Francis Scolt has been involved with Friends of WOTR since its inception in 2009 as the American Friends of WOTR and as its President from 2020. After visiting the rural projects of WOTR in India, he remains committed to helping the parent organization achieve its vision. He has served as treasurer of AFOW and in this capacity has advised the organization on its financial and regulatory filings.

He is a Chartered Professional Accountant , CA in Ontario, Canada and Certified Public Accountant in Illinois, USA . His past experience includes advising corporations, partnerships, non -profit organizations, trust and individuals on their tax compliance and planning needs. He currently advises corporations on mergers and acquisitions.

He is passionate about providing voluntary financial and tax advice to grass root non profit organizations to help them achieve their program goals.

Professor Ramya Ramanath is Associate Professor at DePaul University’s School of Public Service (SPS). She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning from Virginia Tech’s School of Public and International Affairs. She also has a Master’s in social work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai.

Her current research projects are spread over three continents and draw on disciplinary perspectives in urban sociology, anthropology, and political science. In particular, they demonstrate a primary interest in the decision-making behavior of international and domestic NGOs as they participate in within-sector and cross-sector collaborations to deliver human services. Her research is forthcoming or has appeared in Evaluation and Program Planning, Voluntary Sector Review, The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, Sage Reference Publication on Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations and Public Voices.

As faculty and chair of the Masters in International Public Service degree at DePaul University, Ramanath teaches courses on the management of international nongovernmental organizations, sustainable international development, cross-sector analysis, international dimensions of public service and policy implementation. She has led numerous study abroad programs for DePaul students to study the programs of the Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR).

Dr. David Ehrlich is former President of AFOW (2017-2020) and has been associated with it since its founding. He is an Adjunct Lecturer & Teaching Merit Award winner (2022) at Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He proposed, designed, & teaches the school’s first graduate course focused solely on Climate Change Policy. He is the former Clinical Assistant Professor of Environmental Management and Public Administration at the Stuart School of Business. He also chaired the Leadership and Policy Studies degree program in the School of Public Service at DePaul University.

Dr. Ehrlich has previously served as a senior analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, where he briefed Members of Congress, congressional committees, and nongovernmental groups on legislation and policy design issues. He co authored reports related to energy and the environment and on innovative policy approaches, as well as on major projects in transportation finance and safety, occupational safety and health, flight training, compensatory education, and military weapons systems. He has also served as a senior legislative assistant to several members of Congress and has consulted on environmental and energy issues. He is one of the co-founders of the Climate Action Museum of Chicago.

Dr. Ron Fernandes is the founder President (2009-2017), of the Friends of WOTR. During his tenure he worked closely with the Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) to support their innovative development programs on climate change adaptation and children’s nutrition.

Dr. Fernandes is the former Assistant Director at the School of Public Service (SPS), DePaul University, Chicago where he was a faculty member for two decades teaching courses in sustainable development, program evaluation, research methods, finance, management, and statistics. His doctorate from Carnegie Mellon is in Public Policy and Management. He has a graduate degree in non-profit and development management from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA).