Our Team

As a native Floridian, Virginia Foster grew up in a suburban agricultural community adjacent to the Everglades, where she developed a strong passion for conservation and the intersection of agriculture and the rural people managing those resources. Today, Virginia Foster is the Director of 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, Virginia has demonstrated leadership in overseeing complex projects, managing and developing programs and staff, and stakeholder engagement. As such, Virginia has played a role in developing and implementing several Rainforest Alliance initiatives, including Forest Allies, Thriving Landscapes, and LandScale. Virginia‘s work extends to serving on the boards of the Rainforest Alliance’s subsidiaries, serving as the RA coalition representative for the Accountability Framework Initiative, and serving on 1000L steering committee.

With a Master’s in Natural Resource Management from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor’s in International Affairs from The George Washington University, Virginia is happy to spend her career focusing on advancing sustainable solutions centering communities. In her free time, Virginia loves reading, writing, birdwatching, participating in local advocacy initiatives, and spending time with her family.

Dr. Jason Funk is Senior Director for Forest Strategy at Conservation International and has worked for over 15 years at the intersection of land use and climate change. His role blends research, science-based advocacy, and policy implementation to incentivize land management activities that can help slow climate change, improve rural development, and shape more sustainable landscapes. He works with a global network of land-use experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to develop solutions, especially to finance the protection and sustainable management of forests. Dr. Funk earned his Ph.D. in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at Stanford University, and he holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Environmental Science from the Ohio State University. He lives near Chicago, Illinois, with his spouse and two children.

Costa Rican Agronomist, M.Sc. in Management of Natural Tropical Forests. Working in research, technical assistance, postgraduate education, and capacity building in rural development, as well as management, governance, and restoration of forest landscapes in Latin America. Researcher at CATIE’s Climate Action Unit, Coordinator of the Master’s Degree program in Management and Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biodiversity, Chair of Latin America Model Forest Network Board, member of several committees on forest management and restoration in Latin America.

Dr. Blake Ratner is Executive Director, Collaborating for Resilience—a cross-regional, non-profit initiative working to address environmental resource competition and strengthen governance and livelihood resilience in interconnected resource domains and landscapes. He also serves on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility, advising on integrated approaches to achieve global environmental benefits and enhance environmental security. Blake is a former Director General of WorldFish, part of CGIAR, the global partnership for a food secure future. An environmental sociologist, his research addresses social equity, ethics, resource conflict, and dialogue in environmental governance. A passionate advocate of applied research to support development innovation, Blake has led programs in South and Southeast Asia, Central America, and East Africa to strengthen capacity for multi-stakeholder dialogue and collaborative action.

Bhushan holds a degree in Industrial Electronics and Computer Engineering. With nearly thirty years of experience in technology and global operations management within prominent Fortune 50 companies, he’s a seasoned senior professional in IT and Operations. In 2000, Bhushan led immigration policy reform on Capitol Hill as Vice President and board member of the Immigrants Support Network. Heading congressional communications, he helped reform and pass hi-tech immigration policy, aiding millions of hi-tech workers.

Bhushan has also been a passionate wildlife enthusiast and photographer. In 2008, he embarked on a remarkable journey across Africa, crossing 26 borders to capture the beauty of wildlife through his lens. This adventure ignited his dedication to conservation and biodiversity. As a result, he has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for Project Tiger since. Interests in hiking and mountaineering, lead to a parallel study of mountain ecosystems, providing formal inputs toward Mountain Protection to state governments, and helping systemically define the ecosystem of The Great Outdoors.

Drawing from his diverse experiences, he started the GALLOP Initiative in 2020, marking the start of a decade dedicated to Ecosystem Restoration. Bhushan recognizes that a solid foundation is necessary for large-scale policy success. Collaborating with EcoAg and other prestigious institutions like Columbia & Cornell Universities, UNDP, the World Bank, and European governments, Bhushan published the report, Public Policy to Support Landscape and Seascape Partnerships: Meeting Sustainable Development Goals through Collaborative Territorial Action, and brief.

GALLOP Initiative is working towards developing a Landscape Policy Lab.

Nelson Njihia Muiru is a qualified and ambitious Development Officer, with over 10 years of professional experience in coordinating, leading and supporting project teams. Nelson has

been through the typical growth path of a rural bled Kenyan. Good project management and report writing skills, ensuring the communication of complex messages to a diverse audience, form part of his skills, both by training and by experience. Broad knowledge of international development issues and special interest in community-based projects with a capacity building and livelihood focus. Expertise in stakeholder engagement and biodiversity conservation also forms part of what he is good in. Currently, Nelson is leading a team of experienced staff at KENVO, proudly promoting the Landscape approach model within the Kijabe-Lari Landscape.

Dr Daniel Zimmer has an agricultural engineering and hydrology background and is leading the Sustainable Land Use activities at Climate-KIC. In this position, he developed a portfolio of activities aiming to accelerate the systemic transformation of land use and food supply chains in response to climate change in both mitigation and adaptation areas. He is also one of the architects of the European Carbon Farming Summits. He is co-leading the Finance Design Team of the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion people initiative and the Finance Working Group of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG). He has been before the Chief Executive of the World Water Council where he developed a global experience on water-related issues spanning from research & engineering to finance and geopolitics. In this position he connected science, policy and water experts in multistakeholder processes aiming to address the current water crisis and implemented high level panels and political processes. He has also managed research teams in the water sector and developed expertise on the environmental impacts of land and water use.

Dr. Kirsten Dunlop is Chief Executive Officer at Climate KIC, Europe’s leading public-private partnership and community focused on climate innovation. Climate KIC has over 16 years of expertise in driving systemic change across 70 countries globally with an approach that goes beyond traditional solutions, addressing climate challenges holistically with a focus on long-term transformation. Kirsten brings to her role a deep conviction in our capacity to learn and evolve into a climate-resilient society, and her over 35 years of experience catalyzing systemic transformations in a career spanning academia, consulting, banking, and the insurance industry, across three continents. Kirsten serves on various Advisory Boards including the EAT Advisory Board, Daughters for Earth, Advisory Board of the GAR (Global Risk Assessment Framework) UNDRR, Global Citizens’ Assembly Advisory Group and the High-level External Advisory Panel for the OECD Horizontal Project on Climate and Economic Resilience. She is a member of the Club of Rome, of Women Transforming Global Security, an Advisor to the Systemic Investing Initiative and a Director of Responsible.us. A specialist in experiential learning and cross-disciplinary practice, she holds a Ph.D. in Cultural History from the University of East Anglia and a BA Hons in Art History from the University of Sydney.