Press 2
The story of Al Baydha: How RRC’s founding CEO got into the work of reversing desertification and regenerative agricultures.
Paola’s expertise is innovation projects in the industry applying her knowledge in integrated agricultural microbiology and Agri-food microbiology. Dr. Paola is a professor and researcher at the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR). She conducts R&D in functional feeds for aquaculture species using innovative microbial strategies. In addition, Dra. Paola works on marine microbiological products that improve productivity and prevent co-infectious diseases in hyperintensive aquaculture systems.
Howard is responsible for web, social media, print, and video communications. He has more than 40 years’ experience in advertising, marketing and public relations, and was Communications Director for public broadcasting stations in Southern Arizona. He then served as Public Information Officer for the City of Tucson. Howard has extensive knowledge of sea-water based agriculture through his work with the Seawater Foundation and Seawater Works, where he was both Communications Director and Project Manager. Mr. Weiss is a Senior Fellow of the School of Management and Strategic Studies.
Christian is a member of the Board of Directors, and oversees international business development. He started his career in the Swiss Ministry of Economy, where he achieved the rank of diplomat. Subsequently, he has consulted with companies and governments to find innovative ways of furthering their economic development goals. Since 2012, he has focused his expertise on positioning cities on the world’s innovation map. Christian speaks seven languages and has lived in the Tijuana / San Diego area for 25 years.
Doug is director of licensing for the company, responsible for brand name and audience development, and sales of licenses and sponsorships. He has more than 40 years’ experience licensing intellectual properties for world renowned artists, designers and inventors. His career Media Associates, before moving to Walt Disney Productions’ Character Merchandising Division where he created licensing programs for electronics, children’s apparel and toys. Mr. Isaacson served as an appointee of the Rockland County New York Executive and Legislator for more than 20 years as an advocate for people with disabilities.
Tahera is a change management specialist, with expertise in strategic advisory services and delivering large, complex transformation in dynamic environments. Areas of influence span strategy, management, operations, and technology. She is an experienced leader and has been a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies in the Financial Services, High Tech, Pharma, and Management sectors. Tahera’s primary focus is regenerative design and development for community food systems. She has practiced in the Americas and India. She has a Bachelor’s in Computing and Communications Systems Engineering from Manchester, UK.
Antonia Buenrostro is a lawyer with 10 years of experience working for Bancomer, Mexico’s largest bank, where she ascended to the post of Director of Debt Collection in Tijuana, BC. Antonia has demonstrated great leadership qualities in managing teams and getting them to perform above average. She is of high character and the ideal person to lead RRC Mexico’s administrative team
Géneva is a young scientist who graduated as a Nanotechnology Engineer focused on the development of biopolymers using the residues of agricultural systems. During her studies she developed patent worthy techniques to create plastics from opuntia. She has done internships at University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute and in the Physics Department of the Benemérita Universidad de Puebla (BUAP) in Mexico. Geneva also went to the University of Leoben, in Austria to grow her knowledge in polymer processing and recycling. She is now a valued member of the RRC team as a researcher looking at new applications for the outputs of regenerative seawater systems.
Felipe Gonzalez is a marine biologist who oversees the operations of the projects in Mexico. He is the former Director for Economic Development for the city of La Paz, Mexico and he served as the Delegate for Baja California South for the National Commission of Arid Zones for 10 years. Felipe was responsible for major environmental works throughout the state and has extensive experience working within various local, state and federal regulators.
David Borbón oversees the mangrove planting, reproduction and maintenance in the projects in Mexico. He is a community leader in the Laguna San Ignacio, México and has coordinated the plantation of over 200,000 mangroves in various areas of the Laguna, mostly around Isla El Delgadito, Baja California South. His experience covers recovery and reforestation of mangroves as well as community management and surveillance of the natural resources in the area. David is also the founder of an oyster farm in Laguna San Ignacio and has developed his own sustainable techniques to grow and prepare them for shipping.
Monica oversees the daily operations of our Atorkor mangrove seedling nursery in Ghana. She ensures that the right conditions are met to facilitate seedling survival, health, and growth. She has a background in agriculture and worked for the Ghana Forestry Commission in the Volta region, where she worked as a nursery assistant responsible for raising seedlings of a variety of tree crops, including mangrove species.
Rosemary oversees the daily operations of our Fiaxor mangrove seedling nursery in Ghana. She ensures that the right conditions are met to facilitate seedling survival, health, and growth. Rosemary acts as a liaison for the community in which the nursery is located, and mobilises women for our mangrove planting initiatives. Her past experience involved restoring sites degraded as a result of Gold mining in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
Bright oversees the company’s mangrove re- and afforestation efforts in Ghana. He supports and manages mangrove seed collection, nursing processes, and planting initiatives and ensures that company targets in this area are met. Utilising his deep local knowledge, he is building a network of “guardians of the forest”, groups of locals informed about, and dedicated to, conserving mangrove forests as a part of community culture. To this end, he runs educational programmes and workshops, through which community members are engaging in the mangrove re- and afforestation efforts. He is the director of the Keta Ramsar Center, a Ghanian NGO whose mandate is to protect sea turtles and conserve mangrove ecosystems in coastal Ghana, as well as assist in the conservation of the wider Keta Ramsar area, and he has years of experience in these areas.
Neal brings over a decade of experience in project development and management, with particular expertise in regenerative economic development, restoration of degraded landscapes, and hyperarid agroforestries. He was cofounder & director of the Al Baydha Project in Makah, Saudi Arabia, where his work won a Makkah Governorate prize for innovation in sustainable development. He is also a winner of the Rising Star award for the World Bank Global Disruptive Tech Challenge, an MIT Solve Finalist, and an alumni of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Ned was the principal designer and director for the world’s first commercially successful integrated seawater agriculture system in Eritrea. He is a certified architect and landscape architect, and has decades of experience in designing & advising large-scale environmental and agricultural projects.
Raphael leads the organisation’s implementation, management, and day-to-day project operations in Ghana, and ensures that goals and milestones are accomplished. With over a decade in project development and management, Raphael brings onboard extensive experience in commercial aquaculture production and management, as well as integrated agro-aquaculture systems development. As a specialist in multidisciplinary agro-aquaculture systems, he oversees the development of our aquaculture and agriculture infrastructure and manages these systems. Raphael holds a Master of Aquaculture degree from Ghent University in Belgium, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management.
Yanik brings years of experience in international development, having developed and worked on projects in West Africa, Bangladesh, Scotland, and Vietnam. Yanik founded Seawater Solutions, built and operated the UK’s first seawater farm, brought crops to market, established a network of commercial, industrial and academic partners, and has been recognised through a host of awards and grants.
Chris draws on his experience from his years’ work in the contaminated land and waste industry in Scotland to provide nature-based solutions which are both effective and environmentally sustainable. Chris’s background is in civil and environmental engineering, with a focus of using plants to remediate contaminated urban brownfield sites, and has used these principles to deliver our environmental objectives in Africa. Bringing his experience from Malawi and Namibia in particular, he will assist in the establishment and management of our new Ghana sites.
Nicholas has a background in marine biology and has worked on aquaculture and development projects from Sierra Leone to Vietnam. Nicholas has managed shrimp farms in Vietnam and is now constructing trial sites to demonstrate the potential for integrating saline agriculture with aquaculture. His experience and language skills allow him to connect with farmers and promote saline agriculture in the region. Nick will assist in the installation and management of our integrated aquaculture facilities in Ghana.
Joella oversees strategic direction in Ghana, ensuring that all the aspects of the organization’s activity chain, from research to stakeholder and community engagement, project implementation, operations, and human resources, function as a whole to deliver our annual objectives there. Since 2020, she has managed our role within a UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office funded initiative, SANGHA, to develop regenerative agricultural systems and undertake mangrove reforestation in the Greater Accra and Volta regions. She has a history in research, management, and organizing specialist conventions on the future of food security, and holds degrees in anthropology and communications.
Samuel supports the Country Director’s agenda, ensuring that strategic goals are delivered and advising on how to formulate strategies across the organisation’s activity chain. Samuel supports and advises through the development of data-driven, technological initiatives to address, deliver, or predict outcomes at macro and micro levels, simplifying processes in complex operational environments. He has a history advising NGOs, government, and the private sector in management and development, and holds degrees in political science, strategic and security studies.