Leadership Team
Rick Silber
Rick Silber is Executive Director and co-founder of the KRC. He is a litigation attorney in Washington, D.C., specializing in medical malpractice and personal injury law. A former trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Rick started his own law firm in 1992. Outside of law, Rick holds a passion for recreation in the outdoors. His climbs include Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams (winter ascents)in New Hampshire, Mt. Whitney in California, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Breithorn, the Munch and Pollux in the Alps, ranges in Alaska, Lobuche and Mera Peaks in Nepal. Today, Rick is Executive Director of International Mountain Trekking, Inc., providing guided treks in Nepal’s Everest region. He is also a member of the Board of the Directors of the Mycological Association of Washington, D.C. Rick is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire Law School and Beloit College where he majored in Biology.
Sonam Jangbu Sherpa
Sonam Jangbu Sherpa is a co-founder of KRC and head of the KRC Phorste Village Committee. Sonam’s family has lived in Phortse for as long as anyone can remember. His family owns property within Phortse which they have used for farming. Sonam and his family are donating the land which will house the KRC. Sonam is a graduate of the Central University of Tibetan Studies in Sarnath, Varanasi, India and is a licensed high-altitude mountain guide with multiple Everest summits. A student of Tibetan Buddhism, Sonam has studied at the Dongag Thekchhok Chholing Gomba under the direction of the Tengboche Lama. He is the Director of Operations/Nepal for International Mountain Trekking, Inc.
Steve Mock,
Ph.D
Steve Mock is the Chair of the KRC Science Advisory Board. He is an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in the Environmental Sciences Department at The University of Montana Western, where he taught for 28 years. He earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. During his teaching career, Steve’s research focused on environmental aquatic chemistry. He also served for several years as Dean of Arts and Sciences and was the Director for a Department of Education grant to run a pilot block scheduling project. While at UMW, Steve taught climbing and other outdoor classes, and went on to become Co-Director and instructor of the Khumbu Climbing Center in Phortse, Nepal, from 2011-2019. Steve remains on the board of the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. and is currently the President of Denali Rescue Volunteers, a small nonprofit that supports volunteer climbing rangers on Denali where Steve was a four-time volunteer ranger.
Shiva Devkota,
Ph.D
Shiva Devkota is the KRC Science Director. He is a research scientist at Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, Nepal, an institute managed by Ph.D returnees from abroad to boost scientific impact in Nepal. Currently, he is leading a project entitled “Digitization of Mycological Collections in Nepal” funded by Global Biodiversity Information Facility / Biodiversity Information Fund for Asia (GBIF/BIFA) and also contributing as a research fellow of the IPBES Assessment of Sustainable Use of Wild Species. He received his M.Sc degree in Botany (Major Mycology) and M.A, in Sociology from Tribhuvan University, Nepal and Ph.D. degree in Ecology and Evolution in 2017 from Bern University and Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Switzerland. Apart from his expertise in projects development and multi-pronged national/international partnership, his main research interest is to understand the ecology, sociology and conservation genetics of wild mushrooms, caterpillar fungus, lichens, and plants in the Himalayas.
Charles Bedford
Charles Bedford is KRC’s Strategic Planning Consultant. He is also the Principal in Keelback Consulting, a Hong Kong-based consultancy focused on sustainability, natural resource management and philanthropy. Clients include non-profits, private equity firms, and timber and fisheries companies. He recently stepped down from his role as Regional Managing Director for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Asia Pacific Region. Charles worked closely with TNC country program leaders across Asia, the Pacific Islands and Australia to identify and advance essential marine, freshwater and land conservation priorities and projects. He also worked with the region’s business and government leadership on next-generation conservation solutions that benefit both nature and people. Prior to joining TNC, Charles served as director of the Colorado State Land Board, overseer of 3 million hectares of state lands, was Legal Counsel to Colorado Governor Roy Romer and practiced law with the firm of Kutak Rock. He graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and holds a JD from the University of Colorado School of Law. He is the author of journal articles, blogs and a book on land tenure and conservation.
Science Advisory Board
Anata Prasad Gajurel, Ph.D - Tribhuvan University, Nepal -Geology/Tectonics/Geochemistry
Andrea Easter-Pilcher, Ph.D - Weber State University - Dean of the College of Science and Professor of Wildlife Biology
Baker Perry, Ph.D - Appalachian State University - Professor in Climatology/Weather/Geography
Donal Carbaugh, Ph.D - The University of Massachusetts Amherst - Professor Emeritus in Environmental Communication and Intercultural Interactions
Moshe Inbar, Ph.D - University of Haifa, Israel - Animal and Plant Interactions
Paul Mayweski, Ph.D - The University of Maine - Director of the Climate Change Institute and Distinguished Professor
Rob Thomas, Ph.D - The University of Montana Western - Professor of Geology/Natural Hazards and Regents Professor
Shiva Devkota, Ph.D - Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (GIIS), Nepal - Research Scientist in Mycology/Mycoflora Genetics
Steve Mock, Ph.D - The University of Montana Western - Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in Environmental Sciences
Tom Matthews, Ph.D - Loughborough University (UK) - Lecturer in Climate Science
Wendy Ridenour, Ph.D - The University of Montana Western - Ecologist and Associate Professor of Biology
Board of Directors
Brian D. Israel - Arnold & Porter - Partner and Chair of Environmental Practice Group
Charles H. Norchi - University of Maine School of Law - Director, Center for Oceans & Coastal Law
Paul Mayweski, Ph.D - The University of Maine - Director of the Climate Change Institute and Distinguished Professor
Rick Silber - Executive Director of KRC & Litigation Attorney
Steve Mock, Ph.D - The University of Montana Western - Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in Environmental Sciences
