Who We Are (In Formation)

Team

Daniel R. Katz

Daniel is the board chair and former President and CEO of the Rainforest Alliance, an organization he co-founded in 1986 at the age of 24. The Rainforest Alliance now operates in over 80 countries worldwide, with a staff of more than 700. Daniel also serves as the Lead Environmental Advisor at The Overbrook Foundation, where he directs environmental philanthropy across areas like biodiversity conservation, sustainable consumption, movement building, and innovation. At Overbrook, he has launched several initiatives, including Catalog Choice, an online service that provides an easy way for millions of users to stop unsolicited catalogs from entering their mailboxes. A former Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Fellow, Daniel has worked as a consultant, adviser, and board member for numerous organizations, including People for the American Way, Grist.org, the Gibson Guitar Foundation, and the Nespresso Sustainability Advisory Board. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the editor of two books: Why Freedom Matters: The Spirit of the Declaration of Independence in Prose, Poetry, and Song (Workman) and Tales from the Jungle: A Rainforest Reader (Crown).

Anna Veldman

Anna is an environmental scientist and strategist. She currently works as a Strategic Coordinator in the Office of the CEO at the Rainforest Alliance, supporting organizational planning and impact measurement. She is also a co-founder of the Big Green Tent. Anna brings a quantitative background to her work, grounded in her BSc in Mathematics and previous experience in Earth Observation, including work at NASA and participation in a joint agency think tank study among NASA, NOAA, and USGS. Through her Master of Public Administration degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University, she is trained to bridge the gap between scientific and policy communities. Having lived in four countries, Anna is passionate about bringing together people to develop intergenerational and interdisciplinary solutions to the significant environmental degradation occurring today and to foster genuine collaborative stewardship.

Isabela Valencia

Isabela is a climate advocate, bridge-builder, and storyteller dedicated to elevating the voices and solutions of underrepresented NGOs. She serves as the Environment Fellow at The Overbrook Foundation and Deputy Director of Research at Climate Cardinals, and her experience spans nonprofit leadership, international advocacy, and research in climate policy and finance. She brings a rich cross-cultural perspective, having contributed to global conversations as part of the Philippine national delegation at COP29 in Baku, and through research and fellowship roles across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and beyond. Her work is guided by the vision that philanthropic leadership can and must uplift courageous, overlooked solutions to drive lasting change. She is a recent master's graduate from the Yale School of the Environment and was a Bekenstein Climate Fellow at The Alliance for Climate Transition.

Meet our Current Partners

The Big Green Tent will open its doors in 2026. If you are interested in coming under the tent please get in touch at:

thebiggreentent@gmail.com

  • As our initial funder and partner, the Overbrook Foundation is a key supporter of the Big Green Tent.

    Learn more here

  • As our technology partner, EarthShare is helping us accelerate environmental philanthropy.

    Learn more here