Who We Are

Matt started with Nature and Culture in 2015, as an advisor in the Loja, Ecuador office. For seven years prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, a conservation organization in his native Portland, Oregon and also served as treasurer on the board of an Oregon-wide network of conservation entities. Additionally, he’s worked extensively for Native American tribal governments in the US, supporting their treaty fishing and water rights. Matt first fell in love with Latin America — its vibrant cultures, stunning landscapes and incredible biodiversity — while in Honduras in the 1990s as a Peace Corps volunteer. He has a BA from Stanford University in English Literature and Human Biology and a Master’s in Environmental Management from Yale University.

Keryn is a UC San Diego graduate of dual majors in Economics and Spanish Literature and has an MBA from San Diego State University. She lived in Mexico and Spain during her education, greatly increasing her appreciation for Latin America and its culture. She comes to Nature and Culture with extensive experience as a CPA, having served as Controller and CFO for privately-held and publicly traded companies, as well as accountant for the Spreckels Organ Society during her public accounting tenure. Her love for nature has been enhanced by longtime membership in the San Diego Zoological Society, and she has long desired to work for an organization dedicated to nurturing the environment.

Renzo is one of NCI’s founders. In 1996, he and Ivan Gayler established the San Francisco Scientific Station, home to the world’s largest tropical mountain forest ecology research program. Under Renzo’s direction, NCI’s first conservation projects were developed in Ecuador. Renzo has broad experience in the field of conservation. He served as coordinator of the United Nations Geo-Loja report and was president of the Regional Council of the Catamayo-Chira River Basin. In recognition of his efforts, Renzo received the Podocarps Award from Loja’s Provincial Council for his conservation and environmental management efforts. He holds a Master’s in Zootechnics from the People’s Friendship University in Moscow.