Cofounders

Bryan Ausinheiler is a permaculturalist, naturalist, and bamboo builder who has lived with his family in Madroño since 2020. He grew up in the temperate zone but developed a fascination with the tropical rainforest at a young age. He studied tropical ecology and permaculture in nature preserves in the Choco and Amazon forests of Ecuador and in farms in Costa Rica, Hawaii, and Panama. His passion has also taken him to the rainforests of  Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Thailand and the Caribbean, observing and interviewing in search of ways to live more harmoniously with nature. He works as a physical therapist and personal trainer online to finance his family’s life and permaculture farm, Finca Ficus. You can follow him on Instagram @JungleFamilyPanama or Youtube @JungleFamilyPanama

Jean Carlos Vigil, grandson of the first migrants to Mamoní. Jean Carlos specialized in autotronics and worked as a mechanic before graduating from the University of Panama with a degree in Computer Science in 2023. He has been a fervent participant in student movements, and has played a crucial role in the construction of courts nationwide in collaboration with the international nonprofit "Courts for Kids". He actively participates in activities with children from low-income communities and hard-to-reach areasa do is dedicated to improving the quality of life of those less privileged across Panama.

Jessica Ausinheiler is a mother, educator, and community organizer who has lived in Madrono, Panama since 2020. She is a Peruvian-American who started her career documenting youth leadership movements in the West Bank of Israel / Palestine and spent the last decade with the Monitor Institute by Deloitte partnering with large donors and supporting social entrepreneurs. She has expertise in multi-stakeholder engagement, strategy & operations, and evaluation & learning. After birthing two children, Jessica decided to shift her passions for the outdoors into a professional commitment to sustainable conservation. Jessica is a  graduate of Princeton University and the Harvard Kennedy School, and is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship in Madroño, Panama. You can follow her on Instagram @StartThemEarly.

Ramiro Alberto Camargo Vega, among the first residents of Madroño. Currently lives in Las Margaritas with his wife.

Community Participation

Our founders are founding members and/or current residents of Madroño and Mamoní. Our life in community, community programming, and participation in community meetings across the upper Mamoni River valley enables Amigos del Bosque to identify blind-spots and it informs our priorities. We regularly coordinate with elected community leaders in El Valle de Madroño, La Zahína, Mamoní Arriba, and San José de Madroño to make sure that community voice shows up in our priorities, our decisions, and our evolution over time.

Additional Advisors

  • Don Derosby, USA, systems thinking expert with over 30 years experience in nonprofit strategy and fiscal sponsorship, former Madroño volunteer

  • Luis Rodriguez, Panama, reporter focused on the Chepo region, native of Madroño

  • Mariana Bandera, USA, founder of the rite of passage / legacy storytelling initiative Passages, anthropologist and entrepreneur focused on community empowerment, experience living in Madroño as a Geoversity Foundation volunteer

  • Michelle Szejner, Panama, co-author Jardines en Balsas (2022), ethnobotanist and development expert with extensive community-organizing work across Panama, experience with project evaluation in Madroño

Allies

We collaborate with community leaders, government representatives, scientists, businesses, and conservation organizations that are interested in supporting the health of Madrono’s rainforest and communities. Past environmentally-focused collaborators include BioMundi Foundation, Cocobolo Nature Reserve, Geoversity Foundation, KAMINANDO, Mamoni Valley Preserve, and Redlands University. Contact us if you would like to work together on community-based conservation initiatives here on the ground!