Danielle Frank is a Hupa and Yurok changemaker from the Klamath River Basin, committed to Indigenous sovereignty, youth empowerment, and environmental justice. She recently transitioned from her role as Native Youth Coordinator at Native Americans in Philanthropy to serve full-time as Director of Development and Community Relations at Rios to Rivers. In this role, she works predominantly on the Paddle Tribal Waters program, a youth-led initiative uplifting the next generation of river protectors, scholars, and storytellers in the wake of the Klamath dam removals. Danielle has worked across movements at the intersection of philanthropy, cultural revitalization, and land stewardship, always centering the voices of tribal youth. Her leadership is rooted in ancestral knowledge, intergenerational organizing, and a deep love for her homelands. Whether coordinating a first descent of the newly free-flowing Klamath or building bridges between funders and frontline communities, Danielle’s work is grounded, visionary, and guided by responsibility to her people.
Danielle Frank is a Hupa and Yurok changemaker from the Klamath River Basin, committed to Indigenous sovereignty, youth empowerment, and environmental justice. She recently transitioned from her role as Native Youth Coordinator at Native Americans in Philanthropy to serve full-time as Director of Development and Community Relations at Rios to Rivers. In this role, she works predominantly on the Paddle Tribal Waters program, a youth-led initiative uplifting the next generation of river protectors, scholars, and storytellers in the wake of the Klamath dam removals. Danielle has worked across movements at the intersection of philanthropy, cultural revitalization, and land stewardship, always centering the voices of tribal youth. Her leadership is rooted in ancestral knowledge, intergenerational organizing, and a deep love for her homelands. Whether coordinating a first descent of the newly free-flowing Klamath or building bridges between funders and frontline communities, Danielle’s work is grounded, visionary, and guided by responsibility to her people.
Dave Coffman is RES' Director of North California and Southern Oregon Operations, a Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist, and the Klamath River Renewal Project Restoration Program Manager. Dave has spent his career studying, developing, permitting, and implementing large scale ecological restoration projects across the country. David has worked on the evaluation and design of over 1 million linear feet of stream restoration, erosion protection, and streambank stabilization projects on fluvial systems ranging in size from small streams to the largest rivers in North America. David feels extraordinarily honored and blessed to lead a team of first-class restoration designers, engineers, fisheries biologists, ecologists, botanists, permitting specialists, and construction implementation crews on the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world. His goal is to set an example, and the bar, for future dam removal projects and other mega-restoration projects.
Dave Coffman is RES' Director of North California and Southern Oregon Operations, a Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist, and the Klamath River Renewal Project Restoration Program Manager. Dave has spent his career studying, developing, permitting, and implementing large scale ecological restoration projects across the country. David has worked on the evaluation and design of over 1 million linear feet of stream restoration, erosion protection, and streambank stabilization projects on fluvial systems ranging in size from small streams to the largest rivers in North America. David feels extraordinarily honored and blessed to lead a team of first-class restoration designers, engineers, fisheries biologists, ecologists, botanists, permitting specialists, and construction implementation crews on the largest dam removal and river restoration project in the world. His goal is to set an example, and the bar, for future dam removal projects and other mega-restoration projects.
Dr Phanor H Montoya Maya is a coral reef restoration expert whose field experience began in Seychelles with the Reef Rescues project. He is the founder and former CEO of Corales de Paz, a Colombian organization focused on community-based reef restoration, and currently serves as the Restoration Program Manager at the Coral Restoration Foundation in Florida, USA. Phanor is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) accredited by the Society for Ecological Restoration. He specializes in project design and management, grant writing, and strategic consulting to improve restoration outcomes. His work integrates cutting-edge science with practical, field-tested methodologies, ensuring that coral reef interventions are ecologically meaningful, sustainable, and resilient. Committed to advancing the field, he aligns all restoration efforts with globally recognized principles of ecological restoration, emphasizing ecological integrity, long-term sustainability, and community engagement. Phanor's leadership continues to shape and elevate coral reef restoration practice across the globe.
Dr Phanor H Montoya Maya is a coral reef restoration expert whose field experience began in Seychelles with the Reef Rescues project. He is the founder and former CEO of Corales de Paz, a Colombian organization focused on community-based reef restoration, and currently serves as the Restoration Program Manager at the Coral Restoration Foundation in Florida, USA. Phanor is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) accredited by the Society for Ecological Restoration. He specializes in project design and management, grant writing, and strategic consulting to improve restoration outcomes. His work integrates cutting-edge science with practical, field-tested methodologies, ensuring that coral reef interventions are ecologically meaningful, sustainable, and resilient. Committed to advancing the field, he aligns all restoration efforts with globally recognized principles of ecological restoration, emphasizing ecological integrity, long-term sustainability, and community engagement. Phanor's leadership continues to shape and elevate coral reef restoration practice across the globe.
Dr Valerie Hagger is an ecologist based at The University of Queensland, Australia. Her research informs coastal wetland conservation and restoration through fieldwork, community engagement, large-scale data synthesis, modelling, and spatial analysis. Her novel study on the drivers of global mangrove losses and gains revealed promising conservation strategies to reverse mangrove losses in complex social-ecological systems. As a UN Ocean Decade Action, her AXA-UNESCO research fellowship explored community- and Indigenous-based management of mangrove forests to enhance their conservation and restoration. She leads research projects on (a) biodiversity assessment methods to quantify biodiversity gain with coastal wetland restoration, (b) prioritisation approaches for coastal wetland restoration that considers local knowledge, biophysical suitability, blue carbon feasibility, and benefits beyond carbon, and (c) biodiversity enhancements from wetland recovery through feral animal management. She co-authored international Best practice guidelines on mangrove restoration. She is a board member of the Society of Ecological Restoration Australasia and the Pacific representative of the international Society for Ecological Restoration.
Dr Valerie Hagger is an ecologist based at The University of Queensland, Australia. Her research informs coastal wetland conservation and restoration through fieldwork, community engagement, large-scale data synthesis, modelling, and spatial analysis. Her novel study on the drivers of global mangrove losses and gains revealed promising conservation strategies to reverse mangrove losses in complex social-ecological systems. As a UN Ocean Decade Action, her AXA-UNESCO research fellowship explored community- and Indigenous-based management of mangrove forests to enhance their conservation and restoration. She leads research projects on (a) biodiversity assessment methods to quantify biodiversity gain with coastal wetland restoration, (b) prioritisation approaches for coastal wetland restoration that considers local knowledge, biophysical suitability, blue carbon feasibility, and benefits beyond carbon, and (c) biodiversity enhancements from wetland recovery through feral animal management. She co-authored international Best practice guidelines on mangrove restoration. She is a board member of the Society of Ecological Restoration Australasia and the Pacific representative of the international Society for Ecological Restoration.
Vera Voronova is the Executive Director of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), Kazakhstan's leading national civil society organization dedicated to conserving and restoring nature. An ecologist, on her position she works with government ministries, agencies, and orther NGOs to protect and restore landscapes, revive threatened species, and ensure that human impacts on nature in Kazakhstan are minimised. Ms. Voronova chairs the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, a dynamic partnership of government/civil society recognized in 2022 by the United Nations as a ‘World Restoration Flagship’ and the winner of The Earthshot Prize ‘Protect & Restore Nature’ category in 2024 for its impacts restoring saiga antelope populations across Kazakhstan’s vast grasslands.
Vera Voronova is the Executive Director of the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK), Kazakhstan's leading national civil society organization dedicated to conserving and restoring nature. An ecologist, on her position she works with government ministries, agencies, and orther NGOs to protect and restore landscapes, revive threatened species, and ensure that human impacts on nature in Kazakhstan are minimised. Ms. Voronova chairs the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, a dynamic partnership of government/civil society recognized in 2022 by the United Nations as a ‘World Restoration Flagship’ and the winner of The Earthshot Prize ‘Protect & Restore Nature’ category in 2024 for its impacts restoring saiga antelope populations across Kazakhstan’s vast grasslands.
