Staff
Staff
Ana Blanco, Program Coordinator
Ana Blanco joined the Foundation in 2007 after working for Milian, Swain & Associates, a leading Miami engineering firm, in various capacities. Blanco currently handles program outreach for the Foundation, coordinating activities and meeting logistics for more than a dozen environmental organizations that are partners in the Foundation's Environmental Advisory Council. Blanco is originally from New York, but has lived most of her life in South Florida. She attended Miami-Dade Community College and Florida International University.
Stanley Boynton, Executive Vice President
A native of Naples, Fla., Stanley Boynton has extensive professional experience in the non-profit world -- including fundraising and leadership -- both in the United States and Latin America. Boynton has lived and worked in Colombia, Puerto Rico, Panama and Guatemala. In the United States, he has worked for extensive periods of time for the Navajo Tribe in Ariz., Tuskegee University and the Guadalupe Center of Immokalee in Immokalee, Fla. A life-long environmentalist, he has served on the boards of the Panama Audubon Society and the Collier County Audubon Society. He studied at Eckerd College and the New School University. He speaks English and Spanish fluently. Boynton is a resident of South Miami.
Stephen E. Davis III, Ph.D., Wetland Ecologist
Davis, a native of Ohio, graduated from Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky., with a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science. In addition, he attended Morehead State University in Morehead, Ky., and received a master’s degree in biological and environmental science. He attained his doctorate of philosophy in Miami, Fla., from Florida International University. In his role as wetland ecologist with the Foundation, Davis continues his extensive body of wetland research that dates back more than a decade -- most recently at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas -- where he served as an assistant professor then associate professor for the past eight years. Davis leads Everglades research projects on mangrove wetland biogeochemistry and carbon dynamics.
Susan B. Ervin, Vice President of Development
Susan B. Ervin is an accomplished development and external relations professional with 20 years' experience in comprehensive fundraising programs with nationally recognized health, education and arts institutions. Most recently, Ervin was the executive director of major gifts for the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. In previous professional capacities, Ervin served as the development director for several Miami organizations including the University of Miami's School of Business Administration and the Miami Art Museum. Ervin is a board member of Locust Projects in Miami and a member of the Rotary Club of Miami. She graduated from St. Mary's University San Antonio, Texas, with both a bachelor's and master's degree in English-Communications.
Kirk Fordham, Chief Executive Officer
Kirk Fordham is a veteran political operative, having worked on numerous House and Senate campaigns. He currently serves as chief executive officer of the Everglades Foundation. Previously, Fordham worked as head of Rock Creek Strategies, his own public affairs and government relations firm. For 14 years, he served as a chief of staff and senior legislative staffer on Capitol Hill for three Members of Congress. In 2004, he was the architect of the successful fundraising effort for then-HUD Secretary Mel Martinez's winning Senate campaign. A graduate of the University of Maryland-College Park, Fordham is a native of Rochester, New York, and now lives in Miami.
Richard Gibbs, Senior Director of Communications
Richard Gibbs has been a resident of South Florida for more than 25 years. Gibbs spent a large part of his adolescent years in Florida bass fishing in the Everglades. Between fishing excursions and attending school at the University of Florida in Gainesville, he found time to earn his bachelor's degree in public relations. Gibbs was a former travel journalist who then entered the field of public relations and communications, working for several public relations agencies in the Miami area. Prior to his position as senior director of communications at the Everglades Foundation, Gibbs was the public relations and public affairs manager at DHL's U.S. headquarters in Plantation, Fla., where he focused on labor communications issues, regional community affairs and publicizing corporate social responsibility efforts among others. Gibbs is a resident of Miami Beach.
Mitzi Moody, Administrative Assistant
Mitzi Moody is a longtime resident of Miami and a Florida native. Moody studied at Keiser College. It is her role to ensure the Everglades Foundation continues to function as the well-oiled machine it has come to be. She fulfills this role as the departmental office manager and miracle worker, coordinating schedules, providing support on special events and executing day-to-day administrative functions. Moody is a resident of Homestead, enjoys boating and once worked for the Florida Sportsman magazine.
G. Melodie Naja, Ph. D., Water Quality Scientist
G. Melodie Naja is the Foundation's water quality scientist. Prior to joining the Everglades Foundation, Naja—a former resident of Montreal, Canada, and graduate of University Henry Poincaré in Nancy, France--was a research officer at the National Research Council of Canada and visiting professor at McGill University in Montreal. She holds a bachelor’s degree in physical chemistry, a master’s degree in molecular and physical chemistry and her doctorate in environmental physical chemistry and chemical engineering, all from the University Henry Poincaré. Naja has conducted research as a consultant for government institutions, non-governmental organizations and the corporate sector.Naja has a penchant for delighting the Foundation staff with offerings of the Middle Eastern pistachio and honey-laden dessert known as bird nest.
Rosanna Rivero, Ph.D., Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Scientist
Rivero received her master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology at the School of Natural Resources and Environment, all from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.Her interest in natural resources planning started in South America while working in the Orinoco-Apure basin in Venezuela. She worked for the University of Florida (Geoplan Center, Urban and Regional Planning Department and the GIS lab, at the Soil and Water Department) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in Gainesville.In her role with the Foundation, Dr. Rivero focuses on geographic information systems for natural resources and environmental planning.
Tom Van Lent, Ph.D., Senior Scientist
Runner, swimmer, bike rider, aficionado of Icelandic poetry, soccer referee...Thomas Van Lent is a 21st-century Renaissance man. In addition to aforementioned pursuits, Van Lent is currently the senior scientist at the Everglades Foundation, where he works on providing scientific and technical support to non-governmental environmental organizations supported by the Foundation. His responsibilities include presenting expert analysis of hydrologic, engineering, and ecological information to assist in development of Everglades restoration alternatives and meeting Everglades restoration and protection objectives. Van Lent has a distinguished career as a scientist and engineer. He graduated from South Dakota State University before attending the University of Minnesota and Stanford University where he received master’s and doctorate’s degrees respectively. He has also worked at the South Florida Water Management District, Everglades National Park and as an assistant professor at South Dakota State University. Van Lent is a resident of the Florida Keys and received the George M. Barley Conservationist of the Year Award for his ability to convey highly technical information in understandable terms to decision-makers on Everglades restoration.
