Director of Operations, has been with EXPLORE for 11 years and assists in the designing of itineraries and coordinates every facet of the itinerary for EXPLORE's clients.

Over the years she has developed an extensive knowledge of the best luxury lodges and most classic safari operators throughout Southern and East Africa. Elizabeth travels each year to Africa to deepen her knowledge, experience the service at the lodges, and understanding of EXPLORE destinations. With EXPLORE she has traveled to Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Mali, West Africa, Morocco, Uganda and Ethiopia. You can rely on Elizabeth to help you plan every detail of your trip.

Prior to working with EXPLORE, Elizabeth worked for a large travel agency in Boston, Massachusetts, for seven years, where she coordinated custom tours throughout the US and Europe.

Elizabeth's interests outside of EXPLORE are skiing, horseback riding, biking and hiking.

Accounting and Marketing Manager, Heather is responsible for accounting, finance, IT and special marketing projects for EXPLORE.

Heather, a CPA, graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, with a degree in Accounting and Finance. She worked for three years with Deloitte & Touche in San Francisco as a Senior Accountant. She later extended her experience in adventure travel working for an adventure company in Colorado, specializing in western states wilderness travel, as Assistant Director. After two years, Heather gained valuable insight into all areas of trip creation and implementation.

With EXPLORE, Heather has traveled to Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya, Mali, Reunion, Seychelles and Madagascar. Other travel consists of several trips to Europe, Central America and Nepal.

Jennifer Johnson is a Program Manager and Custom Travel Specialist for west, central and southern Africa. Her responsibilities include the development and implementation of educational programs, institutional programs, and custom itineraries for private clients. She also handles EXPLORE's advocacy and publication writing.

Jen holds a Bachelor's degree in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound. Before joining EXPLORE, she worked for the National Endowment for Democracy's Africa Program in Washington, D.C., where she coordinated efforts to improve indigenous African organizations by promoting democracy and human rights. She has lived in central Africa to build her knowledge of culture and development studies as well as humanitarian intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo. From Africa, she migrated to Switzerland to work as a researcher for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and the Mountain Forum, an organization that promotes sustainable mountain ecotourism.

When not telemarking or plotting points on a world map, Jen enjoys climbing mountains, listening to the BBC, and meandering through art galleries.

As a Custom Travel Specialist, Katie is involved in all aspects of the planning and development of our custom designed itineraries. She worked as an intern for EXPLORE in 2001 after spending five months in Africa. Katie holds a degree in Sociology and a minor in Economics from Bates College.

In Africa, Katie traveled extensively through South Africa while studying at the University of Cape Town and living in the Cape Flats township of Langa. She also volunteered at the Rhodes University Legal Aid Clinic in Grahamstown, South Africa prior to traveling through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and into Zimbabwe.

Katie has also traveled to Europe and lived in Port Douglas, Australia working as a snorkel guide on the Great Barrier Reef. She then spent three months in New Zealand traveling and working on a rural sheep farm. Katie has also lived in Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru where she taught English.

As a Program Manager for EXPLORE, Elise is in charge of developing and implementing educational group programming. She holds a bachelors degree in French and International Politics and Business from the University of Puget Sound, and has a strong travel background.

Before joining EXPLORE, Elise worked with both the Department of State and the Department of Commerce at the American embassies in Paris and Reykjavik, Iceland. She also spent a year teaching English to primary school students in Epinal, France. Her experience in the tourism industry includes jobs as a tour guide in the American Southwest and as a ski instructor and supervisor at Steamboat Ski Resort.

Elise's travels have taken her throughout Europe and to Australia, Tahiti, Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas. Her interests beyond Africa and traveling include skiing, hiking, snowshoeing and being in the outdoors as much as possible.

As a Custom Travel Specialist, Callie is responsible for planning specialized institutional and private client trips to Madagascar, Morocco and southern Africa.

Callie has a Bachelor's degree in French Literature and Communications from Lewis & Clark College and a Certificat de la Langue Française from the University of Nice. Prior to joining EXPLORE, Callie lived in France while directing the operations and new program development for Vermont Bicycle Tours worldwide cycling vacations in Europe. Her 16 year career in luxury cycling vacations afforded her the chance to cycle thousands of kilometers throughout Western Europe, the British Isles, Morocco and Costa Rica.

Callie's other passions include cooking, wine, Nordic skiing and dachshunds. She is a Nordic ski instructor and completed the Birkebeiner ski race in Norway in 2007.

Tena is the new Program Associate for EXPLORE.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a specialization in Sports Management from Texas A&M University. During her first four years out of college, she worked in the marketing and IT departments for Texas Rangers Baseball Club and Dallas Stars. Tena also spent time in Virginia Beach working for Amerigroup Corporation and traveling the east coast. She came to EXPLORE from the Elk River Guest Ranch in Clark, CO where she worked as Office Manager and gained valuable experience working in tourism.

Tena's travels have taken her to Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Germany. Her interests outside of getting to know EXPLORE include snowboarding, running, mountain biking, hiking, and hanging out with her dogs.

As African Heritage Programs Co-ordinator, Ngozi Asinga is new to EXPLORE. Born in Zambia, Ngozi was educated in the US and currently resides in Atlanta with her family. She comes to us with an interesting background, combining strong business skills with those of a professional athlete. Ngozi is excited about using her personal experiences to bridge the gap between the African Diaspora and the African Continent.

Ngozi is a Two-Time Olympic Athlete in Track and Field. She was the first woman to represent Zambia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Games. She was also privileged to be the Zambian Flag Bearer at the 1992 Opening Ceremony.

Ngozi holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, and an MBA from Samford Univeristy in Birmingham, Alabama.

Outside EXPLORE, Ngozi's interests include running, travelling and hiking.