Donald Tuttle

A serial entrepreneur, Don partnered with the Blattner family to found Jadora, now Congo Emissions Management, in 2009. Together, they converted ~320,000 ha from logging into conservation concessions and establish the initial Isangi REDD+ pilot project.  Catalytic, fearless, creative, never daunted, and always in pursuit of conservation solutions, Don passed away on September 24th, 2016 from cardiac arrest after battling vascular disease.

He packed more experiences in his fifty years than most would in one hundred and has been profoundly missed in the years since his passing. He graduated from Lakeside School in 1984 and attended the University of Washington. In true entrepreneurial style, he founded two companies that failed before founding Jadora LLC in 2008. Evidently, the third time was the charm. He had always been an advocate for all things wild and vulnerable. Even as his health issues became more apparent and challenging, he reflected often and happily on his life choices, repeating his ongoing devotion to sustainability and his own gratitude for the experiences he had. A recent entry in his own travel journal reads: "So grateful for awesome travels, people, missions and opportunities to do what I do..."

He had two quotes that appeared everywhere: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky, and "Joy and pain, like sun and rain." To those we would add, "I did it my way" - Frank Sinatra.