EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


BOARD OF DIRECTORS


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David Klemp
Executive Director


Born and raised in the Triangle, Dave obatined his Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management from North Carolina State University. Before starting Trees for the Triangle, he worked in the City of Raleigh's Urban Forestry Division. He is a Certified Arborist recognized by the International Society of Arboriculture, as well as an Eagle Scout.

Dave@TreesForTheTriangle.org

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Megan Pendell
Chair


Megan presently serves as the Sustainability Specialist for Durham County, a role she assumed after successfully establishing a pioneering sustainability program as the first Sustainability Coordinator for the Town of Apex. Megan is an alumna of NC State University, where she achieved a bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences, minor in Applied Ecology, and Global Perspectives Certificate with a primary focus on climate change & water resources. She brings her diverse skill set, derived from scientific research experiences in South Africa and NC Museum of Natural Sciences to leadership roles in grassroots organizing on college campuses and local communities. Megan is an ardent advocate for numerous community organizations, with a particular passion for supporting Trees for the Triangle.
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Jean-Luc Duval
Vice Chair/Volunteer Coordinator


Current field organizer for Climate Action NC and NC League of Conservation Voters in Raleigh. Before joining the board, Jean-Luc has worked in the nonprofit sector for environmental groups advocating for climate resilience and reforestation policies. With a strong background in volunteer management and event planning, he is excited to recruit a strong roster of tree planters and site evaluators for TftT. He is also a former candidate for Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor in the 2020 election. Outside of tree plantings, you can find Jean-Luc working in his garden, hiking with his dog Laila, or playing his guitar for anyone unfortunate enough to hear.

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Dr. Richard W. Carroll
Grant Coordinator


Known as the ‘Old Silverback’ to many and as Kombete (old man of the forest) to his BaAka friends in the forest of Central Africa, Dr. Richard Carroll completed his Doctor of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies on the ‘Feeding Ecology of lowland gorillas in southwest Central African Republic (CAR)’. After hiking the Appalachian Trail in 1975, Richard went to CAR in 1976 as a Peace Corps Volunteer and worked as a fisheries extension agent for two years, then three years as a wildlife biologist in the far north of CAR studying the status of black rhinos and elephant ecology, funded partially by WWF. While still in the Peace Corps, Richard completed a master’s in biology thesis of the Birds of CAR, including a species list and habitat associations. After PC, Richard joined WWF as Senior Program Officer for Central and West Africa and became the WWF Vice President for Africa and Madagascar. Richard was instrumental in developing the Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas Program in CAR, one of the first Integrated Conservation and Development Programs (ICDP), founded on the principal of bringing together indigenous peoples needs and rights into a conservation program. Dzanga-Sangha helped inform the creation USAID CARPE (Central African Regional Program for the Environment) and following successful central Africa heads of state summits, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) which resulted in 12 large conservation landscape covering 40% of the Congo Basin. DRC was a significant part of Dr. Carroll’s portfolio at WWF and he has visited Lac Tumba and many areas in the country, working with local people, NGOs, and government officials. In addition, Richard helped support Community Based Conservation Programs in Namibia, Tanzania, Madagascar, Cameroon, and others. After a 35-year career in conservation in Africa, Richard retired from WWF in 2014, and turned his attention to his own backyard. Dr. Carroll serves on boards of local and regional environmental groups such as the Eno River Association and the Cary Tree Archive (CTA) and has converted his literal backyard into food production and his home environment to a native plant and pollinator garden habitat.​

Richard helped the create the Lillian Mae Wolcott Carroll Memorial Pollinator Garden at the Cary Tree Archive and serves as an advisor the CTA Program.

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George McDowell
Treasurer/Special Projects Coordinator


George is a former Army officer and retired lawyer. He serves on the Board because he agrees with author Jim Robbins, that “planting trees may be the single most important ecotechnology that we have to put the broken pieces of our planet back together,” and he is moved by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres’s warning that “we are in an environmental crisis and have little time to act before its effects become irreversible.”

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Archana Lamichhane
Member


Dr. Archana P. Lamichhane is a distinguished Environmental Epidemiologist with over 15 years of experience in epidemiology and public health research and programs, both in domestic and international contexts. Her academic journey began with an undergraduate and master’s focus in Environmental Science and Geography/Natural Resource Management. This educational foundation fueled her extensive exploration of the profound impacts of pollution and climate change on both the environment and human health. Archana is a passionate advocate for environmental preservation and sustainability, dedicating her time and expertise to these causes in both her personal and professional life. In the early stages of her career in Nepal, she played an active role in forest and wildlife conservation projects funded by UNEF and GEF. In a personal capacity, she currently mentors a group of high school teens, guiding and inspiring them to engage in various environmental, climate, and sustainability projects. Archana firmly believes in the power of collective effort to safeguard our planet and emphasizes the importance of instilling environmental values and sustainable habits in young people, which can have a long-lasting impact on future citizens and leaders. Professionally, Archana’s current focus is on policy work, where she provides invaluable technical expertise and direction, particularly in the fields of air pollution and climate change epidemiology. Her work informs science policy decisions to protect both human health and the environment. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the Trees for the Triangle initiative, recognizing the comprehensive benefits that trees and vegetation offer for our health, environment, and in combating climate change.
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Latha Kanchi
Member


Latha's background is in veterinary medicine, which she studied in India for her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees. For the past 20 years, she's been working as a research scientist in the field of human genomics. She's always been fascinated by plant biology, one of the first subjects that ignited her passion for science. Latha used to collect and press various plant leaves and flowers for her botany records. She also loved walking in the rice fields with her grandparents, who were dedicated farmers. These experiences taught Latha to value nature and its preservation. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening with her kids and taking long walks in the woods or on the trails with friends. Latha is also a self-taught artist who loves to paint the nature scenes, landscapes and birds that she encounters during her walks. With her diverse skill set and enthusiasm for volunteering for different organizations, Latha is thrilled to join Trees for the Triangle and contribute to various sustainability projects.
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Jeff Benavides
Member


Jeff leads real estate portfolio programs at the U.S. Green Building Council and previously served as Orange County FL first Chief Sustainability & Resilience Officer. Jeff brings Trees for the Triangle dynamic skills in comprehensive plans, environmentally sensitive land acquisition, green infrastructure design, urban agriculture, and reducing urban heat with tree planting programs. Jeff is also the board president for the U.N. accredited NGO, IDEAS for Us that has planted over 60,000 trees and school gardens in 12 countries. Sustainability is truly a 'family business' with his wife, Michelle Benavides-Executive Director of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. Jeff is based in Cary, North Carolina with their future change maker 6 year old!
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Katie Rose Levin
Member


Growing up in woods in the country of North Carolina, she spent her life bringing the woods back into the cities of the Triangle. She is a certified arborist with a double masters in Forestry and Environmental Management. In her professional life she is the Director of Consulting at Leaf & Limb, working to create healthy trees and happy people. She will use her science, policy and advocacy knowledge and experience to further the mission of TftT.