Ana Paula Tavares

Ana Paula Tavares is the Executive Vice President of the Rainforest Alliance and has been with the organization for 15 years. A native of Brazil, she has dedicated her career to protecting the world’s most threatened ecosystems and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for farmers, forest workers and their families.

As Executive Vice President, she represents the Rainforest Alliance at international conferences and meetings, collaborates with government and intergovernmental agencies in the development of sustainable development projects and helps Rainforest Alliance division vice presidents define projects. She has been involved in initiatives to increase production of sustainable products and services in Latin America and promote greater linkages with mainstream global markets. She has led the Rainforest Alliance's Development division since joining the organization and currently oversees several other functions including Communications & Marketing, Education, Markets Transformation and Claims, Traceability & Trademarks.

Prior to joining the Rainforest Alliance, Ana Paula was a founding partner at New Frontiers Group, a financial services group in São Paulo, Brazil that promoted investment funds for biodiversity, sustainable forestry, carbon sequestration and renewable energy. She has also worked as the director of science development at the New York Botanical Garden and in Membership, Development and Licensing at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.