William N. Kostka

Micronesia Trust Fund Executive Director
GLISPA Fiscal Host

William is the co-founder of both the the Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP) and the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT), fiscal host of GLISPA. He presently serves as Executive Director, Micronesia Conservation Trust and was the Co-coordinator of PIMPAC (2006 – 2009) and Co- coordinator, IUCN-WPCA Marine Program for Micronesia. He has over twenty years in senior executive positions as well as extensive experience in non-profit management, conservation financing and endowments, organizational capacity development and mentoring, fund raising, conservation, strategic planning, community outreach and empowerment, and government relations. William is the recipient of the Pew Marine Fellowship, the world’s most prestigious marine conservation fellowship, The Conde Nest Environment Award, US Coral Reef Task Force Award, and the US EPA Pacific Islands Environment Award.

William Kostka joined the Board in July 2020, upon signing a fiscal host agreement with GLISPA.

Dr. Spencer Thomas

Grenada’s Ambassador and Special Envoy for Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Prime Minister’s Representative
GLISPA Treasurer

Dr. Spencer Thomas, Grenada’s Ambassador and Special Envoy for Multilateral Environmental Agreements is the country’s lead negotiator for climate change and biodiversity. He is a former Financial Secretary and Economic Policy Adviser in the Ministry of Finance, Grenada. Dr Thomas served on the Bureau of the Convention of Biodiversity and as Chairman of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice. He also served as Regional Councillor of IUCN and as a Vice President of IPBES. Dr Thomas has over 25 years of experience in the area of biodiversity diplomacy.

H.E. Hersey Kyota

Palau Ambassador to the United States
GLISPA Board Chair 
President's Representative Member

Hersey Kyota was appointed as Palau’s Ambassador to the United States in November 1997. In 2015, as Washington D.C.’s longest serving ambassador he was appointed as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and is responsible for representing the Washington diplomatic corps at major functions such as the State of the Union.

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador [JR1] on November 12th, 1997, Ambassador Kyota conducted legal research from 1981 to 1984 for the Palau House of Delegates. From 1985 to 1988, he served as chief clerk in the Palau National Congress for the Palau House of Delegates. His position as Director of the House of Legal Counsels’ Office from 1989 to 1990 was followed by his service as a senator in the Palau National Congress from 1990 to 1996. H.E. Kyota also sat on the Board of Directors for the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures from 1992 to 1996.

Ambassador Kyota received both a bachelor’s (1977) and Master’s (1979) degree in Art from the International University of San Diego. He and his wife are the proud parents of five children. Ambassador Kyota has a passion for fishing and a demonstrated commitment to building a sustainable and resilient future for islands globally.

Ambassador Kyota was appointed Chair of the Global Island Partnership Board during its annual meeting in Turin, Italy in October 2015. He was re-appointed for a second term in October 2017.

Email: chair@glispa.org

Hon. Josh Tenorio

Lieutenant Governor, Guam
Governor General’s Representative 

The Honorable Joshua “Josh” Franquez Tenorio is the 10th elected Lieutenant Governor of Guam. He is an experienced administrator with a demonstrated history of managing large organizations in both the public and private sectors. Since taking office in January 2019, Lt. Governor Tenorio has spearheaded efforts that embrace sustainable development; reduce homelessness and poverty; expand drug and alcohol treatment programs, and improve the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. He is the Co-Chairperson of the Guam Green Growth (G3) Steering Committee.

As the first LGBTQ person to be elected Lt. Governor in the United States, he advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion and is a founding member of the non-profit, Equality Guam. After graduating from the Guam Community College Vocational High School, Lt. Governor Tenorio served as Speaker of the 17th Guam Youth Congress. He earned a B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Guam. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management at the National Center for State Courts and is a certified court manager and executive.

His many awards and honors include the 2021 NLGA Energy and Environmental Stewardship Award, presented in partnership with the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) and Baker Hughes. Lt. Governor Tenorio resides in the southern village of Talofofo but was raised in the central village of Sinajana by his parents, the late Jesus Atoigue Tenorio, a retired telephone man; and Therese Taitano Franquez Tenorio, a retired school teacher. His late grandfather, Jose Cruz Franquez, was his role model.

Ariane Steins-Meier

Vice President, Global Development, Rare
Chair, GLISPA Growth Committee

Ariane leads Rare's climate change policy work globally, with a goal to advancing existing and building new partnerships with public and institutional funders. Given Rare’s focus on empowering local communities to better protect and manage their natural resources, Ariane has also built a network of partners from academia and practice to strengthen behavior change approaches within conservation together with the Stockholm Environmental Institute. 

Between 2011 and 2015, Ariane has been the lead of TNC’s global efforts around with the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) and streamlining TNC’s work in the CBD and UNFCCC conventions with the common goal to strengthen the role of natural solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Before engaging in the international UN processes, Ariane has worked at the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation in Bonn in the Department of Society and Sustainability as well as public relations (2002 until 2003) and as a senior policy advisor for biodiversity at the parliamentary group of the German Green Party in the German Bundestag (2005 until 2009).

Trina Leberer

Director of Pacific Regional Partnerships,
The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
GLISPA Advisor

Trina has lived on the island of Guam since 1994. She has an MSc in Biology from the University of Guam Marine Laboratory and a BA in Environmental, Populational and Organismic Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Before joining The Nature Conservancy in 2004, Trina worked for the Guam Department of Agriculture’s Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources for seven years as a biologist, Fisheries Supervisor, and Acting Chief. Trina began her career with TNC as the Marine Conservation Coordinator for the Micronesia Program, and then served several years as the Micronesia Program Director and Pacific Division Director. She became the Director of Pacific Regional Partnerships in January 2021 and in this role, oversees TNC’s engagement with key regional partners to advance large-scale conservation initiatives in the Pacific Islands region, helping to identify and pursue emerging public funding opportunities, especially those associated with the US Government’s investments in Micronesia.

Celeste Connors

CEO, Hawai’i Local2030 Hub
GLISPA Advisor on High-impact initiatives

Celeste Connors has twenty years of experience working at the intersection of economic, environment, energy, and international development policy. Before joining the Hawai'i Local2030 Hub (formerly Hawai‘i Green Growth) she was CEO and co-founder of cdots development LLC, which works to build resilient infrastructure systems and services in vulnerable communities. Celeste previously served as the Director for Environment and Climate Change at the National Security Council and National Economic Council in the White House where she helped shape the Administration’s climate and energy policies, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Prior to joining the White House, Celeste served as a diplomat in Saudi Arabia, Greece, and Germany. She also held positions at the U.S. Mission to the UN, served as the Climate and Energy Advisor to the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, and worked for City of New York.

Celeste is a Senior Adjunct Fellow at the East-West Center and was a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in the Energy, Resources and Environment Program. She holds an MSc in Development Studies from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a BA in International Relations from Tufts University. Celeste has served on numerous boards including her current service on Hawaiian Electric Industries, the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience at the University of Hawaii and Icebreaker One. She previously served on the Board of America’s Service Commissions, the IUCN World Conservation Congress National Host Committee, and was a Term Member on the Council on Foreign Relations. Celeste grew up in Kailua, O‘ahu.

Janaka de Silva

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Senior Programme Coordinator, Ocean Team, Centre for Conservation Action
GLISPA Advisor

Dr. Janaka De Silva specializes in Marine and Coastal issues. His experience includes working in the Government, Academic and Non-Profit sectors and has included, designing, implementing and managing ecosystem based programs that integrate forests, watersheds and marine systems, providing advice on species management to governing bodies and developing and implementing results based monitoring at program and project level scales.
He currently manages IUCN`s Global Plastic Portfolio  “Closing the Plastic Tap” that is being implemented in 11+ countries that advances knowledge and takes action to address the impact of plastic waste and leakage on the marine environment. Janaka also supports the Ocean Teams programme of work on Ocean Multistressors and Sustainable Blue Economy.

Yabanex "Yaba" Batista

Deputy Head, UN Global Team,
Global Fund for Coral Reefs
GLISPA Advisor

Yaba Baptista is Deputy Head of the UN Global Team for the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR). He has over 20 years of experience, and has focused his career on sustainable financing, government relations and policy, protected areas and climate change adaptation, and Multilateral Environmental Agreements. His extensive experience includes leading and implementing projects and initiatives across SIDS, LAC, and Africa. Prior to joining GFCR, Yaba was the CEO for the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund where he led the Fund's activities for over 7 years. Previous experience includes working for the German Government Technical Cooperation Agency in Mexico, The Nature Conservancy’s International Government Relations Department and Europe Office, the World Bank-GEF Unit, the United States Geological Survey, and the Amazon Environmental Research Institute in Brazil. He holds an MA in International Relations and Environmental Policy.

Karolin Troubetzkoy

Executive Director, Marketing and Operations of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts, St. Lucia.
GLISPA Advisor

Karolin Troubetzkoy’s extensive experience in tourism management has seen her rise to the very top of her profession, serving as President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) from January 2016 - June 2018. She was only the second woman to serve as President in CHTA’s 50+ year history.

In Jan 2019, she was appointed Envoy to the Caribbean Challenge Initiative to bring awareness and build up resilience of the marine and coastal resources in the Caribbean. In July 2020, she accepted the Chairmanship of the Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund and in this capacity, has joined the board of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund.

Now joining the GLISPA family, Karolin will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from the private sector and non-profit arena, boosting our work and outreach, and forging closer ties with our Caribbean membership.