Members of the Board
Charlotte Baron, Chair
Chairman of the Board of The WILD Foundation, an avid world traveler, nature lover, and volunteer, Charlotte Baron is also a professional systems and management analyst. She earned a Master in Public Administration, Finance and Policy Analysis (MPA) in 1980. Charlotte has been a Director, and the Vice President/Treasurer of both Fulcrum Publishing and Fulcrum Group since 1985, building on a career that included work with numerous US government departments. The number of her interests – international and ethnic cultures, skiing, hiking, scuba diving, reading, and more – are matched only by the many non-profit organizations which have benefited from her goodwill and skills as a volunteer and/or trustee, such as the Denver Public Library, Denver Art Museum, Auraria Library, Tesoro Foundation, and others. Never one to slow down or give half-measure, Charlotte has added quality time with her three grandchildren to her list of enthusiastic pastimes.
David Barron
Founder and President of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (Washington, DC), a very active and growing, bi-partisan initiative to inform and educate policy-makers on critical issues in international conservation and environment. Dave is a prominent champion of democracy and human rights and has been active in conservation, politics and private business for over 25 years. Dave has represented U.S. policies abroad in various capacities and is a recognized expert in Sub-Saharan African politics. He has addressed the United Nations, authored foreign policy articles, and led many Congressional tours to Africa — where he now concentrates his attention on developing U.S.-southern African business/political ties. He has also played an important role (with explorer Michael Fay, a WILD Trustee) in establishing the new national park system in Gabon (West Africa), and in gathering support and momentum for the US-lead Congo Basin Tropical Forest Initiative.
Magalen Bryant
A private investor and supporter of numerous conservation enterprises, Mrs Bryant (Maggie) is fully committed to the cause of intelligent nature preservation. She serves on the board of directors of the Dover Corporation and Carlisle Companies and is the former chairperson of the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Maggie is also a recipient of the Chevron Citizen Conservationist Award.
Marilynn Cowgill
Marilynn is the newest member of our WILD team, joining as a Trustee in January 2009. With a Doctorate in business and 15 years of experience with a Fortune 500 Financial Services Company, Marilynn now educates undergraduates, graduates and professionals on leadership, management and strategy. Her passion is working with organizations, teams and individuals to help them develop their businesses and work together more effectively. This is the founding principle of the management consulting business, Leadership Catalysts, that she started and runs. As a native of Boulder, Colorado, she has always enjoyed spending time in and advocating for nature. She is currently the Chairman of the American Wildlands Board of Directors, and also is on the Board of Directors for the Carriage House Community Table. Marilynn also finds the relationship between humans and nature vital, and has been initiated into the Inca shamanic lineage. She relates to nature by hiking and weaving, which gives her an opportunity to translate the beauty of nature into art.
Dr. Chad P. Dawson
Professor of Recreation Resources Management and former Chair of the Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York, Dr. Dawson has taught courses and conducted research related to visitor management and protected area and wilderness management. Dr. Dawson has held research and education positions at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota. He is the Managing Editor of the International Journal of Wilderness and co-author with Dr. John Hendee of the “Wilderness Management” textbook (3rd edition). He served 9 years as an elected Board of Education member and President (6 years) of a school district in Oswego County, New York. Outdoor activities like fly fishing, canoe camping, hiking, and boating keep him connected to nature and wilderness.
James Dunlap
An Associate Partner at Scowcroft and Associates in Washington, DC, Jim has many years of personal experience at the interface of African affairs, with an unusual and extensive experience in diplomacy and private business. Before accepting the position at Scowcroft, Jim was at US Department of State as the principal aide to Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Walter Kansteiner, and worked in every African country. Prior to that, he lived (and worked) in Namibia, Angola, and South Africa. His family — all avid conservationists and riders — is based on their farm in northern Virginia.
Kat Haber
My grandfathers taught me to respect the Earth. I have created award winning gardens, innovative programs (Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail and the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies in Homer, AK), taken risks (freestyle aerialist and Air Castles hot air balloon champagne flight service in Boulder), pioneered new paths (one of the first women attending US Air Force Academy, and dug deep within (Lifespring councilor, Conscious Evolution guide, Social Synergy, tribal native spiritual ecology) all characterize paths of knowing, the soul serenity found in wild places. Bringing young leaders to WILD9, 9th World Wilderness Congress, infused an urgency, lightheartedness and idealism to save at least half of Earth’s wilds. I am honored to offer my talent, treasure, relations to preserve Earth for my son’s sons’ future 7 generations.
Dr. John C. Hendee
Former Dean of the University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources (1985-94) and Director of the University’s Wilderness Research Center (1995-2002) in Moscow, Idaho, USA, Dr Hendee (John) taught and lead research on the use of wilderness for personal growth and wilderness therapy. John is senior co-author of the textbook Wilderness Management (3 editions), and founding managing editor (1995) and now editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Wilderness. Now retired in Sausalito, California, John consults, oversees the Hendee Tree Farm in northern Michigan, and assists his wife, Marilyn Riley, in leading wilderness programs with their non-profit educational organization, Wilderness Transitions.
Vance G. Martin - President
Vance joined WILD as president in 1984 after 15 years in international business and non-profit management. An innovative leader known for bridging the interests of people and nature, he has lived extensively overseas, worked in over 40 countries, and helped to establish many non-profits. He serves on the boards of numerous organizations such as the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Friends of Peace Parks, Conservation & Preservation Charities of America, Fulcrum Publishing, Wilderness Foundation (South Africa), Wilderness Foundation (UK), and others. He is also the founder and current co-chairman of the IUCN Wilderness Task Force, and has edited and authored many publications. A native of the U.S. Piedmont region, he graduated magna cum laude from West Virginia University.
Mike McBride
Michael McBride and his wife, Diane, are the founders/owners of The Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge near Homer Alaska, named as one of the “World’s Best Small Resorts” by the Harper Hideaway Report. He served for six years as a member of the Smithsonian’s National Board, is a former Trustee of the Nature Conservancy and founder of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. The Center is a winner of the National Science Foundations award for excellence in science education and, now in its 25th year, over 43,000 children have experienced multi-day marine science programs. Mr. McBride has worked for several Alaskan governors in a variety of capacities. He is an Advisory Board member of Project Lighthawk and a founding patron for “The Bateleurs – Volunteer Pilots Flying for Conservation in Africa.” He has led expeditions around the world, is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a member of the Explorers Club, and a Master Guide. He also writes and lectures about the importance of Alaska to America’s future.
Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier
Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier is one of conservation photography’s strongest proponents. Her work focuses on the delicate relationship between nature’s most spectacular and endangered wildlife and Earth’s vanishing traditional human cultures. This unique view of people and nature lies at the heart of her work and is the key to understanding why her images are so poignant and beautiful. Her ultimate mission is to reconnect people’s lives to nature through the use of photography. For Cristina, photography did not come as a first career choice. She was trained as a marine biologist and through the years became a biodiversity conservation consultant. The need to pick up a camera came after she had already published a number of scientific papers dealing with the loss of biodiversity and human cultures and she found herself short of words to express her emotional connection to the issues in which she was involved.
Michael Sweatman, Treasurer
A venture capitalist and businessman, birder and conservationist, Michael’s primary focus is to promote the private sector role in conservation worldwide, particularly in Africa. He provided the original impetus that eventually led to the creation of the multi-billion dollar Global Environmental Fund (GEF). He is president of Green Mountain Capital, Stowe, Vermont, and is the former president of The Mercantile Bank (Montreal), executive vice president of the Bank of Montreal (Toronto), and president, WesBank (Barclays, South Africa).
Robert Baron, Emeritus Director
Bob Baron is the founder and president of Fulcrum, Inc., a Colorado-based book publishing company specializing in the fields of conservation, history, biography, Native American writing, gardening, travel, and children’s books. Bob has over 25 years of experience in business management, engineering and publishing. A former executive at Honeywell and founder and CEO of Prime Computer, a Fortune 500 company, Bob now spends most of his time writing a book on the history of business in America. He also chairs the American Antiquarian Society and is former vice chair of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, trustee of the Lincoln Filene Center at Tufts University, and director of the Rocky Mountain Women’s Institute and the Thoreau Society.
Dr. Ian Player, Founder & Emeritus Director
A seminal figure in international conservation, Dr Player (Ian) founded WILD in 1974, and a number of other organizations that have followed in its footsteps. South African born and educated, Ian fought alongside the Allies in World War II, and joined the KwaZulu Natal Parks Board in 1952. Rising through the ranks to oversee all Zululand Reserves, he led the team that saved the white rhino from extinction in the 1960s, with famous Zulu game ranger Magqubu Ntombela. Ian has received many awards, including the Order of the Golden Ark and the Gold Medal for Conservation, and is a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. Read more about Ian