Andrea has dedicated her 25-year career to environmental protection and sustainable development, especially the nexus of human interaction with nature. She excels at building trusted relationships with stakeholders, local communities, and government agencies to co-design innovative solutions for complex environmental issues. Andrea has led interdisciplinary teams to design and manage a broad range of projects, from small grants to local NGOs, to multi-million-dollar federal construction projects.

After high school, Andrea spent two months volunteering on a biological reserve in the Amazon rainforest, where she discovered a passion for protecting natural areas and environmental conservation. She is mission-driven and has worked with organizations to carry out this mission throughout her career. Most recently, Andrea was a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for 14 years. She served in El Salvador, Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Washington D.C.