Our Team
TELE is a collaborative effort led by a team of experts in forestry practices and targeted marketing. Learn more about the people that manage the project.
Katherine Hollins, Program Director
Katherine Hollins is the Program Director for the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She facilitates Tools for Engaging Landowners Effectively workshops throughout the U.S. along with the SFFI team, tracks the team’s progress, provides ongoing assistance to participants, and ensures SFFI continues to support natural resource professionals through the development of new tools, resources, and activities. Katherine has a background in science communications, managing multi-partner collaborative efforts focused on non-native species, and conducting on-the-ground management of nature preserves. She has an MS in Natural Resources and the Environment from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Virginia.
Purnima Chawla, Targeted Marketing Consultant
Purnima Chawla is the Founder and Director of the Center for Nonprofit Strategies. She is the social marketing specialist on the TELE team. Her work at the Center focuses on helping social sector organizations translate visionary ideas into practical strategies for changing the behavior of individuals, organizations, and communities. She has provided marketing, programmatic and management counsel to a wide variety of social sector organizations including educational institutions, advocacy organizations, health and human services organizeations, social entrepreneurs, foundations and coalitions. Purnima has a PhD in Social Psychology from Columbia University.
Cassidy Dellorto-Blackwell, Program Specialist
Cassidy Dellorto-Blackwell is the Program Specialist for the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She works on the TELE and Women Owning Woodlands projects facilitating workshops, developing practical resources, conducting research, and providing logistical and organizational support. Cassidy has a Master of Science degree in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan where she studied environmental psychology and conservation ecology. Her interests lie in understanding how individuals perceive and define their relationships to place and environment and how that personal context contributes to conservation behavior.
Ravi Singh, Project Consultant
Ravi Singh, co-founder of the Center for Nonprofit Strategies, has over two decades of professional experience as a researcher, evaluator and strategist. He provides research and marketing advice for TELE and contributes to TELE materials and workshops. At the Center for Nonprofit Strategies, he leads research and analysis to uncover insights to shape client strategies. He has an MA in Mass Communications from Bowling Green State University and has undertaken advanced graduate work at Columbia University.
Brett Butler, Research Director
Brett Butler, Research Director for the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative, has worked for the USDA Forest Service since 1998. In 2000, he joined the Forest Inventory and Analysis program at the Northern Research Station where he co-directs the Family Forest Research Center and coordinates the National Woodland Owner Survey (NWOS). Brett is responsible for gathering and presenting the NWOS landowner data in a meaningful way. He has a BS in Natural Resource Management and Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Forest Science from Oregon State University.
Ben Walter, Program Coordinator
Ben is the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative’s Program Coordinator. He works closely with the entire team to assist with financial management, communications, and travel. Before coming to SFFI, Ben worked in the Business Office at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Clark University.
Abigail Chan, Research Assistant
Abigail Chan is the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative Research Assistant for the Women Owning Woodlands program. She works to assist in efforts to develop resources in collaboration with SFFI’s partners for the network of professionals pursuing work around women landowners. Abigail is a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) candidate at the Yale School of Forestry where she will pursue the Ecosystems, Land Conservation, and Management specialization. Her focus while at FES is examining how best to engage stakeholders in private land management and understanding the effect private management plans have on public lands in the United States. She also holds a B.S. in Environmental Science and B.A. in Environmental Thought and Practice from the University of Virginia.
Melanie Jones, Research Assistant
Melanie Jones is a Research Assistant for the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative. She assists with data management and is creating an Access database to improve SFFI’s monitoring and evaluation efforts. She also interviews Tools for Engaging Landowners Effectively (TELE) workshop attendees to write case studies about the meaningful impact TELE has had on their conservation efforts.
Melanie is a second-year Master of Environmental Science candidate at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Her research focuses on the status and potential future of ecotourism in post-crisis Cuba and Puerto Rico. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, GIS, and Conservation Biology from the University of Arizona. Her other academic interests include Small Island Developing States, conservation, tourism, and resiliency.