Rita Spadafora

Rita has 25 years of experience designing, planning, and implementing sustainable development programs with a focus on institutional strengthening, biodiversity, climate change, protected areas, forest management and economic growth.

She led an educational campaign in the Galapagos Islands and was Chief of Party for a USAID institutional strengthening project for the Panama Canal Watershed. She was USAID Program Specialist, and Executive Director of Panama´s leading environmental NGO spearheading three public-private partnerships.

She holds a M.Sc. in Natural Resources Management and a B.A. in Journalism and diplomas in corporate sustainability and climate change. Rita received the French National Order of Merit “Knight” Award, issued by the President of the Republic of France for her work in environmental conservation.  She is a Fulbright and a USAID/ROCAP scholar.