Abby has worked over twenty years in philanthropy, non-profit and for-profit social ventures, environmental conservation and sustainable community development in developing countries and is excited to bring these perspectives to bear in support of the mission-oriented organizations here in the Pacific Northwest. 

As a philanthropic advisor and formerly with The Lemelson Foundation, Abby helps develop grantmaking strategies and review grant and early-stage impact investment opportunities to catalyze social innovation, entrepreneurship and the launch and growth of triple-bottom line companies in countries such as Ecuador, Peru, India, Indonesia, Kenya and, now, in the Pacific Northwest. A smattering of current and past clients include: Meyer Memorial Trust, the Collins Foundation, IMPAQTO (an accelerator of social enterprises with impact in Ecuador), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Forum on Forests, the Global Social Benefit Institute (one of the world’s longest-running social enterprise accelerators) and the Government of Uruguay. Abby is also on the Advisory Board of Vertue Lab, Oregon’s premier green tech accelerator.

Prior, Abby worked with the United Nations, the World Conservation Union and the Wildlife Conservation Society, primarily to establish and cultivate global multi-stakeholder networks to give voice to those not typically engaged in policy-making and to promote dialogue between civil society (e.g. women, youth, indigenous peoples, etc.) and multilateral government to positively influence global natural resource policy. She holds degrees from Yale and Georgetown, is fluent in English, Spanish and French, with basic knowledge of Portuguese, Italian, Tagalog, Ilocano (Philippine dialects) and Wolof (Sénégal). 

When not trying to beat her email inbox into submission, Abby is growing food in her garden, singing with her family only slightly off key, accompanied by various musical instruments cluttering up her family room, dancing with her husband or finding ways to get outside.