Board of Directors

Barbara Lang is managing principal and CEO of Lang Strategies. She manages the overall brand of the organization and oversees each of its practice areas: business development, political strategy management, executive leadership and business tactical planning, assessment and problem solving. Prior to her current role, Ms. Lang was president and CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce, where she was responsible for the operations and overall strategic direction of the organization. Before joining the Chamber, Lang worked for Fannie Mae and IBM.

Lang serves on the Board of Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc. (NYSE:PDM) as the Chair of the Nominating & Governance Committe, on the advisory council of the Sibley Hospital Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of Pyxera Global. Lang is the former chair of the Workforce Investment Council, the former co-chair of the DC Business Coalition, and was appointed by Washington Mayor Vincent Gray to the board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority in 2012.

Lang holds numerous awards for her distinguished leadership in the greater Washington community, including Washingtonian magazine’s 150 Most Powerful People in the Washington region (twice) and the Lifetime Legacy Award from the Washington Business Journal.

Lang holds a B.S. in Business Education from Edward Waters University, completed graduate courses at Harvard University, and received honorary doctorates from Trinity University and the University of the District of Columbia.

Wyndee Parker is the National Security Advisor for the Office of the Speaker of the House. Her responsibilities include advising the Leader on national security and international affairs matters, and overseeing the activities of the Armed Services, Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees, and their Appropriations Committee counterparts. Prior to joining the Speaker’s office, Parker was the Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Earlier in her career, Ms. Parker served as an assistant state prosecutor, and as an attorney at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Parker holds a BA from Duke University and a JD from Ohio State University College of Law.

Dr. Gabby Salazar is a conservation photographer and an environmental social scientist who has traveled the world documenting a wide range of subjects—from volcanoes in Guatemala to lion conservation in Zimbabwe and more. She has an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and a PhD from the University of Florida. Gabby is a National Geographic Explorer with a commitment to environmental and science education. In collaboration with Dr. Krithi Karanth and the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Gabby co-designed an environmental education program in India that has reached over 50,000 students. She has also written a book and produced a podcast for kids about women scientists and explorers with National Geographic Kids.

In 2021, Gabby was recognized as the Emerging Photographer of the Year by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). A past president of NANPA, she is also an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP).

Marcia served as the Chief Operating Officer for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US). As COO, she oversaw the execution of WWF’s strategy and operating systems and led government affairs and policy, private sector engagement, development and marketing and communications efforts. She helped to launch and drive the CARE/WWF Alliance, an innovative partnership that is creating new models of addressing poverty alleviation, food security and conservation in one holistic approach.

Before WWF, Marcia was a Price Waterhouse tax partner, Practice leader for Integrated Solutions and International Consulting at Watson Wyatt and the Vice President for Government Transformation at the Partnership for Public Service.

Marja Gabriela Diaz is the Senior Manager of Documentary Films at National Geographic, specializing in creative development, production, and distribution. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in Human Biology and an Italian minor, is an Emerging Leaders in Wildlife Conservation Senior Fellow, and Alumni of the Environmental Leadership Program. She previously worked at Creative Artists Agency and began her career as a RAY Marine Conservation Fellow at Ocean Conservancy. As a multicultural, impact-driven storyteller, she aims to combine her passion for film, photography, and science to inspire change for our planet and its wildlife.

David Asai is a cell biologist with extensive experience in higher education and science philanthropy. He is former Senior Director for Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland. At HHMI, his team developed and managed a portfolio of programs aimed at creating inclusive learning and mentoring environments so that all students, regardless of where they come from and where they are going, feel that they belong and are provided the resources to be successful (www.hhmi.org/equitable-science).

Prior to his 15+ years at HHMI, Dr. Asai was a tenured faculty member for 24 years at Purdue University and Harvey Mudd College, and was head of biology at both institutions. He has served on advisory committees for several scientific organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Wellcome Trust in London. He is a member of the committee that wrote the report, Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broader Impacts (National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2023).

David earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Stanford University, a co-terminal master’s degree in biology from Stanford, and the PhD in biology from the California Institute of Technology. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Society for Cell Biology. He is the 2022 recipient of the Bruce Alberts Award for contributions to science education.

Karen has over 45 years of experience in nonprofit management and resource development. She has been a member of senior management at several national nonprofit conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy, National Parks and Conservation Association, American Farmland Trust, and National Wildlife Federation. Her most recent staff position was President of the Yellowstone Park Foundation.

For thirteen years, she had her own consulting business and helped over forty organizations in resource and organizational development, board governance, land projects, and strategic planning.

Karen has provided service on many nonprofit boards including the Greater Washington D.C. Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Potomac Conservancy, American Rivers, GLOBE, National Environmental Education Foundation, National Recreation and Park Association, Montana Land Reliance Foundation and Student Conservation Association. She has served on Allegheny College’s Alumni Council, chaired a regional campaign committee, served on her 50th college reunion steering committee and chaired the Class Gift Committee. She currently is a Board Member of VIEW (Veterinary Initiative for Endangered Wildlife) and a President’s Council Member of Global Refuge.

Tom Martin has over a quarter century of business and legal experience that he relies upon to provide legal services to his clients.  After graduating from Duke in 1997 he worked with the corporate treasury group of a large national bank and with Coca-Cola’s international governmental relations group.  These experiences led him to the University of Colorado Law School, where he received his JD in 2003.

Since obtaining his law degree he worked as part of the team that designed the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.  Following a position with Steptoe & Johnson Tom began working with the DC Chamber of Commerce, where from 2008-2018 he represented employers at unemployment insurance hearings. Additionally, he lobbied on behalf of small businesses on numerous DC statutes including during the enactment of the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Act.

In 2009, Tom left the Chamber and opened his first solo practice serving business in DC.  Four years later, his solo practice evolved into a small firm that expanded to include a full range of business-related services. Ultimately, he decided to return to solo practice and represent clients in Maryland and DC.

When not in the office Tom enjoys spending time with his wife and children. The family especially enjoys spending time outside, going to sporting events, and getting to the beach whenever time allows.

Liza McFadden is a strategic advocate with a proven track record of driving social impact through philanthropy and leadership. Her professional approach is characterized by innovative solutions to complex societal challenges, with a particular focus on education and community development. McFadden has consistently demonstrated an ability to transform organizational strategies to maximize social benefit.

As the founder of Liza and Partners, she provides advisory and advocacy services to philanthropists, nonprofit leaders, and education executives across diverse sectors. Her client work spans critical areas including family housing policy, animal welfare legislation, and environmental restoration efforts. As the former CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, McFadden dramatically reshaped the organization’s approach to addressing adult literacy. She leveraged the power of competition through the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE, which challenged teams from around the world to compete for a $7 million prize to develop innovative literacy solutions. This groundbreaking initiative attracted global innovators and created accessible literacy technologies for the 770 million low-literate adults worldwide.

McFadden currently serves on the board of STRIDE Learning Corporation (NYSE:LRN), a publicly traded education management organization. In this role, she chairs the Nomination and Governance Committee, overseeing the company’s leadership development and governance strategies. STRIDE provides online education to approximately 187,000 K-12 students annually and offers innovative online career training programs in medical and information technology fields. Her board service extends to other organizations, including the Florida State Parks Foundation, Village Square, and the Boy Scouts of America’s Suwannee River Council.

Her professional contributions have been widely recognized through numerous awards, including the “Above and Beyond: Honoring Women in Government and Public Service” award from City and State Florida. McFadden has been honored with accolades such as the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Leadership Award, Take Stock in Children’s Champion of Children’s Award, and the Governor’s Award for hurricane recovery leadership. When not advancing professional initiatives, she remains deeply connected to Florida’s natural environment, frequently kayaking the Wakulla River and boating near the St. Mark’s lighthouse.

Attorney Ashley Eady Smith is a bi-lingual thought leader, group cohesion expert, writer, and national public speaker. Ashley co-founded The Minority Outdoor Alliance with the mission of cultivating a more inclusive world that supports the enjoyment of and conservation of our natural resources. Ashley is also the founder of NOS Global, LLC, which helps organizations uncover how to benefit from an ever-changing world through data-driven diversity, equity, inclusion, and organizational cohesion programs.

Ashley has had the honor of giving speeches, facilitating workshops, and hosting large outdoor recreational and educational events for a number of state agencies, conservation organizations, and corporations across the nation. Ashley completed her undergraduate education at the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and Spanish. After college, Ashley completed her law degree at Georgia State University College of Law.

Ashley seeks the outdoors as a place to renew and rejuvenate. Ashley likes to meditate, pray, and exercise outdoors. She also enjoys archery, biking, hiking, and fishing. Ashley believes that there is so much more that unites us as human beings than divides us and believes that being outdoors is the perfect setting for memory making, tradition keeping, and connecting with others. Ashley and her husband have a young daughter and son.

Yelberton “Yebbie” Watkins has served as a Chief of Staff in the House of Representatives for 30 years.  A well-regarded senior staffer, he has been named by Roll Call as one of the “Top 50 Staffers” on Capitol Hill.  Watkins is a Liberty Fellow for the Aspen Global Leadership Network.  He earned his BS from Duke University and his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Kevin Wells, Esq. is Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a non-government organization with a conservation mission that addresses climate crises in over 60 countries and manages four NYC zoos including the Bronx Zoo and separately the NY Aquarium. In his current role, Kevin incorporates diversity equity, inclusion (DEI) and belonging into the business operations of the organization. Mr. Wells has over 20 years of DEI experience in both the public and private sector, including internationally. As a former Environmental attorney, he transitioned from this focus to Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights advocacy where he developed initiatives to better support Environmental Social Governance (ESG). Prior to WCS, he was Chief Diversity Officer for the NYC Department of Sanitation. He currently sits on the Advisory Board for the Sanitation Foundation. Kevin received his Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law and is licensed to practice in NY.