muisca people of Colombia, is a dedicated champion of Indigenous self-determination and Indigenous-led philanthropy. As the founder of Indigenous Resilience Consulting (IRC), Evelyn works to build Native-led capacity and serves as a strategic advisor to both donors and Indigenous communities. As co-founder and Executive Director of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) for over 15 years, Evelyn led the organization’s evolution into a self-standing not-for-profit entity. IFIP remains the sole global donor affinity group exclusively dedicated to Indigenous peoples, pioneering the first organized effort to direct hundreds of millions directly into Indigenous communities. Evenly currently serves on the Board for Biomimicry Institute, Fortunate Farms, Earth Code, and Love Wild Horses. Additionally, Evelyn founded Coastside Friendship Organic Garden (c-FOG), fostering healthy soils, food, and community on the San Mateo coast. With Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Cornell University, she is a Goldman Environmental Prize nominator and a Donella Meadows Leadership Fellow. She enjoys exploring Mendocino trails and beaches with her three children and husband. Board member since 2023.