Our staff
Molly Roske, Executive Director
Molly Roske began in her role as the Foundation's Executive Director in January, 2017. Prior to joining FCT, she worked on adaptive forest management for climate change research at the University of Minnesota and Colorado State University, after serving in the U.S. Peace Corps in Guatemala. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the College of St. Benedict and a M.F.Sc. in forest ecology from Yale University. Molly briefly volunteered with FCT in 2008, and accredits much of her later success - in the Peace Corps and in her graduate studies - to all she learned at FCT back then. In her spare time, she enjoys running, yoga, rock-climging, hiking and birding in the páramo and could forests, and travel. CV
María Elena Fajardo, Accountant
María Elena Fajardo has over ten years of administrative and management experience working with non-governmental organizations in Ecuador. She has worked as an accountant and administrator, has extensive experience working in rural areas, and in the management of micro-credit programs. She earned an undergraduate degree in Accounting and Audits from the University of Cuenca (Ecuador).
Carla Arévalo, Field Technician
Carla Arévalo has worked with FCT as our technician in charge of riparian restoration and silvopasture systems projects since early 2016. Before that, she was a volunteer collaborator on our Mazar River hydrological monitoring project starting in 2015. Carla is a passionate advocate for building long-term community relationships in the rural areas where FCT works. She has a B.S. in Environmental Management from the Cuenca campus of the Sallesian Polytechnical University.
Edwin García, Gruber Fellow
Edwin García joined FCT for a one-year Fellowship with the support of the Gruber Program in Global Justice & Women's Rights, following his graduation from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies with a Masters in Environmental Management. Edwin's project with FCT involves facilitating a negotiated management plan of a new access-road built into the heart of southern Sangay National Park to provide access to an indigenous community residing there, striving to balance conservation objectives with the rights of indigenous peoples. Edwin is originally from Cañar, Ecuador, and received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Cuenca. He also holds a Masters in Industrial Engineering from New York University.
Catherine Schloegel, Associate Scientist
Catherine Schloegel joined our team in 2008 and subsequently served as the Foundation's Executive Director from 2011-2016. During this time, she initiated the Mazar River Project which, together with Dr. Beverley Wemple (University of Vermont), she continues to co-lead. Prior to joining FCT, Catherine worked with the Pinchot Institute's sustainable forestry project on the coastal plain of Ecuador. She has a B.A. in Geography from Vassar College and a M.E.Sc. in Social Ecology from Yale University. She enjoys spontaneous adventures, soccer, hiking, birding, and travel, and currently lives in Quito, Ecuador.
Becky Zug, Associate Scientist
Becky Zug joined the Foundation as a senior scientist in mid-2011 and has been a Foundation scientific collaborator since 2008. She is currently a candidate for a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and will continue to research the role of private and communal lands adjacent to protected areas in Andean bear conservation. She received a M.Sc. in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009. As part of her thesis to better understand the ecology and habitat requirements of Andean bears, she pioneered the use of camera traps in the montane forests of southern Ecuador. Her research has contributed toward regional conservation programs and targeting. She currently lives in Quito, Ecuador with her husband, children, and two labradoodles.