The Charles Darwin Foundation is an international institution with roots firmly planted in Ecuadorian soil. We provide opportunities for local residents, while also promoting the international collaboration and knowledge-sharing that is so valuable for research and conservation efforts. Our staff is 76% Ecuadorian, taking into account that 54% are from Galápagos. Find out more about us below.
General Assembly
Meet the Foundation's governing body.
Board of Directors
Learn more about the people responsible for guidance of the Foundation.
Strategic Staff
Rakan A. Zahawi
Executive Director
Rakan A. “(Zak”) Zahawi starts his new role as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Charles Darwin Foundation on March 1, 2021....
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Birgit Fessl
Coordinator of the Galapagos Land Bird Conservation Plan
Birgit has been studying land birds on the Galapagos Islands for just over 20 years and has extensive experience in bird ecology, bird monitoring and...
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Charlotte Causton
Project Coordinator of Invasive Invertebrates
Charlotte has worked with the CDRS in different projects since 1997, including terrestrial invertebrate research programs.
She has extensive...
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Edgardo Civallero
Library, Archives & Museum Coordinator
Edgardo Civallero has a degree in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Córdoba (Argentina). With previous training in Marine...
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Ernesto Bustamante
Liaison Coordinator at Isabela Island
Ernesto is an Environmental Engineer from Peru with a Master’s degree in Environmental Management in Australia.
He arrived at the CDRS at the...
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Francesca Cunninghame
Mangrove Finch Project leader
Francesca was born and raised in New Zealand. She has been actively involved in bird conservation and research most of her life, joining the Ornithological...
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Galo Del Hierro
Human Resources Coordinator
With more than 10 years of professional experience in Human Resources, Galo Del Hierro has worked in various organisations including Engineering in Business...
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Gustavo Jiménez-Uzcátegui
DVM, Wildlife Veterinarian and Researcher on Sea Birds
Gustavo is a Wildlife Veterinarian and Researcher at CDRS since 2001.
He works in different projects covering various topics of ecology and health...
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Heinke Jäger
Restoration Ecologist
Heinke started working at CDRS in 1998, first on the introduced quinine tree (Cinchona pubescens) and then on rare and endangered plant...
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Inti Keith
Principal Investigator Marine Invasive Species Project
Inti has worked with the CDRS in different marine projects since 2010, including shark tagging, sea turtle monitoring and ecological monitoring before...
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Isabel Grijalva
Communications Coordinator
Maria Isabel has a degree in Interactivity and Multimedia with a specialization in Communication Design from San Francisco University of Quito - Ecuador,...
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Johanna Carrión
Executive Coordinator and Interinstitutional Affairs
Johanna is a permanent resident of Galapagos. She arrived at the CDRS in 2013 and before that she was a fellow of the institution.
Her work focuses...
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Jorge Ramírez
Fisheries Project Coordinator
Jorge was born in Mexico and since 2010 has lived in Galapagos. He is a Marine Biologist with a Master’s degree in Marine and Coastal Science &...
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Julio Delgado
Operations Coordinator
My name is Julio Delgado from San Cristobal Island. I came to CDF in March 1999 as a volunteer in the marine biology area, BIOMAR, in the Fisheries...
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Macarena Parra Díaz
Marine Turtles Researcher
Macarena worked first at CDRS as a field volunteer on sea turtle monitoring in 2006 and as assistant in the same project in 2007.
She later joined...
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María José Barragán
Science Director
María José Obtained a PhD in Geography (Human Geography) at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada. Her undergraduate...
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Marta Romoleroux
Responsible for the Volunteers, Fellows, Visiting Scientists and Collaborators Program
Marta is a permanent resident of Galapagos and joined the CDRS in 2016.
Since then, she has provided volunteers, fellows, visiting scientists and...
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Patricia Jaramillo Díaz
Senior Researcher of the Galapagos Verde 2050 Ecological Restoration Program - Botany
Patricia is an Ecuadorian researcher who came to Galapagos in 1996 to work on her PhD thesis about the “human impact on native, endemic and introduced...
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Pelayo Salinas de León
Marine Research Coordinator
Pelayo has led the research projects in fisheries and sharks of the CDRS since August 2012.
Prior to working in Galapagos, he completed his PhD in...
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Phil van Haarlem
Chief Financial Officer
Phil van Haarlem was born in Leiden, the Netherlands and holds a degree in Dutch Law from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam....
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Renee Monroe
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Renee Monroe joined the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) as Chief Philanthropy Officer in May 2018. She first visited and became passionate about the...
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Stefan Loosveld
Institutional Promotion Coordinator
Stefan arrived at the CDRS in July 2016. He worked for 15 years as a Hotel Manager on board Cruises Ships in the Galapagos Islands.
As an Economist,...
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