Our Team
In addition to our Board of Directors and Staff listed below, Tribal Link benefits from the wisdom of a group of Indigenous and other advisers from around the world.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NANA MARINA CRUZ (Maya Tz'utujil)
Known as a Nana or spiritual guide, Nana Marina is from Tz'ununya San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala. The daughter of renowned elder Tata Pedro Cruz Garcia, Marina is a ceremonial leader, conducting fire and cacao ceremonies, and is also a teacher of the Mayan calendar and the Mayan cosmic vision.
Alexandra Hayden
Alexandra is the principal designer and founder of Octave Studio, Inc., an interior design and architecture firm in New York and Los Angeles. Born and raised in New York, she now divides her time between the coasts and spends her downtime in pursuit of metaphysical studies, film production, and fundraising for Tribal Link.
Steffen Landauer
Steffen runs his own consulting firm, Landauer Partners, that focuses on leadership and talent development, prior to which he did similar work in the corporate world for 25 years. His interest in Indigenous Peoples developed through extensive travels across Africa, Asia, and South America, which brought him in close touch with many of these traditions and cultures. He has been supporting Tribal Link and involved in key projects for more than 20 years. He has a B.A. from Columbia College and lives in New York.
Dr. James Merewether
James is currently retired from operating a construction and electrical contracting business in which he was involved for the past 25 years. Prior to that he was an adjunct professor in mathematics and physics in several New York colleges including New York Institute of Technology, FIT, and most schools in the CUNY system. He has been involved in Indigenous Peoples’ issues since participating in the World Conference of Indigenous Peoples on Territory, Environment and Development prior to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the Earth Summit.
CAMILO SANTA
With over 15 years of professional experience in public, private and international sector, Camilo has been recognized at the Finance for Nature Global Summit in Edinburgh ‘19 and by the New York Forest Declaration at the UNGA ‘18 for facilitating the transition to a Regenerative Economy. He is the Founding Partner at Banca Sostenible and former advisor to IDBs Natural Capital Lab & WBs Connect4Climate Multi Donor Trust Fund in Wahington DC. In 2019 he joined the Natural Capital Lab at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC, where he advised on finance innovation and public policy for biodiversity and climate. In 2017 he Co-Founded the Sustainable Investment Bank for the Pacific Alliance (Banca de Inversión Sostenible) after consulting for the World Bank as Outreach & Liaison for Latin America on the Multi Donor Trust Fund - Connect4Climate, and having acted as Country Director on the Impact Investing Fund of the Nobel Peace Prize Prof. Muhammad Yunus – Yunus Negocios Sociales Colombia. In 2015 he was awarded the Global Competitiveness Leadership Scholarship at Georgetown University for his international record as Conscious Entrepreneur and Social Disruptor, having co-founded Agua SIEMBRA ‘15 and TECHO Colombia ’07. Camilo has lectured at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, and acted as keynote speaker at global summits like the GSMA Mobile 360 Latin America, where he presented to world leaders in the mobile sector about the use of blockchain and crypto currencies for climate finance, and at the G20 Global Business Workshop on opportunities with the Base of the Pyramid, among others. Currently he supports several of the National Advisory Boards for Impact Investing across Latin America and acts as consultant and board member for several conscious companies.
Michael Ventura, Chair
Michael is an accomplished entrepreneur and creative director. In 2005, Michael founded Sub Rosa, a multi-disciplinary studio that provides strategic, design, and implementation solutions. Sub Rosa’s clients include a variety of Fortune 500 companies, as well as some of the world’s most progressive start-ups. As CEO, Michael is responsible for setting and cultivating the organization’s vision, culture and growth. Michael has served as a board member and adviser to a variety of organizations including Behance, Burning Man Project, The Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Friends of +POOL, and now, Tribal Link Foundation. A dynamic writer and lecturer, Michael is frequently engaged as an adviser to entrepreneurs and leaders of some of the largest corporations across the globe. He is also an adjunct professor at Princeton University where he teaches design thinking and how to integrate empathy into the creative process. Outside of this work, Michael and his wife Caroline have co-founded the New York-based retail experience Calliope, as well as its adjoining gallery And&And. In his personal time, Michael is an active practitioner of eastern and Indigenous medicine, often leading workshops on how to bring these powerful traditions into a modern life and workplace.
Laura Yawanawa (Yawanawa)
Bio to come
Tashka Yawanawa (Yawanawa)
Bio to come
STAFF
ANDY WANNING, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Andy has been working with Tribal Link in various roles since 1998, from interning while Tribal Link helped organize the program for the UN International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples to serving as Administrative Officer, and everything in between. A life-long environmentalist, he was first taught the importance of Indigenous traditions and knowledge at a Waldorf school in Blue Hill, Maine, and further developed this interest studying Anthropology & Sociology at Lafayette College, completing a thesis on Indigenous religious practices. He graduated with a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at Columbia University’s Earth Institute while working as a Senior Program Officer at the University. He also served as the Project Coordinator for the Climate Ribbon, a global arts project designed to inspire action on the climate crisis. Previously, Andy spent a year in Costa Rica teaching English with WorldTeach. He enjoys ultimate frisbee, biking, hiking, soccer, and photography. He also produces live music events featuring talented musicians from around the world.