Welcome to New Board Member, Evelyn Arce Erickson
We congratulate and welcome Evelyn Arce Erickson to the International Rivers Board as a member at-large. Evelyn is a descendant of the Muisca people of Colombia and brings unique talents, expertise and perspectives to our work to protect rivers and the rights of those who are their frontline defenders, as well as extensive board experience. One of the first voices for Indigenous-led philanthropy, Evelyn is founder and CEO of Indigenous Resiliency Consulting with the mission to build Native-led capacity and serve as strategic advisor to both donors and Indigenous communities. She is former Vice President for Native Conservancy and led the international NGO International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) for 15 years. Under Evelyn’s leadership, IFIP brought hundreds of millions of dollars directly to Indigenous communities. Evelyn is a Goldman Environmental Prize nominator and a Donella Meadows Leadership Fellow.
Farewell to Outgoing Members
We are grateful to our board members who cycled off in 2023 who contributed so much of their time, energy, and passion to International Rivers. Board service is the toughest volunteer role, and we are immensely grateful to the dedication and unfailing commitment of these members who went above and beyond to steward the organization to its current strong and resilient position
Deborah Moore joined the Board in 2006, although her relationship with International Rivers started even earlier–stuffing envelopes if her story is to be believed! Deborah brought expertise from her long-term work that helped win protection for many rivers, defeat plans for mega-dams and misguided water development projects, and promote investments in sustainable, community-based safe drinking water and irrigation programs globally. She served as a commissioner on the World Commission on Dams. On the board, she worked tirelessly as chair and co-chair, including as immediate past co-chair with Gary Cook. Deborah helped guide the organization through several transitions and brought a broad perspective on campaign strategy, nonprofit structure, governance, finance, and change management. We appreciate her formidable leadership and her sense of collaboration and community over almost two decades.
Leslie Leslie joined the Board in 2009. As chair of the development committee and with four decades of nonprofit experience, she had an amazing ability to connect friends to International Rivers. Leslie also served as treasurer and secretary on the executive committee. She provided invaluable guidance for International Rivers’ fundraising strategy and expertly guided our sustainability and growth over fifteen years of leadership.
Paddy McCully joined the Board in 2016 after serving as Campaigns Director and the Executive Director of International Rivers from 1993 to 2011. He has provided consistent and thoughtful guidance from the perspective of a campaigner, energy transition expert, and nonprofit leader, and we are grateful for his insight, ideas, dedication and advocacy
Gary Cook joined the board in 2011. As Co-chair with Deborah Moore, he helped guide International Rivers with his perspective as an energy analyst and nonprofit executive director to deliver and properly resource our mission. We are appreciative of his faith in our organization and grateful for his leadership.
Scott Spann provided invaluable fiscal oversight on the finance committee and shared his expertise in organizational strategy to lead International Rivers through a strategic plan review. He joined the Board in 2012, and we are grateful for his dedication to ensure the growth and impact of our mission.
Carlo Scapinelli served on the Board for three years as treasurer. Joining in 2020, he provided finance expertise and helped strengthen the organization’s accounting methods, always with an eye towards transparency and accountability.
We are truly grateful to these outgoing members who have volunteered their time to guide International Rivers, dedicating significant time and energy to help chart our path and grow International Rivers as a sustainable and community-oriented organization.