Our Staff

A leading expert on understanding and measuring the connection between human well-being and biodiversity conservation, Beth has more than 25 years of experience in conservation and community development. She has developed approaches to measure and support community well-being in biodiversity and climate work to create more sustainable outcomes for people and wildlife. Beth was recently named one of the Explorers Club’s “Fifty People Changing The World, The World Needs To Know About”.

Beth is a consultant and advisor to several organizations and a member of three International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commissions. Before founding OneNature, Beth was the US Director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare and has worked for USAID, World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Peace Corp Headquarters, and The Nature Conservancy. Beth has a master’s degree in Business Management from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from James Madison University

Dehara Weeraman is a communications fellow at OneNature. She is currently a junior at Virginia Tech, majoring in political science on the national security track. Dehara hopes to work in international development, with a focus on sustainability and conservation. She hopes to obtain her master’s degree in political science after graduating from Virginia Tech. She recently interned at a vegan outreach organization to make plant-based food more accessible in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area. Dehara is a passionate advocate for the indigenous people’s movement and is thrilled about being a part of the conversation of the intersection of wildlife and human well-being.

John’s expertise spans systems approaches to environment and development, sustainable finance, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and the interface between health and biodiversity. His background also includes experience as a sustainability/ESG analyst, nature-based solutions expert, and program manager with extensive experience in environment and development programming in Africa. John has led numerous delegations to intergovernmental processes, and designed numerous development activities with a focus on climate adaptation and mitigation and biodiversity conservation. He is the author or co-author of more than 30 books, chapters, or reports on environmental policy. He also has extensive experience in sustainability communications, ranging from village level negotiations to addressing the UN General Assembly. He has also led or managed more than a dozen large scale evaluation programs.

Originally from Columbia, SC, Alyce Petit grew up on the Gills Creek Watershed. Living in an often environmentally troubled area made community-nature connections a cornerstone of her life. She attended the University of Alabama for her Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies: Environmental Policy and her Master of Arts in American Studies. Alyce has worked for the Okefenokee Protection Alliance and Interned in the whistleblower protection field. She is passionate about environment, society, and government issues (ESG) and racialized access to nature. She is currently in her second year at Georgetown Law.

Kazumi is a senior at Elizabeth Seton High School. She is currently on the board of the Environmental Committee at her school. Kazumi plans on double majoring in Biology and Environmental Science. She is interested in conservation and spent a week this summer in Costa Rica working with bees. The bees were collected to be counted and evaluated due to the limited research on native bees in Costa Rica. Kazumi is excited to gain more experience in conservation and well-being work and continue to advocate for a more green Earth.