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General Assembly

General Assembly

The Charles Darwin Foundation's General Assembly comprises scientists, government officials, members of partner institutions as well as the membrs of the Galapagos community who provide guidance and oversee the organization's strategic direction. They elect the Board of Directors, establish policies, approve the budget, and conduct annual meetings.
Individual and Institutional Governing Members are chosen for their ongoing support. Honorary Members are recognized for their contributions to Galapagos conservation. Active Members are selected based on their continued support through activities or financial contributions.
individual governing members
  • Naeem Ahmad
  • Santiago Bejarano
  • Shannon Bennet
  • Rodrigo Bustamante
  • Monica Calvopiña
  • Juan Manuel Carrión
  • Andrew Drumm
  • David Duffy
  • Bill Durham
  • Klaus Fielsch
  • Sylvia Harcourt-Carrasco
  • Macarena Iturralde
  • Michael Jackson
  • Matthew James
  • Mary Pearl
  • Gabriela Sommerfeld
  • Cecilia Lougheed
  • Cynthia Manning
  • Patricio Marquez
  • Conley McMullen 
  • Marc Patry
  • Tui de Roy
  • Paula Tagle
  • Robert Tindle
  • Alan Tye 
  • Hans Van Poelvoerde
Institutional governing members
  • Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos- Dr. Arturo Izurieta
  • Ministerio del Ambiente- Sade Fritschi
  • UNESCO-Julio Carranza
  • Galapagos Conservation Trust- Jen Jones
  • Presidencia de la República del Ecuador- Daniel Noboa
  • Consejo de Gobierno de Galápagos- Ing. Edwin Altamiro
  • Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores Ecuador- Mgs. Gabriela Sommerfeld
Individual active members
  • Oscar Aguirre
  • David Anderson
  • Laura Arcos
  • Alfredo Arévalo Tello
  • Ma. Eulalia Arízaga de Balfour
  • Carlos Andres Baca
  • Leon Baert
  • Oswaldo Báez
  • Bernardo Beate
  • Robert Bensted-Smith
  • Luis Calvopiña
  • Susana Cardenas Diaz
  • Víctor Carrión
  • Segundo Coello
  • Guy Coppois
  • Desiree Cruz Reyna
  • Eliecer Cruz
  • Sarah Darwin
  • Eugenia del Pino
  • Judy Diamond
  • Santiago Dunn
  • Joseph P. Flanagan
  • Fernando Espinoza
  • Emma Flor de Tejada
  • Herbert Frei
  • Tom Fritts
  • Dolores Gangotena de Diez
  • James Gibbs
  • Oscar Gordillo
  • Jack Stein Grove
  • Elena Gualancañay Pacheco
  • Patricia Guerra
  • Gaston Guex
  • Minard (Pete) Hall
  • Burr Heneman
  • Freddy Herrera
  • Paquita Hoeck
  • Juan Holguin
  • Marinus S. Hoogmoed
  • Pablo Iturralde
  • Carlyn Iverson
  • Lukas Keller
  • Friedemann Köster
  • Bernard Landry
  • Octavio Latorre
  • Ivan Kruger Loor
  • Maria Lopez
  • Soledad Luna Zárate
  • Inés Manzano
  • Katzumi Matsuoka
  • Patricia Parker
  • Duncan Porter
  • Günther Reck
  • Mark A. Richards
  • Raymond F. Rifenburg
  • José Rodriguez Rojas
  • Juan Schiess
  • Susana Schiess
  • Heidi Snell
  • Howard Snell
  • Jennifer Stone
  • Luis Suarez
  • Fritz Trillmich
  • Edmund Truell
  • Carlos Valle
  • Hernan Vargas
  • Sigrid Vasconez
  • José L. Villa
  • Pádraig Whelan
  • Martin Wikelski
Institutional active members
  • Instituto Geografico Militar - Jaime Navarrete
  • SENESCYT- Ana Changuín
  • Asamblea Sistema de Educación Superior Ecuador- Dr. Hernán Rojas
  • Institut de recherche pour le développement- Oliver Dangles
  • Instituto Oceánografico de la Armada (INOCAR)- CPNV-EMT Andrés Pazmiño
  • Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales / INABIO- Ing. Diego Inclán
  • Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería-Ing. Agr. Danilo Palacios
  • Smithsonian Institution- Dr. Scott Miller
  • World Conservation Union (IUCN)- Dr. Gabriel Quijandría
  • Ministerio de Turismo -Niels Olsen
  • Consejo de Educación Superior- Dr. Pablo Beltrán 
  • Frankfurt Zoological Society - Dr. Christof Schenck
  • Metropolitan Touring- Roque Sevilla 
  • WWF Intl Headquarters- Lauren Spurrier
  • Vicepresidencia de Ecuador- María Verónica Abad
Honorary members
  • Rodrigo Borja Cevallos
  • Ken Collins
  • Dennis Geist
  • Peter Grant
  • Rosemary Grant
  • Henri The Grand Duke of Luxembourg
  • Lynn Fowler
  • Ole Hamman
  • Cleveland Hickman Jr.
  • Oswaldo Hurtado Larrea
  • Peter Kramer
  • Katherine Coolidge Lastavica
  • Sven-Olof Lindblad
  • Craig MacFarland
  • Tjitte de Vries

Management team

The management team of the Charles Darwin Foundation is made up of Ecuadorian and international experts in their field. Together they are responsible for setting and implementing the strategy of the CDF in order to deliver on its mission.
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Board of Directors

CDF's Board of Directors provides crucial guidance for the organization's strategic direction and ensures its long-term success, overseeing the financial, accounting, and compliance practices that underpin these endeavors.
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