Professional Biographies ACRAA Management Team
Katiane Araújo Lourido
Degree in Full Licentiate in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Western Pará/UFOPA (2016). Master’s in Environmental Sciences, in the area of concentration of bioprospecting of natural products – UFOPA. Experience in extraction and bioactivity of essential oils. Teaching Science and Biology and environmental education.
Katiane is also the lead instructor and manager of ACRAA’s “ACRAA in the Schools” environmental education program. She is also a founding member and the current President.
Diêgo Figueiredo de Siqueira Simplício
Email: diego@acraabrazil.org
Diêgo Figueiredo is a Brazilian lawyer, holding a Law degree from the University of Triângulo Mineiro (UNITRI, 2012) and registered with the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB/MG) under number 148.062 (2013).
His professional training includes four years of internships across three different institutions: the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Cláudio-MG (civil law), the UNIFENAS Legal Assistance Center in Poços de Caldas-MG (also civil law), and the Public Defender’s Office of Minas Gerais in Uberlândia-MG (criminal executions). During this period, he also completed a complementary course in Introduction to Business Management.
With nine years of experience as a lawyer, Diêgo has focused on furthering his expertise in Environmental Law, a key area of his practice. Additionally, he is a founding member of ACRAA and has served on its board of directors since 2020, playing an active role in advancing the association’s initiatives.
B. Thor Smestad (Canadian) B.S.F.[1], M.Sc.[2], P. Ag.[3]
Email: thor@acraabrazil.org
Thor Smestad is a Canadian reforestation and ecosystem-restoration specialist. He began this career in 1981 as a tree planter in the mountains of British Columbia (BC), Canada, and then later, after completing a degree in forest resources management (1994), continued to work in BC as a silvicultural forester. This work involved managing projects related to all aspects of reforestation and forest management on the vast expanses of public lands in British Columbia.
In 1997 he returned to university to complete a Master of Science degree, specializing in soils. His master’s study was located in western Kenya, where he examined the soil fertility changes associated with short-duration agroforestry fallows (Smestad et al., 2002).[4]
Since completing his masters in 2002, Thor has worked throughout western Canada in the field of ecosystem restoration and soil erosion control. For a short period (2012 to 2016) he also operated his own native plant nursery and ecosystem restoration company.[5] Many of the projects completed during this period were in shoreline and riverbank restoration, and he is now known as a specialist in this area in BC. One of the most exciting projects during this period was the ecological restoration of a small peninsula near Nelson, BC. Here, for a three-day period in each of five consecutive years (2011 to 2015), Thor co-led an annual ecological restoration field-school for the local College’s Integrated Environmental Planning Program.[6]
At present he works seasonally (April-Nov.) as a senior ecosystem restoration specialist for an environmental consulting company in western Canada.[7] He spends his winters in the Amazon region of Brazil where he is a founding member of ACRAA.
[1] Bachelor of Science in Forestry. University of British Columbia (Canada). 1994
[2] Master of Science. University of Saskatchewan (Canada), 2002.
[3] Professional Agrologist. BC Institute of Agrologists (British Columbia, Canada).
[4] For published study results see: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1020501627174
[5] Treebear Native Plants. See https://Treebearplants.ca
[6] Selkirk College, Castlegar, BC. https://selkirk.ca/program/iep
[7] Lotic Environmental Services, Cranbrook, BC, Canada. See https://lotic.co/
Katherin Daniela León Pinto
Katherin Daniela León Pinto, born in Lara-Barquisimeto, Venezuela, is 27 years old and has devoted much of her life to working with plants and animals. Her passion for cultivation and land management began at the age of 5, when she learned from her grandfather in Valencia-Carabobo, where her family grew citrus fruits, dairy crops, and bananas. This early exposure laid the foundation for her deep connection to agriculture and nature.
Due to her family’s nomadic lifestyle, Katherin lived in various states across Venezuela, gaining valuable local knowledge about plants and natural medicine from different communities. During this time, she also focused on rescuing and treating animals, often using plant-based home remedies, which further strengthened her bond with the natural world and her expertise in holistic practices. Currently, at ACRAA, Katherin serves as a nursery technician, where she applies her extensive knowledge and skills to cultivate and manage native plants, contributing to ecological restoration and sustainable practices.
Sula Gabrieli Pereire de Oliveira
Sula (Gaby) is a highly skilled nursery worker and medicinal plant specialist, as well as a proud member of the indigenous Maytapu people. Her ancestral roots are tied to the village of Pinhel, located approximately 50 km southwest of Alter do Chão, further up the Tapajós River. Gaby is a nursery technician at ACRAA, where she combines her deep traditional knowledge of plants with modern practices to enhance the diversity and quality of what the organization offers. As a founding member of ACRAA, Gaby has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s mission and initiatives, contributing her expertise and passion for ecological restoration and community empowerment.
Thais Thayane da Silva Beltrão de Farias
Brazilian, born in Recife-PE, on 29.09.1993.
Thais is a technician in Business Administration, graduated from the Special Professional Center (2011). Also a makeup Artist – Embeleze Institute (2014), and eyebrow Designer – Center Take Free courses (2018).
Worked as an administrative and commercial assistant at the Objective Engenharia de Eventos in 2012. Commercial Consultant at the Academia Hi from 2013 to 2014. Receptionist and salesperson at the Academia Santé Club (2014 to 2015).
From 2015 to 2017, she worked in the Amazon region as a cook on tourist boats, leading the fusion of regional food with northeastern food.
Also in 2015, she worked as a bartender and cook at the Mãe Natureza Bar and Restaurant (Alter do Chão) and from 2016 to 2017 at the Alter do Chão Gastronomic Space Restaurant.
In 2019, she returned to work in the Administrative and Product Shipping sector at Ekilibre Amazônia.
Thais currently works as an artisan, cook, and secretary and project coordinator for ACRAA. She is also a founding member of ACRAA.
MORE GREEN, MORE LIFE
Rua Everaldo Martins, s/n., Bairro Carauari, Alter do Chão, Santarém-PA. CEP 68109-000
contact@acraabrazil.org
CNPJ: 50161.510/0001-19
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