Ana Paula Tavarez Deputy Director and Director of Development for Rainforest Alliance Ana Paula Tavares is the Deputy Director and Director of Development at the Rainforest Alliance, an international conservation organization with headquarters in New York and projects active in over 50 countries. As Deputy Director, she represents the Rainforest Alliance at international conferences and meetings, collaborates with government and intergovernmental agencies in the development of sustainable development projects, helps Rainforest Alliance division directors define projects and shares cross-organizational responsibilities with the executive director and other deputy directors. 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 been leading the organization's development department for six years. Prior to joining the Rainforest Alliance, Tavares 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. Tavares 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. She is from Belo Horizonte, Brazil and holds a BA from Marymount Manhattan College.