Working with people to protect nature
Alejandra Monge has a Bachelors degree in tourism and a Masters in Business Administration with a Specialty in Marketing from the University of Costa Rica. She has participated in numerous training courses such as The Organization for Tropical Studies course of ecological principles for sustainable development in Latin America.
Alejandra has been the executive director of the Corcovado Foundation since 2001. Under her lead, the organization has grown from managing $20,000 USD in projects to over $3,000,000 USD in projects.
With thirteen years of experience in sustainable tourism and eight years in conservation, Alejandra was responsible for writing the text book of sustainable tourism for the National Apprenticeship Institute in Costa Rica. She has organized massive workshops on the topic and was the creator of Expo Verde a very successful trade show for environmentally friendly products to encourage sustainable tourism in Costa Rica.
Francisco Delgado is a young Costa Rican that joined our organization in October 2006. He is a spirited young man with great enthusiasm and a mind full of ideas. He studied English as a second language and is currently studying Business Administration. He has been responsible of supporting the executive director with events organization and fundraising projects. Because of his great performance, he is now leading some projects on his own such as the volunteer project, the wine dinner events and the EXPO VERDE show.
Ana Margarita has been working for our organization since September 2005. She is a young woman who has shown great skills in keeping the office running. She is an accounting student who takes great pleasure in knowing that she is making a difference in protection the natural resources of the Osa Peninsula.
Daniela started working for the Foundation in 2009. She is responsible for coordinating the Environmental Education and Cultural Center in Drake Bay. This center was opened in 2006 and its purpose is to give children and adults an area where they can connect with the foundation, talk about their needs and learn about the conservation efforts in Osa Peninsula. She represents the organization on community activities and supports their local efforts. She also brings environmental education lessons to local schools.
President: Steven Lill Coit
Secretary: Michael Kalmbach
Treasurer: Bradd Johnson
Legislative Government Representative: Abraham Jimenez
Executive Government Representative: Miguel Madrigal Hernández
Steven Lill Coit is an American citizen, native of Chicago, who has lived in Costa Rica for 30 years. He created the Corcovado Foundation many years ago in memory of his friend Lon Willing Ramsey Junior, who was an environmentalist. He owns a hotel, called Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge, which is an upscale hotel in the Osa Peninsula and has implemented environmentally friendly policies to diminish their impact on their surroundings.
Michael Kalmbach is also an American citizen, who has lived in Costa Rica for many years. He owns a hotel, called la Paloma Lodge, in the Drake Bay area. He has been involved in community activities for many years in Drake Bay.
Bradd Johnson is an American citizen native of Rhode Island, who has lived has Costa Rica since 1980. He came to Costa Rica when he purchased the hotel, Aguila de Osa, and successfully run it since then. He is has been known for his involvement in community activities, specially supporting the local heath clinic and the school.
These three men were very alarmed when the Osa Peninsula’s rainforest was being destroyed by loggers. Tons and tons of wood were being removed every day. The local communities and Businesses involed in tourism wanted to protect the magnificent beauty of this area and needed to do something. Bradd and Mike joined Corcovado Foundation’s efforts to protect the environment and two park guards and more importantly a forestry engineer were hired by the foundation. The number of logging permits that were going to be granted was almost immediately cut from 123 to only 16. The presence of a forestry engineer in the area has guaranteed close scrutiny of all permits authorized since then and has kept the number to a bare minimum.
Don Miguel Madrigal is the Ministry of Environment (MINAE)’s Protected Areas Manager for the Osa Conservation Area. He has worked with MINAE for 25 years and his career as a functionary protecting the country’s environment, is well known.
Abraham Jimenez works for the municipality of Osa and is a honorable and well known and respected member of the community.
