Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Douglas Willmore
CEO & Co-Chair of the Board
Doug Willmore has an accomplished career in both the public and private sectors and was a sought-after consultant in breakthrough performance to Fortune 100 companies.
Doug led growth as CEO of Reference Pathology Services from 21 employees and $1.2 million in revenue to 120 employees and $22.2 million in revenue upon the company’s sale of $33.5 million four years later.
He led the turnaround of the City of Bell, CA after it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The city went from a $200K general fund balance to a $22.5M fund balance.
Doug was the Chief Administrative Officer of Salt Lake County, UT for 6 years where he managed more than 4000 employees and an annual budget of more than $800 million.Â
Catherine Key
President, Chief Business Development Officer and Director
Dr. Cathy Key has been working with the Empress Splendor tree (Paulownia) for 8 years.Â
She has been instrumental in the rollout of cutting-edge audit processes, supply chain diversification and management of biological assets.Â
Cathy launched and managed a software company for 15 years, working with companies that included Telus and Johnson and Johnson.
With a PhD in Anthropology, specializing in the economics of cooperation, Cathy brings a diverse skill-set to the organization.
Deborah Cullen
CFO, CAO & Director
Deborah Cullen is an accomplished finance executive who worked for more than 25 years as a finance executive with USPS.
Deb has been a senior audit manager for Mayer Hoffman McCann and audited organizations ranging in size from $10 to $150 million.
Deb was also the Finance Director for the City of El Segundo, CA for almost 10 years. She oversaw and managed a budget of more than $225 million annually.
Most recently, Deb was Finance Director for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA until October 2019 when she joined World Tree as CFO.
Terry Rodrigue
COO
Terry Rodrigue oversees the Company’s operations in 5 countries, including the tissue labs, nurseries and farmers. He is a professional engineer and experienced entrepreneur.Â
He grew an engineering company from one person to almost 500. It managed the planning, design and construction of billions of dollars of infrastructure and was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades.Â
He brings his extensive background in operating in a rapid growth environment and knowledge of field operations to World Tree.
Chris Wedding
Director
Dr. Chris Wedding is a former environmental private equity investor and impact investment banker, Duke and UNC Chapel Hill professor, 3x startup founder, and executive coach with over $1 billion of investment experience and 60,000 professional students taught.
Chris brings a global perspective, with experience in 20+ countries in climate tech, renewable energy infrastructure, impact/ESG investing, corporate sustainability strategy, and green real estate.Â
He is the Founder of Entrepreneurs for Impact, an executive peer group program for founders, CEOs, and investors tackling climate change.
Chris dedicates less than 5 hours per week to World Tree. His primary jobs are with Duke University – The Fuqua School of Business and Entrepreneurs for Impact.
Allan English
Director
Allan English is the founder of SilverChef, which has helped more than 50,000 hospitality businesses achieve their dreams. It is regularly listed in the Top 50 great places to work in Australia.
In 2010 he created the English Family Foundation with a donation of just over 50% of family shares to ensure the largest shareholder of the public company was a non-profit.
In 2011 a goal was set to fund 1.5 million people out of poverty by 2020 through Microfinance programs. With significant staff efforts and 8,000 customers who committed regular funding, they achieved the goal in June 2019.
Allan dedicates approximately 5 hours per week to World Tree. Allan's primary job is with SilverChef.
Filippo Bozotti
Director
Filippo Bozotti is the co-founder of Tribewanted Ltd., developing sustainable communities for eco-tourism in Fiji and Sierra Leone. Both projects were handed back to local communities after 5 years.
He also founded Tribewanted Monestevole in Umbria, Italy, retrofitting a 15th century borgo into a sustainable hamlet and farm. Monestevole welcomes dozens of school groups and retreats every year, offering a fully immersive, sustainable experience.
Filippo was a documentary film producer in New York and was a founding partner of Shine On Sierra Leone, a non-profit operating in healthcare, education and microfinance.Â
Filippo dedicates approximately 5 hours per week to World Tree. Filippo's primary job is with Tribewanted Ltd.
Todd Fein
Director
Todd Fein is a creative, driven, future-facing executive with a passion for creating a sustainable world. He has 25 years of experience in management and technology consulting and business building.Â
He founded and serves as CEO of Green Diamond, which helps large corporations and government agencies achieve maximum, sustainable performance.
Todd serves as director on the board of the World Future Society, speaks around the world, and has been written about by Forbes. He holds Global Reporting Initiative, Carbon Disclosure Project, and other specialized credentials and affiliations.
Todd dedicates approximately 5 hours per week to World Tree. Todd's primary job is with Green Diamond.Â
Tiffany Persons
Director
Tiffany Persons founded Tiffany Company Casting in 2005, which provides commercial casting for some of the largest brands in the world such as Apple, Google, Nike, Facebook, Disney and Starbucks.
Known for bringing joy, passion and vulnerability to the advertising world, Tiffany also founded Shine On Sierra Leone, an organization that has created groundbreaking education, healthcare, micro-loans, sustainability and agriculture programs.
Tiffany works with David & Goliath Ad Agency to recruit new and more diverse talent and lead trainings on Black culture in media to change the conversation about minority groups in marketing at its root.
Tiffany dedicates approximately 5 hours per week to World Tree. Tiffany's primary job is with David & Goliath.Â
Jeff Nuss
Director
Senior advisor and impact investor focused on sustainable working landscapes, green products and materials, renewable energy and fuels, and built environment after 22 years as Founder and former President & CEO of GreenWood Resources, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Jeff dedicates approximately 5 hours per week to World Tree. Jeff's primary job is with GreenWood Resources.
Mark Watson
Director
Impact Investment Advisor and Fund Manager. Co founder and President, Potlikker Capital.
Mark dedicates 5 hours per week to World Tree. Mark's primary job is with Potlikker Capital.Â
Jesus Espinoza
Director of Forestry and Farms
International professional with over 28 years of work experience with a wide range of species and forestry operations in South America, Central America, North America, Asia, and Africa focused on developing robust and innovative solutions to value creation. Strong skills in silviculture management, genetics, biometrics, statistics, harvesting and supply chain logistics. Expertise in quantitative analysis, verifying harvesting projections, reporting of operation results, modeling growth and yield performance, estimation of carbon accounting. Proficiency in SAS, Unscrambler, MS Office, and capability with sophisticated tools for applied forest management.
Thierry Bodson
Climate, Carbon, and Social Impact Programs Manager
Agrologist and environment professional with over 15 years of technical or managerial experience in sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, community development, ecotourism, conservation, and natural systems restoration. Work experience in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. Professionally fluent in French, English, and Spanish.
Jack Matson
Director of Lumber Division
Jack Matson has deep knowledge in manufacturing, marketing and selling lumber in 26 countries and sustainably harvesting hardwood lumber without manufacturing waste.Â
Jack managed 23,000 acres of his family’s land to maximize yield, growth and ROI for an 80-year growth cycle. He was responsible for $40M in annual sales and ran the green lumber buying program ($12M annually). Â
His family’s lumber business is known globally as one of the best for quality and service.
Jack has introduced Empress splendor to his vast network in the lumber industry and is educating people worldwide about the fantastic properties of Empress splendor at trade shows, industry events, manufacturing facilities, lumber yards, sawmills and farms.
Mariana Alfaro
Manager of Latin America
Mariana Alfaro is a biologist with expertise in ecology and sustainable development. She has worked on several conservation and environmental education projects, including Costa Rica's coastal flora conservation project as well as sustainable development work in rural communities in Guanacaste and the Distance State University of Costa Rica.
She has been part of World Tree since 2016. She works tirelessly to bring sustainable growth opportunities to Central America's rural communities.
Andy Norris
Head of USA Forestry and Farms
Andy Norris is a natural resource veteran with 30 years of expertise guiding timber procurement and natural resource management operations in the evolving forest products sector across the U.S. South and Appalachia.
He has a unique combination of expertise in upland and bottomland silviculture, FSC certification, public and private collaborative natural resource projects, forest conservation strategies and forest products negotiation.
Andy is accomplished in building relationships, leading company staff and contractors, manipulating spatial and tabular databases, budgeting and private landowner assistance.