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.
BRETT BUTLER, CO-DIRECTOR
Brett Butler 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). He has served on the management team of the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative since it was started in 2004, and assumed leadership of the TELE program in 2019. 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.
Purnima Chawla, CO-DIRECTOR
Purnima is the founder and principal of the Center for Nonprofit Strategies, a firm that works to strengthen the impact of the social sector. She has provided marketing, programmatic and management counsel to a wide variety of nonprofits, government agencies, foundations and coalitions. She joined the TELE team in 2008 and has co-led the program since 2018. Purnima has a PhD in Social Psychology from Columbia University.
SARAH BUTLER, PROGRAM MANAGER
Sarah Butler is the Program Manager for the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative. She focuses on scaling up the Tools for Engaging Landowners Effectively (TELE) process to a more regional level, increasing the impact of the program across key landscapes and conservation issues. Extending TELE’s reach is a critical next step in family forest owner outreach across the country. Sarah has a background in forest ecology as well as family forest owner research. She has a MS in Forest Ecology from the University of Maine and a BS in Environmental Science from Indiana University, and she has worked with the Family Forest Research Center since 2013.
HALEY HUANG, PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Haley is the Program Coordinator for the Sustaining Family Forests Initiative. She assists in the planning and logistics related to TELE workshops and works closely with the entire team to facilitate communications, financial management, and travel. Before joining SFFI, Haley was a research assistant with the Family Forest Research Center. She holds a B.S. in Biology from UMass Amherst.
RAVI SINGH, SOCIAL MARKETING 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.