Gabriella Bianco is the Director of Development and International Relations and Dean of the Department of Government and Public Policies at Multiversidad University “Edgar Morin” in Mexico. Her extensive academic background includes a “Laurea” in Education, Philosophy & Psychology, a Master of Arts in Philosophy, History & Education, a PhD in Political Sciences & Philosophy, a Post-graduate Degree in Linguistics & Comparative Literatures, and two Diplomas as Translator & Interpreter. She has over thirty years of professional work experience, including a previous position with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Cultural Relations as the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute and Cultural Attachee in Sydney, Australia, Nairobi, Kenya, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Vancouver, Canada. She has been a University Lecturer at the University of Urbino (Italy), University of New Paltz (USA), University of Windsor (Canada), University of Tasmania (Australia) and the University of Nairobi (Kenya). Gabriella speaks 9 languages and despite all her degrees and experience is still a girl at heart.

Priscilla Hurtado Hernández is a biologist, graduated at the University of Costa Rica in 1995 and in 2001 at the UNED, where she studied Management and Natural Resources Protection. In December of 2006, she defended her research about Evaluation of indicators of Rainforest Alliance in Best Management Practices of Tourism, as part of the requirements to obtain a master degree in Program and Project Evaluation, of the University of Costa Rica.

She is in charge of the Training Unit at the National Institute of Biodiversity since 1999 where she works designing courses based on different topics related to biodiversity, such as the course Guía Naturalista General, Fungi, Plant Taxonomy, Birds, Bioinformatics and others. She has been instructor in practical courses for The Institute for Ecological Field Studies, sharing her knowledge with students from the University of WI- Eau Claire y High school of Chicago. Recently, Priscilla also works with community-based tourism hotels, helping them to operate according to the National Institute of Tourism of Costa Rica policies. Also she practices the program evaluation.

Brendan Havenar-Daughton was born and raised in Oakland California, where he received a public school education from the Health Academy at Oakland Technical High School. Brendan went on to study at the University of California at Santa Cruz, graduating with a BA in Environmental Studies. While attending UCSC he took advantage of every travel opportunity he could find. Sophomore year Brendan traveled to Patagonia, Chile to assist in conservation biology research. He tracked and recorded data on the endangered Huemul deer. Junior year he became highly involved in issues of global social and economic justice and worked with the Community Agroecology Network (CAN) to assist communities throughout Central America.

Brendan was an intern for CAN in Santa Cruz, CA as well as Coto Brus, Costa Rica. He worked with small-scale coffee farmers to help them directly market their coffee beans to consumers in North America. While the price of coffee continued to decline, he witnessed the social, economic, and environmental collapse of the community. This experience inspired Brendan to start a non-profit (Finca Project) that is “dedicated to the recuperation of human and ecological communities in southern Costa Rica, through small-scale reforestation and interactive community education.” This organization has built a reforestation nursery with a capacity of 100,000 tree seedlings, which will be distributed to the community, free of charge. Brendan has been working for Finca Project as a Director for two years in the community of Agua Buena, Costa Rica, where he now lives.

April Jervis is the Regional Director, with Centers for Financial Education, a U.S. nonprofit organization. She began her interest and career in this field at age 14. She was the youngest and only female executive to serve as Regional Director for the Centres for Financial Education. She also lead another not-for-profit organization, Anthony Wayne Services. She works with refugee issues as a volunteer worker in London and is currently assisting Chicago Public Schools as the Operating Officer of a new charter school venture. She earned her Masters of Business Administration from Loyola University. April has also served on many not-for-profit board of directors, including most recently the Bioh Children's Village Fundraiser last week in Chicago. As a side note, April also has a jewelry line currently featured by four retailers. Nationality: U.S.A.

Sydney Moyo is the founder and executive director for Neighbours Global Connections, a non profit organizations which is designed to promote peacemaking, conflict resolution and mediation in Switzerland and among the nations. Prior to this he worked as part of the international leadership team for the Faculty of Humanities and International Studies, of the University of the Nations for 12 years. He was the responsible leader and lecturer for the Humanities and Science Course, Intercultural Studies Course and Government and International Studies of the University of the Nations. He holds a BA degree in Intercultural Studies with the University of the Nations and an MA in Organizational Leadership with Azusa Pacific University. He has worked as the representative leader of the University of the Nations for UN in Geneva. Sydney has lived in many different cultures and nations of the world. He loves travelling and enjoys learning new languages. He is Swiss by nationality, but original from Zimbabwe. He is married to Ruth ( Swiss) and they have two wonderful children, Samuel 5 and Malana 3.

Amy Moe-Hoffman received her Bachelor's Degree in Geology from Gustavus Adolphus College and her MS degree in Museum Studies, focusing in Paleontology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Upon the completion of her Master's Degree, Amy spent two years as the Collections Manager at the Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca New York . While there she was able to take full advantage of her generalist nature, working on everything from fund raising to exhibits construction, in addition to her duties as the Collections Manager. Beginning in 2003, Amy began a two year appointment as the Invertebrate Collections Manager at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. Amy is currently unemployed and living in San Bosco, Costa Rica with her husband David, a professor at the University for Peace. In her spare time she is painting, swimming and working on creating a children's activity book about the animals of Costa Rica.

Mario Piedra is Director of the Permanent Education Program (PEP) at EARTH University. This is a unique combination of entrepreneurial, continuing education and outreach activities fostering the “exchange” between EARTH and communities at large (scientific, governmental, rural surroundings, etc) under a profit making and financially viable structure. Under his supervision lies the Center for Entrepreneurial Formation, the Strategic Training Unit, the Community Development Program and the Educational Tourism and Operations units

He has been on strategic managerial positions and lecturing at regional international institutions committed to sustainable development, such as CATIE, CIAT and EARTH University. Currently, he is focusing on the environmental and socio-economic issues associated with sustainable rural development in Latin America, particularly on the role of international educational/research institutions to enhance the socio-economic entrepreneurship an impact of its graduates, research and outreach projects. But his true passions though, are the pure breed Costa Rican Paso Fino Horses.

Mario got a BS from the University of Costa Rica in Animal Production Systems (1988); then, he obtained a M.S. in Agricultural Economics (1994), M.S. in Economics (1996); and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics (1998) from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

Dr. Keilor Rojas is a Forestry Engineer from the Technological Institute of Costa Rica. He has a Master’s degree in Biology with a specialty in ecophysiology of tropical plants from the University of Costa Rica. He also obtained a Doctor degree in natural sciences from the University of Marburg, Germany, with a specialty in genetics and microbial ecology.

He has worked as research fellow for the University of Costa Rica and Harvard University in projects related with the study of natural ecosystems, in particular the Tropical Dry Forest. He also worked for the University of Marburg in the area of molecular biology of nitrogen fixing bacteria. He did some bioinformatics and microbial ecology studies at the Center for Genomic Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Since 2005, he has been involved with the Bioprospecting Unit of the National Biodiversity Institute in Costa Rica, working as a research fellow in several projects. Currently, he participates in the planning and writing of grant proposals related with biotechnology issues.