Benjamin Caldwell Email & Phone Number

Pasadena, Ca, Us

My team leads delivery of environment and natural resources management services for USAID, MCC, and other clients. We source, position, and design growth opportunities for the sector. Our approach blends the best science with participatory processes and market driven solutions to effect desired change for our clients and stakeholders. Our focus is on terrestrial and marine management and conservation, water resources governance and management, and marine plastic pollution abatement. Active projects in more than twenty countries.

Little Rock, Arkansas, Us

I led the Forestry and Natural Resource Management team at Winrock. My team and I ensured Winrock's global portfolio of forestry and natural resource management projects are implemented to the highest standard; developed, tested, and scaled innovations to achieve the best delivery possible for our clients; and secured new business for the strategic growth of the organization.Key Achievements:- Led an assessment and developed a strategy focused on the growth of Winrock's climate change and land use portfolio, identifying and segmenting key donors, geographies, and technical arenas where Winrock was competitive- Under my leadership, team increased value of submitted proposals under clients' consideration (pipeline) by 400% in a year's time and opportunities under capture by 500% by dollar value.Personally led capture and proposal development for two successful opportunities worth more than USD 30 million:- Lead technical writer, USDA climate smart agriculture Malawi https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/international/topic/malawi-market-transitions-new-growth-opportunities- Capture lead and lead technical writer, USAID India Strengthening Landscape Management and Conservation https://winrock.org/project/protecting-biodiversity-and-supporting-critical-ecosystems-in-india/

Rome, Lazio, It

As the planted forests officer, I was responsible for leadership in FAO’s work on planted forests and plantations. Consulted, coordinated and collaborated with experts worldwide to produce consensus on and documentation of global good practices for planted forests and forest landscape restoration and used technical exchange and development assistance to ensure uptake of these good practices. I was Lead technical officer and HQ Technical Officer on German and GEF-funded projects in Malawi on forest landscape restoration and climate change mitigation worth about 10 million dollars and headquarters lead technical officer on global forestry projects worth more than 20 million USD. I was a steering committee member of Teaknet http://www.teaknet.org/Key Achievements:• As IPC Secretary, led work of the Secretariate in facilitation of a historic reform and revitalization of the IPC, a treaty-based body on forestry. Working with the Chairperson and the steering committee, ensured participation in the vote of member countries to revise the IPC Convention, developed a vision, and created a strategy for work while organizing the IPC quadrennial meeting in FAO with the government of Italy (https://www.fao.org/ipc/en/).• Development of a training program that enables small tree farmers to aggregate, grade, and sell their trees, improving the enabling environment for businesses through farmers associations. This improves their access to timber markets and negotiation position with buyers. https://www.fao.org/3/cb4905en/cb4905en.pdf• Contributions to FAO flagship reports and materials such as the SFM toolbox https://www.fao.org/sustainable-forest-management/toolbox/modules/forest-restoration/basic-knowledge/en/ the Global Forest Resource Assessment 2020 https://www.fao.org/3/ca9825en/ca9825en.pdf and the State of the World's Forests 2020 https://www.fao.org/3/ca8642en/ca8642en.pdf• Program design and new business development: https://www.fao.org/3/cb6813en/cb6813en.pdf

Pasadena, Ca, Us

Execution of a USAID-funded project focused on establishing best practices for management of healthy, sustainable and productive ecosystems. I had technical and management responsibilities as the Deputy Chief of Party and the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation specialist.Key Achievements:- Led an assessment and methodology design of the economic benefits of community-based forest enterprises; the methodology was then adopted and replicated by the client and used in design of future investmentshttps://www.climatelinks.org/resources/productive-landscapes-assessment-critical-enabling-conditions-community-based-forestry- Led the design of the first national forest inventory for Malawi, which was implemented in 2019https://cepa.rmportal.net/Library/inbox/national-forest-inventory-2018-report/at_download/file- Secured more than 30 million dollars for my employer in revenue, leading competitive proposals to USAID for investments in Peru and India

Pasadena, Ca, Us

I was responsible for the overall implementation and successful close of the USAID India Forest Partnership for Land Use Science Project (Forest-PLUS), a 4.5 million USD/year program focused on sustainable forest management and payment for nature-based solutions for climate change mitigation (REDD+). Led a team of more than 40 persons.Company won the follow-on project based on our work and my ideas for the next phase.Key achievements:- Development of two innovative partnership models between the public and private sector for sustainable land use; more than USD $12 million in co-finance attracted by Forest-PLUS- Agriculture and forest management plans developed for more than 1 million hectares in three States; - More than 9,800 persons trained; - A robust body of software, reports, and other tools for sustainable forest management produced and placed in the public domainhttps://www.climatelinks.org/resources/partnership-land-use-science-forest-plus-accomplishments-scalable-approaches-future

Pasadena, Ca, Us

A key player in the entire business cycle, from sourcing new work to technical implementation. Workload was a mix of business development, project management, and technical consulting. Typically I was working on two projects and several business opportunities at any given time, as well as consulting to other existing projects. Major clients were USAID and the World Bank.- New business development: in 2014 -2016, led technical writing or partnership arrangements for four proposals. The company won three of the four contracts, with a total contract ceiling value of 36 million USD over five years.- Project Management: home office project manager for 1. USAID Malawi PERFORM, a five-year sustainable forest management project, and 2. a five-year global natural resource management project, ProLand, based in Washington D.C. and focused on evidence collection and communication. Total value managed approximately 4 million USD a year.- Technical consulting: climate change mitigation and adaption (land use), fisheries catch documentation and traceability, auditing, data analysis and visualization, and assessment design and implementation.

Berkeley, California, Us

Due diligence, advisory services, and risk management in the forestry and climate change mitigation market (for REDD+, nature based solutions).Key achievements:- Co-founder of a company that grew 400% in a four-year period. - EpCarbon was involved in more than 50 percent of all initiatives in its core market during that period. - co-developed two carbon accounting methodologies used in investments in Africa and Latin America- In four years, work led directly to the conservation and sustainable management of 1,317,932 hectares of forested watersheds worldwide (an area about .6 the size of Wales).

Berkeley, Ca, Us

Commissioned to research forested ecosystems, my dissertation research was on coast redwood and quaking aspen forests in California. Specifically, I used an economic framework to explain how these species invest scarce resources. Focused on ecology, conservation, management, and carbon sequestration, and the use of novel technologies for root biomass mensuration. Secured highly competitive grant funding from the National Science Foundation to fund work.

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Designed, organized, and carried out development projects in agroforestry, soil conservation, and nutrition that reached over 3000 farmers in rural Paraguay. In association with Paraguayan CSOs, facilitated conferences and workshops empowering Paraguayan professionals in environmental education and planning for development.

Ph.D., Environmental Science, Policy, And Management

Masters Of Forestry, Forestry

B.A., Environmental Science, Biology, Anthropology