GILBERT BUTLER is the founder of Black River Management Company, formerly Butler Capital Corporation, and a noted environmental philanthropist. Since childhood, Mr. Butler has had a deep appreciation for the natural world and its value to society. He is an accomplished outdoorsman who enjoys extensive travel, kayaking, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and mountaineering.
A graduate of Milton Academy, Harvard College, and Columbia Business School, Mr. Butler was a pioneer in developing alternative investment vehicles for pension funds, endowments, and other institutions. In 1979, after serving as vice-president of the trust and investment division of Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, he co-founded a private equity firm, the Butler Capital Corporation (BCC), which became one of the earliest middle-market buyout companies with subscribed capital of more than $1 billion. Since winding down the firm in 2005 Mr. Butler has used his business acumen to further his philanthropic endeavors, with the intention of creating a lasting legacy for the organizations and geographies he values.
TONY GRASSI chairs the board of directors of the Butler Conservation, Inc and a past-chairman of the board of the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and former managing director of Crédit Suisse First Boston. He has served on the boards of TNC’s Connecticut and Maine chapters and is a former chairman of the board of American Rivers and past-president of the Wilton (Connecticut) Land Conservation Trust. Mr. Grassi is also a founder and board member of Horizons National Student Enrichment Program. He has a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
ILDIKO BUTLER who shares with her husband, Gilbert Butler, a dedication to environmental causes, is an amateur photographer. She participated in several group shows. Born in Hungary, she left her native country with her family during the 1956 Revolution, and has lived in the United States since that time. She has an undergraduate degree from Fordham University, and a M.S. From the International Center of Photography/New York University.
DANA BEACH founded the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League in 1989. Today CCL is recognized as one of the most successful state-level conservation groups in the country. Mr. Beach graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, working in New York City before moving to Charleston. He is a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest honor, and in 1998 was named one of ten Heroes for the Planet by Time magazine’s Time for Kids.
KRISTINE McDIVITT TOMPKINS is a conservationist and former CEO of Patagonia, Inc. After her retirement in 1993, she and her late husband, Douglas Tompkins (founder of The North Face and Esprit), devoted themselves full-time to conservation initiatives, working to create new national parks in Chile and Argentina. Together they have protected over 2.2 million acres—more than any other private individuals in the world. In 2000, Ms. Tompkins created Conservación Patagónica, which is now working to create the Patagonia National Park in southern Chile. A California native, Ms. Tompkins is a graduate of the College of Idaho.
