About Us

Our Team

The Savory Institute team is highly nurtured, challenged, balanced, and supported to create the future. We are inspired by the global impact of our work knowing that we are achieving our purpose through understanding, honesty, inclusion, and intelligent collaboration.

Founder & President

Allan Savory

Allan Savory, born in Zimbabwe and educated in South Africa (University of Natal, BS in Zoology and Botany) pursued an early career as a research biologist and game ranger in the British Colonial Service of what was then Northern Rhodesia (today Zambia) and later as a farmer and game rancher in Zimbabwe.

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Co-Founder & Chief Curator

Jody Butterfield

Jody has worked over the last 30 years to communicate the story of Holistic Management, initially as a free-lance writer and then as a collaborator with husband Allan Savory on books, articles and papers, including the basic text still in use today-Holistic Management: A Commonsense Revolution to Restore our Environment (Third Edition, 2017). As Chief Curator she ensures that the content of Savory publications and curriculum stays true to Holistic Management principles, even as it expands to incorporate new countries, cultures, and contexts.

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CEO & Co-Founder

Daniela Ibarra-Howell

A native Argentinean, born and raised in Buenos Aires, Daniela is an agronomist by profession and holds a MS in Natural Resource Management and Economics. With over 25 years of international experience in ranching, Holistic Management, and collaborative ecosystem restoration programs, Daniela co founded with Allan Savory and other colleagues the Savory Institute in 2009, and became its CEO in 2011. Since then she has led her team in the design and implementation of a revolutionary entrepreneurial, self-sustaining global impact strategy for large-scale restoration of grasslands through Holistic Management to tackle global food and water security, and climate change issues.
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Director of Development & Communications

Bobby Gill

As Director of Development and Communications for the Savory Institute, Bobby works to create holistic solutions that accelerate the adoption of regenerative agriculture amongst land managers, business, and consumers. A Biological Resources Engineer by training and community builder through experience, Bobby manages grant-writing, online giving strategy, donor relationships, and overall communications that support Savory Institute’s global efforts to facilitate the large-scale regeneration of the world’s grasslands through Holistic Management.

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Chief Commercial Officer of Land to Market

Chris Kerston

Chris Kerston ranched full time for nearly 15 yrs before joining the Savory Institute. With a longstanding passion for regenerative agricultural and better food distribution systems, Chris has dedicated his life to helping connect ranchers with consumers in ways that create synergistic value for both sides. With formal training and instinctive talent, Chris utilizes media in concert with traditional marketing techniques to help ranchers share their stories and build long lasting relationships with partners based upon common goals.

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Chief Operating Officer of Land to Market

David Rizzo

David Rizzo’s career has evolved from its genesis in IT consulting and small business development to include operations, brand-building, and transformative leadership for internationally-recognized organizations with sustainable, earth-conscious values. Throughout his career in business and technology, one thing has remained at the core of his endeavors – a passion for respecting and protecting the great outdoors. That commitment forms the foundation for his role as Chief Operating Officer of the Savory Institute’s Land to Market Program.

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Senior Program Director

Byron Shelton

Byron is the Senior Program Director for the Savory Institute. His role involves providing training in Holistic Management for the worldwide network of Savory Institute Hubs and Accredited Professionals. He also provides farm and ranch management consulting for Savory Institute. Byron is a Savory Institute Master Field Professional.

Byron is the founder and managing member of a private consulting firm providing facilitation and training in whole farm planning using Holistic Management™ decision-making, financial planning, ecosystem processes management, planned grazing, ecological monitoring, land planning, policy analysis and development processes, and low stress animal handling in agricultural, natural resource, business, family, and community settings.

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Network Coordinator

Abbey Smith

Abbey serves as the Savory Global Network Coordinator. She is also a holder of UVE, the Savory Global Network Hub serving Northern California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

She spent time in South Africa living with families on holistically managed cattle farms after graduating magna cum laude from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in animal science and a focus in communications and ethnic studies. She attended graduate school at the University of Nevada, Reno where she received a master’s degree in interactive journalism.

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Chief Finance Officer

Jim Snyder

Jim is an entrepreneur and finance professional whose career has included senior management positions within start-ups, spin-offs and the national governing body for the fastest growing team sport in America. Consistent creativity and problem solving has allowed Jim to be a major contributor to the rapid growth of each of his prior organizations. Before joining Savory, Jim was CFO and Interim CEO of USA Rugby. During his time at USA Rugby, Jim directed all finance and accounting aspects of the organization during a period of record growth. Prior to USA Rugby, Jim was Founder and President of a company working with commercial fleets to help them reduce their overall emissions impact by finding creative ways to switch their on-highway and off-highway vehicles to alternative fuels.

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Virtual Producer & Executive Assistant

Paige Yungstrom

A Boulder native, Paige brings more than 25 years in virtual production, events management, executive administration, sustainability leadership, sales & marketing, and human resources. A passionate professional and “Jill of all trades,” she’s garnered awards for her dedication and experience. Previously, Paige worked in corporate finance, where she founded and managed an award-winning team for sustainability, wellness and philanthropic efforts. Her team helped encourage sustainable practices at work and at home, promoting healthy activity through good eating and exercise and provided philanthropic opportunities.

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Impact Landed Program

Virginie Pointeau

Previous to joining Savory, Virginie spent over two decades immersed in the world of small, gritty nonprofits, including, most recently, 10 years in the US Southwest with a specific focus on land and soil health, natural resource conservation, and regenerative agriculture, within the context of climate change. In 2017 and 2020, she organized convenings of 20-25 agricultural apprenticeship program leaders from across the country for 3-day retreats hosted on philanthropic ranches in California, focused on fostering collaboration across a field of work that, like so many others, cannot be fully realized in isolation. From 2017-2019, she helped organize stakeholder meetings in New Mexico, Colorado and Montana designed specifically to foster positive relationships and peer-to-peer learning between private landowners, agency personnel, and interested stakeholders.

Founder & President

Allan Savory

Co-Founder & Chief Curator

Jody Butterfield

CEO & Co-Founder

Daniela Ibarra-Howell

Founder & President, Capital Institute

John Fullerton

Founder, Being Imaginal

Jason Knoll

Ecological Outcome Verification™ Team

Meet the TEAM BEHIND EOV™
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Kelsey Kerston

PROGRAM MANAGER
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Ryan
White

Quality Assurance
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Skyler
Smith

Quality Assurance
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Dr. Richard Teague

Scientific Advisor
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Dr. Matt Raven

Training & Curriculum Advisor

Advisory Circle

Tré Cates​

Managing Director, nRhythm

Taylor Collins

Founder, EPIC Provisions

Durukan Dudu

Hub leader (Turkey)

Will Harris

Hub Leader (Georgia, USA) & Market Engagement Advisor

David Haynes

Managing Director, Greenmont Capital Partners II

Trent Hendricks

Hub Leader (Missouri, USA) & Market Engagement Advisor

Mimi Hillenbrand

Owner, 777 BISON RANCH

Seth Itzkan

Director, Soil4Climate

Jason Knoll

Founder at Being Imaginal

Victoria Keziah

Founder, NetGenerative

Hunter Lovins

President & Founder, Natural Capitalism Solutions

Diana Rodgers

Nutritionist, author & filmmaker

Woody Tasch

Founder, Slow Money Institute

Hiring

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