The Board of Directors and Committee of Tropica Verde Present Themselves...

The activities of TROPICA VERDE are based on the voluntary support of all its members. The Board is elected by TROPICA VERDE members and represents their interests.

Michael Ott (born 1962) took over the chairman position of Dr. Stefan Rother on the board elections 2010. Since 1993 he has been the treasurer of TROPICA VERDE and as such responsible for the finances and membership administration. His primary occupation is in the corporate finance department of a major German bank and he follows the activities of TROPICA VERDE since many years.Together with Annekathrin Eppenstein he forms the "double-peak" of the association. He's responsible for the legal organisation of TROPICA VERDE e.V.

Wolfgang Schmitt is economist and worked for 33 years as business teacher at the commercial professional school in Frankfurt. It was the anniversary event of TROPICA VERDE that called his attention and he supports the association since february 2010 actively with the main focus on membership and donation administration. He has been elected to the Association Comittee in April 2010 and was named co-chair in April 2011.

Valerie Speth has been  member of TROPICA VERDE  since 2008 and as treasurer is responsible for the financial department. As a diplomated engineer she works full-time as strategic manager in a company for renewable energy.

Besides his activity as note-taker, Marcus Eichenlaub, as a diplomated engineer for landscaping, takes care for the projects in Costa Rica, especially the reforestation project in Monte Alto. In 2002 he accompanied the project during eight months in line with its diploms thesis. Since this date he is member of TROPICA VERDE and since 2009 member of the board. His primary occupation is the lead of a landscaping company. 

Heiner Jost, a retired highschool teacher, became a member of TROPICA VERDE e.V. in 1995. Since 1996, he has continuously been very active for the association, in the beginning and currently as a panel member and serving as a board member in between. Due to his many visits to Costa Rica he is familiar with that country like no other person of the team and is our Costa Rica expert. The main focus of his activities are the progress and the monitoring of the projects of Tropica Verde, the representation in committees dealing with nature conservation, and public relations in Germany.

Annekathrin Eppenstein, a biologist and high school teacher, has been a member since her visit to the turtle protection project of Gandoca in 1996 and was named co-chair of TROPICA VERDE in 2006. Since April 2011 she is member of the Association Comittee. 

Eva op de Hipt is one of the founding members of TROPICA VERDE. Eva op de Hipt is a biologist and works full-time in the marketing sector of a medical-technology company.

Monika Melisch, a biologist, has been in charge of the information office since 2002 and coordinates the Association's activities. In case you need further information about TROPICA VERDE´s projects, please feel free to contact her.

The diplomated geographer Johanna Kiefer has been working as assistant in the information office since 2008 and supports the association within different departments.