Why Romania and Carpathia?
I grew up in Romania and used to jump on a train every summer to hike the beautiful Carpathian mountains.
What is your passion outside of tech?
My passion is to restore the natural environment and, part of that, youth development. We have a unique chance to create a natural reserve almost the size of Yosemite in the Southern Carpathian mountains!
Mr. Simu is the President and Founder of Eluvio, a US-based company that pioneers fundamental technologies required to create a new content internet that is fully secured and real-time-responsive. The company launched the Eluvio Content Fabric in 2019 and Eluvio Live in 2021. Previous to Eluvio, Mr. Simu was the co-Founder and VP of Engineeering at Aspera, where he led technology and product development for 13 years. He came to the United States in the late 1990’s to join Cisco Content Networking group as a lead software engineer at Digital Fountain. Serban has a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the Universitatea Politehnica Bucuresti in Bucharest, Romania, and a Master’s degree in Telecommunication Networks from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications, a University in Paris, France, where he finished first in his class. Mr. Simu lives in Berkeley, California with his two sons and co-partner, Michelle Munson.
The quote that inspires you:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” (Mark Twain)
Passions & little things that bring you joy:
Landscapes that are thriving with wildlife.
Mrs. Promberger is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC). Mrs. Promberger holds a MSc. in biology/zoology from Graz and Vienna University in Austria. Her expertise lies in large carnivore research and management, protected area development and management, and forest ecosystem conservation. Since 1995, Mrs. Promberger has initiated conservation programs in Romania, Armenia, and Belarus. Her work has included promoting biodiversity in organic farming initiatives, promoting ecotourism, community outreach, land conservation, research on species restoration, forest and carnivore management, and equestrian ecotourism. In 2003, Mrs. Promberger, in partnership with her husband, Christoph Promberger, established Equus Silvania, which has since become the leading Romanian equestrian eco-tourism operator. Mrs. Promberger’s experience includes significant research on the primary carnivores in the Carpathian Mountains, including wolves, bears, and lynx. She has studied predator-prey relationships and conflict management between carnivores and livestock, developed ecotourism in the region, and with her husband, has been involved in over 50 television documentaries and 250 international media reports.
The quote that inspires you:
“If I knew that the world would end tomorrow, I would plant an apple tree today.” (Martin Luther King)
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope:
Think global, act local. You can always change things for the better in your own environment.
Mr. Promberger is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC). Christoph Promberger holds a MSc. in forestry and wildlife biology from Munich University. Since 1993, Mr. Promberger has been involved in a variety of wildlife conservation programs. With co-partners, he has initiated conservation programs in Romania, Croatia, Turkey, and Belarus. His work has included promoting biodiversity in organic farming initiatives, promoting ecotourism, community outreach, land conservation, research on species restoration, forest and carnivore management, and equestrian ecotourism. In Romania, Mr. Promberger’s experience includes significant research on the primary carnivores in the Carpathian Mountains, including wolves, bears, and lynx. He has studied predator-prey relationships and conflict management between carnivores and livestock, developed ecotourism in the region, and have been involved in over 50 television documentaries and 250 international media reports. A few works cited include an article in Wolf Magazine in 1996; and, a publication published in 2006 entitled Wildlife Watching and Tourism: A Study on the Benefits and Risks of a Fast Growing Tourism Activity and its Impacts on Species.
Executive Staff
MANAGING DIRECTOR
The quotes that inspire you:
“Fall seven times and stand up eight.”
“Being humble means that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others.” — Gordon B. Hinckley
Ms. Knebel is an award-winning, nationally-recognized nonprofit leader having spent three decades working in the nonprofit, private and public sectors. Ms. Knebel has worked with Foundation Conservation Carpathia since 2018, helping to broker relationships with US donors who are passionate about Romania’s biodiversity and forests. In her role as Managing Director, Ms. Knebel runs Friends of Conservation Carpathia in the U.S., overseeing finance, accounting, communications, fundraising, grant-making, and the day-to-day operations. Ms. Knebel has a M.A. from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, and a B.A. in Psychology. Ms. Knebel was a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Guyana, South America in 2000 and led one of the most successful projects in the history of Peace Corps in Guyana. Silke is the proud mom of three young boys.
Email: s.knebel@carpathia-usa.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/silkeknebel/