Welcoming New Members to our Board of Directors

By Jovena Natal Category blogPosted on:

author: Jovena Natal
date: 2020-11-23
slug: new-board
title: Welcoming New Members to our Board of Directors
wordpress_id:
categories: – blog
image: https://images.digital-democracy.org/assets/sunset-pastaza-1600@2x.jpg

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It is a privilege and honor to announce and welcome the addition of three new
members to our Board of Directors. I am humbled and thrilled to serve with them.

All of our board members, current and new, have a few things in common. We care
deeply about the intersection of social justice and the environment. We agree
that Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their lands are key to protecting critical
environmentally sensitive lands, such as many regions of the Amazon Rainforest.
We believe nonprofits should be run with transparency and in a way that partners
with communities we support, and allows their needs drive our approach. And, we
support open source technology, used for good.

Our new board members round out the knowledge and perspectives of our collective
board. Each of our new board members brings incredible personal and professional
experience advocating for indigenous communities in protecting their lands from
threats, such as, mining and drilling.

Ron James, Guyana
Ron works as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mapping expert for the
Amerindian People’s Association. He has a long history
of working to protect the land of his own people, in the Rupununi, a part of the
Wapichan territory in Guyana. And, he has personally used technology that
Digital Democracy has developed.

Pooven Moodley, South Africa
Pooven is an incredibly accomplished and committed social justice leader,
currently running a non-profit called Natural Justice, which focuses on human rights
and environmental law. He also holds a leadership role in the in the ICCA Consortium,
a global movement for indigenous peoples. He brings a lifetime of experience in
social justice and human rights work.

Maria Lya Ramos, Washington, DC – USA
Maria leads the Extractive Industries Global Program for Oxfam International.
She brings more than a decade of experience working on environmental and
social justice issues for well-known organizations.

Our new board members will help us make sound decisions for the organization,
and help hold us true to our mission and our commitments as an organization.

Please join me in welcoming these three esteemed members to our board.