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Fellows
program

The Arapyaú Fellows Program aims to strengthen the Institute’s capabilities by mobilizing networks, generating and sharing knowledge, and supporting leadership.

With diverse backgrounds and unique experiences, the fellows bring their expertise and practical insights to Arapyaú and its partner networks, while also enhancing their leadership within these spaces.

Our
fellows

Cycle 3
2026 to 2027

Adnan Demachki

Lawyer and consultant. He served two terms as mayor of Paragominas (PA) and as Secretary of Economic Development for the state of Pará. Co-founder of the Paragominas Chapter of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Amazon Entrepreneurship Center. He has worked on public policies focused on sustainable development in the Amazon.

Izabella Teixeira

Co-chair of the UN Environment International Panel on Natural Resources, chair of Ambipar’s Global Sustainability Committee, and member of the Board of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). International advisory board member of the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI). She served as Minister of the Environment from 2010 to 2016.

Fernando Sampaio

Agricultural engineer who graduated from ESALQ/USP in 1997 and completed a specialization program at ESA Angers in France. He served as Executive Director of the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association from 2011 to 2016 and as Director of Sustainability from 2023 to 2025. Between 2016 and 2023, he served as Executive Director of the “Produce, Conserve, Include” Strategy, a jurisdictional sustainability initiative of the State of Mato Grosso. He served on the Brazil Climate, Forests, and Agriculture Coalition, where he was a co-facilitator. He also serves as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Tropical Forest Alliance. He is currently Executive Secretary of the Agriculture and Climate Intelligence Network.

Cycle 2
2023 to 2025

Adnan Demachki

Lawyer specializing in Sustainable Economic Development, public policy consultant, and former mayor of Paragominas, recognized for innovative management.

Andréia Coutinho Louback

Journalist and Executive Director of the Brazilian Center for Climate Justice

Izabella Teixeira

Co-chair of the UN International Resource Panel, Chair of the Global Sustainability Committee at Ambipar, and member of the Board of the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

Mariano Cenamo

Social Entrepreneur, Co-founder of Idesam, and CEO of AMAZ Impact Accelerator.

Rodrigo Teles

Social entrepreneur and a complex systems architect with over two decades advancing systemic change.

He lives in southern Bahia with his wife, Letícia, and their four sons—Pedro, Lucas, Beto, and Jorge.

Tasso Azevedo

Forestry engineer, consultant, and social entrepreneur in sustainability, forestry, and climate. General Coordinator of the MapBiomas Network and facilitator of the Conexão Povos da Floresta project.

*Tasso concluded his fellowship at Arapyaú in July 2024.

Vanda Witoto

Executive Director of the Instituto Witoto, educator, climate activist, Indigenous speaker, political leader, and social entrepreneur.

Cycle 1
2021 to 2023

Francisco Gaetani

Professor at FGV. Former General Coordinator of UNDP in Brazil, Project Manager at the State Secretariat for Labor and Social Action in Minas Gerais, Executive Secretary, Deputy Executive Secretary, and Secretary of Management at the Ministry of Planning (MP), and Executive Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment (MMA). Currently, he serves as the Extraordinary Secretary for State Transformation at the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI).

Izabella Teixeira

Co-chair of the UN International Resource Panel, Chair of the Global Sustainability Committee at Ambipar, and member of the Board of the Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

Marcello Brito

Executive Secretary of the Legal Amazon Consortium, member of the IPAM Board, and the Tropical Forest Alliance.

Samela Sateré Mawé
Indígena do povo Sateré Mawé, estudante de Biologia na Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, ativista ambiental, jovem comunicadora na Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (Apib) @apiboficial, e da ANMIGA- Articulação Nacional das Mulheres Indígenas Guerreiras da Ancestralidade.

The Age of Nature

This Brazilian edition of Becoming Nature Positive brings together voices from science, politics, economics, indigenous peoples, and philanthropy, including previously unpublished contributions from Arapyaú fellows and guests, in a vibrant dialogue about possible futures. The book compiles 16 articles that explore new ways of relating to the planet, showing nature as the foundation for just, safe, and sustainable development.

Where to read

Brazil and its Perspectives on The Climate, Digital-Technological and Biological Ages

The work was born from a year of conversations among members of the Arapyaú Institute Fellows Program. Topics covered in the book include environmental and climate imbalances, political tensions and global uncertainties, the need for modernization of the Brazilian state, strategic agendas involving food production, the appreciation of biodiversity with social inclusion, and the leadership of Indigenous peoples.

Where to read

“We are living through a potentially disruptive crisis with nature that will demand a shift in mindset, in our lifestyles, and in the way we promote development and handle freedoms. Therefore, we are not talking about changes in attitude for the future, but for the present.”

Izabella Teixeira

“By reforesting our minds, we will understand the importance of the immaterial, the complexity, and the simplicity of what it means to be and belong.”

Samela Sateré-Mawé

“We know where we are starting from, and we have an intuition about where we want to go. We are in transition, and this is a point that is still rarely discussed.”

Marcello Brito

“The new is here, but it is struggling to emerge. Sometimes we need to shuffle the cards and deal them again, so we can change positions, ideas, and open ourselves to different things.”

Francisco Gaetani

“The discussions among the fellows open new horizons for us to tackle environmental and social challenges in innovative ways.”

Adnan Demachki

“Being a fellow is an opportunity to build bridges between local entrepreneurs and organizations working in conservation and forest restoration chains, especially within such a strong and diverse network as the one Arapyaú has established.”

Mariano Cenamo

“Being part of this building process, as an activist and Indigenous leader, is very important for me and my people. It means amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples. Participating in this institution is about echoing our struggles and exploring how these efforts can bring attention to our communities.”

Vanda Witoto

“My expectation for this fellowship is to show how all of Arapyaú’s values – collaboration, innovation, interdependence, impact management, and entrepreneurship for sustainability – can become even more powerful when viewed through the lenses of gender, race, class, and territory.”

Andréia Coutinho Louback