Luiz Rodrigues, Executive Director

Education

Luiz Rodrigues grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and immigrated to the United States in 1979 to continue his Bachelors degree in Biological Oceanography at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Later on he obtained his Masters degree in Freshwater Biology at the University of California Santa Barbara. At this university, he studied the ecology of freshwater systems at the Amazon Rainforest basin, and initiated his studies in coral reef biology and ecology while on a research expedition throughout the Caribbean and Bermuda.

History

Luiz Rodrigues’ interest and commitment to environmental preservation dates back to his high school years when he discovered his passion for marine science.

In 1991, Luiz relocated to Key West, where he worked as a volunteer for Reef Relief, a local coral reef preservation nonprofit, and taught SCUBA diving at a local dive shop. While in Key West, he also developed and taught an introductory course on the Florida Keys Coral Reef Ecosystem (www.reefrelief.org) at the Florida Keys Community College. Today, this course is utilized by Reef Relief as part of their free Teacher’s Kit on coral reef preservation and it is utilized by several nonprofits throughout the Caribbean.

In 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Luiz represented Reef Relief at the United Nations Earth Summit and Global Forum, and conducted a seminar on sustainable tourism in Brazil.

In 1993, Luiz returned to Santa Cruz and got involved with another local non-profit, Ecology Action (www.ecoact.org), one of California’s oldest and most active grassroots environmental organizations. At Ecology Action he helped implement the Earth Teams Program, a community oriented program that strives to minimize environmental impact on Earth; and worked for the California Used Motor Oil Recycling Program and the Business Waste Reduction Program.

During the following five years, he also worked for International Health Programs, IHP (www.ihp.org), a 35 years old nonprofit organization dedicated to training professionals of developing countries on important health and environmental issues. At IHP he worked side-by-side with the agency’s head of the AIDS prevention program, Ms. Ruth Mota, his mentor and guide. Together they trained over 500 foreign professionals, especially in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention, at training centers in Latin America and Africa, as well as at the agency’s institute in Santa Cruz, California.

One of Luiz’ main achievements at IHP, was the development and implementation of a training program for environmental professionals from developing countries: “Environment and Population: Problems and Practical Solutions”. This four-week workshop addressed the impact of overpopulation and overconsumption on the environment, their subsequent effect on health and quality of life of communities, and discussed some practical solutions, which could be easily implemented.

Since Mr. Rodrigues’ relocation to Miami Beach in 2000, he has been actively involved with local environmental issues, was elected to the Beach Preservation Committee for the city of Miami Beach, where he volunteered his services for five years and, as of September 2001, ECOMB’s new Executive Director.

Presently, he also runs an for-profit green consulting company, Eco-Logical Solutions, serves on the Board for the Sustainability Committee for the City of Miami Beach, for the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Sustainable Business Council, for the Greater Miami & the Beaches Hotel Association Green Hospitality Council and, more recently, for the Green Committee for the City of Miami.

Any questions? Email Luiz for the answers

Jeffrey D. Forster, President of the Board of Trustees

A respected corporate leader, Mr. Forster brings with him over 20 years of experience in a broad range of corporate and transactional matters. In addition to serving as the President of ECOMB’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Forster serves as President and CEO of YouBlast Global, Inc, a publicly traded corporation. Prior to this, Mr. Forster was founder and CEO of Park Avenue Capital, a financial communication and consulting firm specializing in small capitalization for public and private companies located in New York City. He has also launched Park Avenue Technology, an information technology consulting firm in South Florida that delivers both hardware and software solutions to a range of industries.

Mr. Forster was the founder and principal of Forster Graphics, Inc. – a multi-media advertising firm specializing in media placement and consumer product promotion. He was also the founder and managing director of City Realty AM, Inc. – a real estate consulting and development company which has over its 16-year history participated in the management, co-invested and/or developed over 2 million square feet of commercial and residential property throughout the United States. Mr. Forster holds a B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Ithaca College in New York.

Michael Laas, Director / Secretary

Michael is a Miami Beach resident who is passionate about his community.  He was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and was raised overseas in Saudi Arabia, Japan, Kuwait, and Texas. He attended the University of Miami for Bachelors and Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering.

Michael is an environmental engineer working at Gannett Fleming, Inc. as their South East Sustainability Director. Gannett Fleming is a multidisciplinary engineering design firm with over 2,500 employees nationwide. He is also the founder of Environmental Creative Solutions, a corporate sustainability-consulting firm. Michael is a LEED Associate professional and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Michael’s love for his community isseen by the numerous non-profit organizations he founded and serves on. He is a current board member and former board President of ECOMB (Environmental Coalition of Miami and the Beaches), current board member and former Chairman of the Miami Surfrider  Chapter, Co-Founder and Board Vice President of Sails for Sustenance (a Haitian non-profit organization), and Co-Founder and Board Member of the Miami Surf Archive Project (a local non-profit). Michael is a member of the New World Symphony’s Friends Executive Committee, MOCA’s Leadership Circle, MAM Young Contemporary and Community Partnership for the Homeless Next-Gen.

Recently, Michael was honored by Miami Modern Luxury Magazine as a Modern Hispanic Gentleman and by Social Miami as Young Business Leader. His most recent accomplishments include the successful launch of the Miami Surf Archive Project, which raised over $4,000 for a new Miami-Beach non-profit. He also is the Co-Director of ECOMB’s Cinema Green Environmental Film Series and Co-Founder of the Miami & the Beaches Environmental Film Festival. Keep up the good work Michael!

Maura Reilly, Program / Office Manager

Coming Soon…