Speaker Bios
 Ana
Báez
Ana Báez has a
degree in Biology and a Masters in Museum
Studies. In 1994, Ana’s long time career efforts
were recognized by The Costa Rican Association
of Tourism Professionals with the “National
Ecology Award”.
Currently, Ana serves as the President of “Turismo
& Conservación Consultores, S.A.”, a company
dedicated to provide technical assistance and
support to ensure the success of initiatives
related to the field of tourism, sustainable
development and protected areas.
She has worked as a consultant for the private
industry, as well as public and international
organizations such as the USAID, IDB, Horizotes
Travel Agency and Florida State University and
feels very fortunate to have participated in
many projects around the World, including most
of the Latin American region, the Caribbean,
Indonesia, Spain, Kenya, and other countries.
Many of her works have been published in the
Tourism trade magazines and literature. She was
the co-author of “International Eco-lodge
Guidelines” (2002), published by the
International Ecotourism Society, “Best practice
guideline for small and medium size
entrepreneurs” Rainforest Alliance (2003) and
“Ecotourism guideline for best practices in
protected areas for Central America” (1998).
Her work philosophy is summarized in her
company’s slogan:
“ Nos
interesa el éxito de su empresa y la salud del
Planeta”, which translates to: “We are
interested in the success of your company and
the health of the Planet”
Rafael
Julio Guedes Barbieri
Rafael Barbieri
is a specialist in vertical techniques and white
water adventures. He has been a canoeist for 17
years and is a double PanAmerican champion in
Polo Kayak. He runs his own company EcoAção
Turismo de Aventura and is an auditor in Safety
Management and certified Rescue 3 International.
 Eric
Brodnax
Eric Brodnax is
Vice President & General Manager of The Away
Network, an operating unit of Orbitz Worldwide.
The Away Network is an online travel content
company that includes Away.com, GORP.com,
GORPtravel.com and OutsideOnline.com. Away’s
original area of specialty was adventure travel
and eco-tourism and it has retained that focus
on enthusiast travel as it has expanded its
travel guide series to include coverage of a
broad range of travel interests. Current areas
of major focus include Active & Adventure, Parks
& Outdoors, Beach Travel, Family Travel, and
GLBT Travel. Brodnax joined The Away Network in
1999 as a member of the founding management
team, and assumed the role of General Manager
after the firm's acquisition by Orbitz Worldwide
in 2005. Prior to joining the Away Network, Brodnax served as Vice President of Marketing &
Business development for Customer Insites, Inc.,
Director of Marketing for PowerDigm Systems, and
Founder & General Manager of Harvest Wine
Imports, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
from Princeton University and a Masters in
Business Administration the Wharton School of
Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He
has visited more than forty countries, is an
active kayaker and biker, and competed in the
1988 Olympic Games as a member of the equestrian
team.
 Carol
Bellamy, President and CEO, World Learning
Keynote Presentation Topic
"The Moral Adventurer in a World of Need"
What
does it mean to be an adventurer in a world made
ever smaller through transportation and
technology, where some enjoy increasing
opportunities to get out and see the world while
far too many others struggle in place to simply
see tomorrow? Drawing on her years of experience
at the helm of the Peace Corps, UNICEF, and now
World Learning, a global nonprofit focused on
international education and development, Carol
Bellamy will discuss both the great
opportunities and the grave challenges that face
us in this global, connected age. She will
explore the powerful skill sets and mindsets
that global citizens can bring to communities
abroad and at home, and the importance of the
principle of reciprocity in shaping how we
engage and encounter the people and places we
visit. Ms. Bellamy will stress the need for a
new breed of "moral adventurers" who – as
tourists, students, business professionals, or
government leaders – are prepared to step
outside their comfort zones and are as committed
to giving back as they are to gaining from their
experiences out in the world.
Biography
Carol Bellamy assumed the leadership of World
Learning in May 2005, having completed ten years
as executive director of UNICEF, the children’s
agency of the United Nations. During her tenure
at UNICEF, Ms. Bellamy brought a compassionate
yet pragmatic ethic to improving the lives of
children. She stepped up UNICEF’s work in
emergencies, doubled its funding, put the issues
of child exploitation on the global agenda and
fought for health, protection and education as
fundamental rights of every child.
Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. Bellamy was
Director of the United States Peace Corps.
Having served as a Peace Corps volunteer in
Guatemala from 1963 to 1965, she was the first
former volunteer to run the organization.
Ms. Bellamy has had a distinguished career in
the private sector. She was a Managing Director
of Bear, Stearns & Co. from 1990 to 1993, and a
Principal at Morgan Stanley from 1986 to 1990.
Between 1968 and 1971 she was an associate at
Cravath, Swaine & Moore.
Ms. Bellamy also spent 13 years as an elected
public official, including five years in the New
York State Senate (1973-1977). In 1977, she
became the first woman elected to citywide
office in New York when she was elected
President of the NYC Council, a position she
held until 1985.
Ms. Bellamy earned her law degree from New York
University in 1968. She is a former Fellow of
the Institute of Politics at Harvard
University’s Kennedy School of Government, and
an honorary member of Phi Alpha Alpha, the U.S.
National Honor Society for Accomplishment and
Scholarship in Public Affairs and
Administration. In 2004, MS. Bellamy was named
to Forbes Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in
the World. Ms. Bellamy graduated from Gettysburg
College in 1963. She was born and raised in the
New York area.
Biraci
Brasil
Chief of the
Nova Esperança village of the Yawanawá people in
Brazil’s Amazon region, Biraci is the promoter
of the Yawá festival, which receives hundreds of
visitors every year. He is very active in his
state of Acre in developing a new indigenous
people policy that proposes to revitalize
traditional indigenous culture in relation with
white society.
 John
Canning
John Canning ’s
career has spanned media production, delivery
and platforms for over 20 years. John currently
serves as the executive producer for Green
Living Project which focuses on developing and
producing stories for Companies who focus on
sustainable living. When not creating for Green
Living Project, Canning runs MediaSherpa
Consulting and Productions which does digital
media and game technology work for major
companies such as Disney as well as small
startups. In addition, MediaSherpa has done work
for the likes of the Vatican, the Monaco Film
Festival and ARC – The A&R Channel and others.
Prior to MediaSherpa, John served in several
roles including Senior Producer and Project
Manager for Yahoo! Studios and Yahoo! News
overseeing original productions as well as
Director of Content Distribution and Field
Producer and photographer for Richard Bangs
Adventures.
Before Yahoo, John was a Technical Evangelist
for Microsoft’s eHome Division where he led
external evangelism for applications and
services for eHome, working with external third
parties in the areas of media and data
distribution, content, and whole home control
and services. In addition, he was Product
Manager for the Microsoft TV division where he
was responsible for VOD, interactive services,
conditional access and billing integration into
the MSTV Server solution.
 Olivier
Cantet
Olivier Cantet
joined Rip Curl Europe in 2003. Before becoming
François Payot’s successor as CEO of Rip Curl
Europe, Olivier was formerly the General Manager
of Millet and then of the Lafuma Group. For the
last five years, this budding skier and expert
mountaineer has dedicated his business acumen to
RCE, driving the European teams to burst through
the 100M€ barrier in 2006. He is also committed
to sustainable development, giving impetus to
the Rip Curl Planet project in 2005, a voluntary
approach to protecting the natural environment.
An experienced traveler, through his own sports
trips (skiing & climbing) and expeditions over
the 5 continents, Olivier has learned to love
and share Rip Curl’s Search Spirit and the
brand’s overall philosophy. Quite a successful
achievement for this nomadic mountaineer.
Claudio
de Moura Castro
Brazilian
Economist, has a Master Degree from Yale
University and has a Ph.D. in Economics from
Vanderbilt University. Taught at the Catholic
University of Rio de Janeiro, the Vargas
Foundation, the University of Chicago, the
University of Brasilia, the University of Geneva
and the University of Burgundy (Dijon). Past
Chief of the Training Policies Branch of the
International Labor Office (Geneva). Worked in a
Technical Division of the World Bank. Was
Division Chief of the Social Programs Division
of the Interamerican Development Bank. Presently
is the President of the Advisory Council of
Faculdade Pitágoras. Has published over thirty
five books and around three hundred scholarly
articles, mostly on education and vocational
training.
Antonio
Chiocconi
Bio coming
soon...
 Rafael
Moisés Ciquella
Rafael Ciquella
is a computer scientist by training. He entered
the adventure tourism market as a rafting guide
for Ativa Rafting 10 years ago. He now runs his
own rafting company Rema Rios, where he is
implementing the Brazilian Standard ABNT NBR
15331 – SGS-TA for rafting operations.
Eduardo
Folley Coelho
Eduardo Coelho
is a Civil Engineer, who is the owner-manager of
two private reserves in one of Brazil’s top
nature tourism destinations: Bonito (Mato Grosso
do Sul state). Bonito is renowned in Brazil for
responsible destination management and Eduardo
has been very active in making this happen, as
both as secretary of tourism and as the owner of
two principal ecotourism attractions : Recanto
Ecológico Rio da Prata and Estância Mimosa
Ecoturismo. He is also the president of the
Serra do Bodoquena Water Institute.
Ricardo
Betioli Contel
Ricardo is the
editor of Aventura and Acao (Adventure and
Action), the leading publication in Brazil
focused on adventure tourism. He started in
adventure through his passion for parachuting,
which he took up at 17. Two years later he
became a professional and started a store, a
workshop and followed by a publication dedicated
to parachuting (Airpress, 1993). Airpress became
Aventura and Acao, a national publication which
reaches a large and diverse audience. Though
parachuting remains his passion, Ricardo`s
dedicates his time to Aventura and Acao, which
also lead him to incredible adventures like
reaching the peak of Aconcagua.
Vivian de
Cunha
Vivian de Cunha
is ABETA’s current marketing director and
partner in Alaya Expeditions on of Brazil
premier adventure tourism operators in Brotas,
São Paulo state.
 Ion
David Zarantonelli da Silva
Ion is a
photographer and a canyoneer. He is also the
owner-manager of Travessia Ecoturismo, a pioneer
in introducing adventure tourism activities such
as Canyoneering, Arborism, Waterfall Rappel, Zip
Line, Trekking and 4x4 expeditions in the
Chapada dos Veadeiros, GO, Brazil. He also works
with local communities in the vicinity of the
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park. He is a the
current Vice-President of ABETA and has also
contributed in in Study Committees for
Developing Standards in Vertical Techniques
(Product and Process), Canyoneering Guide and
Safety Management System.
Kátia
Terezinha Patrício da Silva
Katia has a
Masters in Social Anthropology from UNICAMP. She
is a specialist in Public Policy Planning and a
researcher for IPARDES, the Parana Institute for
Social and Economic Development. She represents
the Department of Qualification and
Certification and Associated Production of
Brazil’s Ministry of Tourism, where she is
General Coordinator for Structuring Tourism in
Priority Areas.
 Ruy
Marra da Silva Junior
Ruy is a lawyer
specialized in intellectual property and also
graduated in biopsychology. He is also two-time
Brazilian champion in hangliding and holds the
world record in tandem flights (19.000). He puts
his talents to work as the lead consultant of
Superar Consultoria, in the area of emotional
control for human resources, as a paramotor
trainer (for the Special Operations Battalion of
the Navy) and as a partner in Superfly,
hangliding and paragliding centre (with over
30.000 tandem flights). His recorded his
experiences in the book Taking Off for Happiness
(Decolando para Felicidade . Ed Rocco). As a
pioneer in aprgliding he has trained more than
700 people and his aquatic rescue technique with
a paramotor (www.paralife.com.br) was presented
at the World Congress on Drowning (2002). Ruy is
based in Rio de Janeiro.
World Record in Tandem Flights
Superfly is the largest hang glider tandem
flights company in Brazil (30,000 flights to
date) in 27 years of operations. The only
establishment with ABNT certification
(www.abeta.com.br) conforming to the highest
quality levels; safety, and improvements are
always sought.
PILOT COORDENATOR
Ruy Mara, certifaction 001, owner operator
(twice Brazilian champion, world record holder
in twin flights – 19000 to date), international
high level champion, South American distance
champion, qualified in Biopsychology, 27 years
experience in stress and fear management and
author of the book entitled “ Take Off to
Happiness”, Rocco pulishers, uses breathing yoga
and double respitation and is an actor from
various films and soap operas. Also works as an
instructor for the Navy in the special
operations division.
TOURISM AND INCENTIVES.
We are a company which specializes in the
motivational and emotional aspects, either in
business or not, and specialists in adventure
tourism with this innovative biopsychological
aspect. (A subject that studies the effect of
hormone change on personality)
Stress Management creating performance (to your
benefit).
Lectures and emotional management training,
physiology, having free flight and an attractive
backdrop, sharing our experience gained from
over 30,000 passengers, from our own success
observing our dual passenger flights in Rio de
Janeiro.
Motivational Lectures improving performance, in
3 stages – conviction, determination, and effort
(theory of transformation) , strategic planning,
with creativity, we increased the number of
yearly flights from 120 to 2200, making the
recognition of a hang glider flight synonymous
with any of the best tour guides, associations
and information centers in the world. Lonely
Planet, Foot Print and Michelin among others for
example.
A unique opportunity for your special events,
sharing modern concepts of neuroscience and
applying them to the reality of stress and self
motivation both in and out of the workplace.
www.superar.esp.br
Massimo
Desiati
Massimo Desiati
is an Agronomist, specialized in Environmental
Sciences and Agro-Ecology. He is owner-manager
of Quatro Elementos Expedicoes and former
partner in Canion Iguacu (first adventure travel
concessionaire in Foz de Iguacu National Park).
He is Technical Director of ABETA, Master
Instructor of the International Rafting
Federation and Internal Auditor for Safety
System Management.
Massimo is also five times Brazilian Champion,
two times South American and once Pan-American
Champion in Canoe Salom as well as two-time
Brazilian rafting champion.
 Christopher Michael Doyle
Chris Doyle,
APR, has contributed nearly 20 years of public
relations, marketing and business expertise to
the retail, technology, outdoors and adventure
travel industries. Since 2004, he has served as
the vice president of the Adventure Travel Trade
Association (www.adventuretravel.biz) and
director of the 2005-2008 Adventure Travel World
Summit (www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com)
events. He’s also the editor of the ATTA’s
AdventureTravelNews™. An active (trail)
marathoner, adventure traveler and guest
speaker, Chris has managed corporate
reputations, developed extensive national
consumer awareness campaigns, supported the
launch of six Internet concerns, and has enjoyed
success with Doyle Public Relations, a PR
consultancy he started in 2001.
 Molly
Feltner
Senior Editor
Molly Feltner has worked as a reporter, feature
editor, and photo editor for the online travel
magazine SmarterTravel.com for nearly six years.
SmarterTravel is part of the TripAdvisor Media
Network, an operating company of Expedia, Inc.
Molly writes and edits travel features, produces
photo stories, blogs about the airline industry,
and oversees the site's monthly special report
newsletters. While she writes about everything
from airline mergers to good places to go
whiskey tasting, her favorite topics are
adventure and eco travel, and she frequently
highlights noteworthy adventure tours and
destinations in her articles.
Prior to working for SmarterTravel, Molly worked
on contract for
National Geographic Traveler Magazine
and the
Improper Bostonian,
a Boston-based arts and entertainment magazine.
Molly's writing has appeared in
National Geographic Traveler Magazine,
USAToday.com, the Boston Globe, the Denver Post,
and Fodor's
Gold
Guides,
and her photography has been published on
SmarterTravel and in the
Boston
Globe Magazine.
Molly graduated from Dartmouth College in 2001.
Born in Boston, Molly currently lives across the
river in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and enjoys
spending her free time hiking, biking, and
taking photographs. Rather than own a car or a
house, she spends her money on travel, which
usually involves trekking, trying out new
adventure sports, wildlife watching, or
volunteer work. After this conference she heads
to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, go on safari
in the Serengeti, and view gorillas in Rwanda.
Alvaro
Alberto De Barros
Alvaro is the
Coordinator for Technical Support in the
Aventura Segura (Safe Adventure) program for the
implementation of the Safety Management System
for Adventure Tourism Companies. He also
coordinates the Study Commission for Speleology
and Canyoneering for ABNT (Brazilian Technical
Standards Association). He has been in the
adventure tourism world for more than 20 years
and is a well-known and experienced instructor
in Speleology, Canyoneering and Climbing.
 Dival
Pires Schmidt Filho
Dival is an
economist and masters in business
administration. He is presently the coordinator
for tourism at SEBRAE, Brazil's Small Business
Support Service.
José
Fernandes Franco
José Franco is
an agronomist, who moved from agricultural
research to tourism. He founded a Rural and
Educational Tourism project in 1992, which
evolved into the Campo dos Sonhos (Field of
Dreams) Adventure and Ecotourism Park. The Park
offers 14 different adventure activities at the
Hotel Ranch Hotel Campo dos Sonhos in Socorro,
São Paulo state.. He has also been active in
destination development as a president of the
local tourism council and commercial
association.
He is a technical coordinator for ABETA in São
Paulo state.
 James H. Gilmore
As co-author of
The Experience
Economy: Work Is
Theatre & Every
Business a Stage
(Harvard
Business School
Press, 1999),
James H. Gilmore
literally wrote
the book that
spawned
worldwide
interest in
experience
design, customer
experience
management, and
experiential
marketing. Tom
Peters rightly
called The
Experience
Economy “a
brilliant,
absolutely
original book.”
Now published in
ten languages,
the book
continues to
find new readers
across myriad
industries as
businesses find
their goods and
services
commoditized,
with customers
increasingly
spending their
time and money
on
experiences—memorable
events that
engage them in
an inherently
personal way.
Gilmore’s most
recent book,
Authenticity:
What Consumers
Really Want
(Harvard
Business School
Press, 2007),
contends that
Authenticity is
the new
Quality—that
businesses must
learn to manage
authenticity as
a distinct
business
discipline.
Indeed, in a
world of
increasingly
commercialized
activity—intentionally
staged and
technologically
mediated—people
today want the
real from the
genuine, not the
fake from some
phony. For
businesses and
industries
sensing the need
to render
greater
authenticity,
Gilmore and his
co-author Joe
Pine, offer
unparalleled
insights
concerning this
important new
issue.
Time
Magazine
recently named
Authenticity as
one of the “10
Ideas That Are
Changing the
World” in a
March 2008
issue.
Jim is
co-founder of
Aurora,
Ohio-based
Strategic
Horizons LLP. He
is a
“professional
observer,”
sought by
enterprises
around the globe
for his
expertise in
conceiving and
designing new
ways of adding
value to their
economic
offerings. He is
a frequent
keynote speaker,
as well as
workshop
facilitator and
executive coach;
a number of
professional
societies, trade
associations,
and individual
companies also
engage Gilmore
to help design
their overall
events. Most
interestingly,
many
organizations
employ him to
conduct
“learning
excursions”—peripatetic
tours of
exemplary
experiences in
the cities in
which they
convene
conferences and
events, followed
by intensive
debriefs to
extract lessons
learned from the
touring.
Gilmore’s ideas
have been
featured in
numerous
articles on
business
strategy and
innovation for
such
publications as
the
Harvard
Business Review,
The Wall Street
Journal, and
Investors
Business Daily,
among others. He
is also
co-editor of
Markets of One:
Creating
Customer-Unique
Value through
Mass
Customization
(Boston: Harvard
Business School
Press, 2000).
Mr. Gilmore
began his career
with Procter &
Gamble and then
spent over ten
years consulting
with Cleveland
Consulting
Associates and
Computer
Sciences
Corporation,
heading up CSC
Consulting's
process
innovation
practice before
starting his own
firm. Mr.
Gilmore is
currently a
Batten Fellow
and Visiting
Lecturer at the
Darden School of
Business at the
University of
Virginia. He
previously
served as the
2002-2003 Dean
Helen LeBaron
Hilton Endowed
Co-chair at the
College of
Family &
Consumer
Sciences at Iowa
State
University. Mr.
Gilmore is a
graduate of the
Wharton School
of the
University of
Pennsylvania.
 Alfredo
Enrique Ferreyros Gildemeister
President of
Explorandes, pioneer Adventure and Cultural tour
operator in Peru and Ecuador, with more than 30
years of experience spearheading Eco-tourism in
South America.
His active participation in Tourism associations
in Peru has taken him to lead the Peruvian
Adventure and Ecotourism Association (APTAE) as
president for 3 times, being elected in 2008 for
the 4th time.
His interest for the Sustainable development and
conservation has made him founder of several
NGO’s, and also be Executive Director of
Conservation International- Peru program for 2
years.
At Explorandes he has lead the company through
an Environmental Management System certified by
ISO 14000, making Explorandes the first Tour
Operator to achieve such certification in the
Americas.
In 2007 he won the Lifetime Achievement Award
presented by the Adventure Travel Trade
Association.
 Cari
Gray
Cari Gray has been biking and walking around
Butterfield & Robinson’s world for more than a
decade as Director of Marketing/ PR for the high
end boutique tour operator. When not at home
base in Toronto, she’s off guiding, most
recently in South Africa, Argentina, Provence
and Brazil.
www.butterfield.com
 Nancy
Harrison
Nancy Harrison
founded Adventure Travel Media Source in 1999 to
serve as a connection between the media and
adventure travel providers. Utilizing the power
of internet technology to communicate story
ideas, ATMS has become a recognized leader in
obtaining editorial coverage for clients. They
are regularly covered in such publications as
National Geographic Traveler and Adventure,
Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Outside
and Men’s Journal as well as all major
newspapers and websites.
Nancy is a true citizen of the American West
having lived her entire life in Colorado,
Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. She feels this gives
her a unique perspective into the assets and the
challenges faced by the less populated regions
of the world in attracting visitors. Along with
her partner, Bobbi Bolio, Nance has built ATMS
into a large and respected media relations
agency.
Nancy regularly speaks at travel conferences and
trains industry colleagues in the art of media
relations.
Working with the media and representing diverse
clients in the adventure travel industry is a
great opportunity. She has two grown children
and four grandsons who are growing up in the
great outdoors of Wyoming.
Her favorite trips have involved fly fishing,
whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, snorkeling,
wildlife study and horseback riding.
 Amber
Hayes
Adventure
Engine provides online reservation, inventory
management, e-commerce, marketing and
distribution solutions to the Adventure Travel
industry. One of Ambers roles with Adventure
Engine is to work with industry players to
create powerful, easy to use solutions that
capture the long range trends of the travel, end
consumer and technology environments. She enjoys
finding creative solutions to match the
uniqueness found in the Adventure Tour operators
business models and making them a valuable
reality for clients. Equally enjoyed is the
creation of partnerships to expose and sell
those tours to new distributors in novel ways as
demonstrated by WestJet Airlines Adventure
interface.
When she is not trapped behind her computer
Amber can be found enjoying adventures in the
mountains of British Columbia with her daughter
and husband - a professional guide and tour
operator himself.
 Christina
Heyniger
Christina is
the president of Xola Consulting, Inc and an
associate with the Adventure Travel Trade
Association. In collaboration with The George
Washington University and the ATTA, Christina
has been a driving force behind the creation of
the Adventure Tourism Development Index, a tool
supporting entrepreneurs and governments in
developing and marketing sustainable adventure
tourism products and services.
Christina has ten years experience in business
management consulting, specializing since 2004
in marketing and development work for individual
adventure tour companies. In cooperation with
ATTA and the rest of the Xola team, Christina’s
current focus is on supporting public and
private sector initiatives which seek to create
adventure tourism markets as a means of driving
overall human and environmental development.
Christina’s work has supported adventure travel
tour operators and governments around the world
including Africa, Asia (particularly SE Asia),
South America and North America. She speaks
regularly at industry and academic conferences
on topics ranging from small business management
to humanitarian aid and international
development through responsible tourism.
Christina earned her Bachelor of Science from
Cornell University in 1993; her Master of Arts
from Georgetown University in its Communication,
Culture and Technology program; and her Master
of Business Administration from American
University specializing in Entrepreneurship in
2004.
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Christina now
lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Oliver
Hillel
Oliver Hillel
is Deputy Director of the Social, Economic and
Legal Matters Division of the Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal,
Canada. He is responsible, among other issues,
for Sustainable Tourism, Island Biodiversity,
Cities, Parliamentarians and Sustainable Use of
Biodiversity. A biologist with a master's Degree
in Environmental Education and MBAs on
Managerial Accounting and Hotel Management,
Oliver has over 20 years experience on
sustainable tourism, international negotiations,
event organization, and training and capacity
building programs, having worked in
inter-governmental organizations, environmental
NGOs, in the private sector and as a consultant.
Previously, he was the team leader for the
Sustainable Environmental Management Plan in
Northern Palawan, the Philippines ( a tourism
development project financed by the Japan Bank
for International Cooperation), and Tourism
Program Coordinator for UNEP's Division of
Technology, Industry and Economics based in
Paris, France. From 1996 to 2000, he was
Conservation International's Ecotourism Program
director, and before this he worked at SENAC, a
professional training institution in his home
country Brazil, where he created and managed
training programs and consulting services for
hotels, restaurants, and theme parks. He loves
to play tennis, dive, and enjoy the biodiversity
he tries to protect while working.
 Rob
Holmes
Rob has a unique and diverse background in media
production, responsible tourism, international
conservation, and business startups.
Rob has been a well-known photojournalist and
responsible traveler for over 18 years. His
media work focuses on social, environmental, and
sustainability projects through travels to over
50 countries. A popular speaker and guest
lecturer, Rob has given over 100 lectures, 50
exhibitions, and has 15 press placements to his
credit.
He has also worked and consulted with over 20
leading international wildlife conservation
organizations, including The Nature Conservancy,
International Snow Leopard Trust, Appalachian
Mountain Club, and the Woodland Park Zoo.
Finally, Rob’s area of business expertise is
strategic planning, marketing, business
development, and sales. Rob has worked
extensively within the outdoor and travel
industries for over 16 years with companies such
as Recreational Equipment Incorporated (R.E.I.),
Eastern Mountain Sports (E.M.S.), and
Trails.com. Specifically, Rob was an original
co-owner of Trails.com where he helped build and
manage the company to become the #1 outdoor and
adventure travel website. After selling the
company in 2006, Rob brings a wealth of
knowledge on how to successfully build, promote,
and sell businesses to corporate partners,
media, and consumers.
Rob received a BA in Environmental Biology &
Wildlife Management from Hobart College in 1992
and an MBA in International Business,
Environmental Management, & Marketing from
University of Washington in 1999. Rob lives in
Los Angeles with his wife Joy and daughter June.
 Frank
Hugelmeyer, President & CEO, Outdoor Industry
Association (OIA)
Keynote Presentation Topic
“Outdoor Industry Influences & Shaping the
Active Outdoor Lifestyle of Americans”
The
generational transformations expected in outdoor
consumer and participation trends, attitudes and
lifestyles in the next twenty years in the
United States will be dramatic. Learn about the
dynamic outdoor marketplace and how to meet the
needs of a still active “boomer” generation.
Then discover what major outdoor and adventure
brands are doing to position themselves to
address the emerging consumer needs of a new
“millennial” generation.
Frank
Hugelmeyer is president & CEO of Outdoor
Industry Association (OIA), the premiere outdoor
trade group in the U.S.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, OIA provides trade
services for over 4,000 manufacturers,
distributors, suppliers, retailers and 60
related associations in the outdoor industry and
is the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer, the
world’s largest outdoor products tradeshow. OIA
is widely recognized as the premiere source for
active lifestyle research and is a recognized
authority on the outdoor industry supply chain,
retail sales and related public lands issues.
Mr. Hugelmeyer is a twenty year outdoor industry
veteran with extensive experience in global
retail, distribution and manufacturing. In 2000,
he moved into the role of association CEO after
serving as an industry-elected OIA board
director. Mr. Hugelmeyer is a co-founder and
director of The Outdoor Foundation, a non-profit
dedicated to inspiring and growing future
generations of outdoor enthusiasts; a board
director for the National Coalition for
Promoting Physical Activity; and he currently
serves on The National Forum on Children and
Nature which is chaired by U.S. Secretary of
Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
 Ariane
Elisabeth Van Schravendijk Janér
Ariane Janér is
a consultant in sustainable development since
1996 and focuses on practical and innovative
solutions for companies, projects and tourism
destinations. A Dutch biologist with an MBA, she
has been living in Brazil since 1988.
Ariane builds on her experience in marketing and
finance acquired through a career at Royal Dutch
Shell, as a free-lance consumer market
researcher for Euromonitor, as a financial
analyst for Baxter Straub and as owner/director
of an ecotourism operator.
One of the founders of the Brazilian Ecotourism
Society, EcoBrasil (1993), Ariane has always
sought to further the cause of ecotourism and
sustainable tourism and has been involved in
major projects such as Funbio’s Best Practices
in Ecotourism Program and the Brazil Sustainable
Tourism Program. She is a regular speaker at
events in Brazil and also internationally and
has contributed to various publications.
 Kevin
Johnson
As President of
Deluxe Digital Media, Inc., Kevin is an industry
expert with over 11 years of experience in Web
Technology, Design, Strategy, and Online
Marketing. Applying his expertise to a wide
range of industries, Kevin's clients have
included Birkenstock, Scharffen Berger
Chocolate, and The San Francisco Zoo, as well as
many premier Adventure Travel Outfitters such as
Backroads, Canadian Mountain Holidays, and
Mountain Travel Sobek to name a few. He also
served as the Curriculum Director of San
Francisco State University Multimedia Studies
Program from where he helped to create one of
the world's first online training programs.
Kevin has contributed his time and expertise as
a judge for the Web Marketing Association for
the past 4 years.
 Judy
Karwacki
Judy Karwacki
is a sustainable tourism consultant with more
than two decades of industry experience,
including 13 years as a consultant and 22 years
as owner of a retail travel agency that
specializes in nature and adventure tourism. Her
project portfolio reaches around the globe, and
she has worked on projects for the US Agency for
International Development, Canadian
International Development Agency, Organization
of American States, British High Commission, The
International Ecotourism Society, and
International Institute for Peace through
Tourism. Judy’s key interest is tourism that
provides communities with sustainable long-term
economic, social and cultural benefits while
protecting in their natural and cultural
heritage. She is considered one of the premiere
experts in North America on indigenous tourism,
and has played a leading role in projects in
Canada and around the world on indigenous
eco-cultural tourism research, program
development, attractions development, strategic
planning and marketing. Judy has delivered
training programs and seminars, and spoken about
indigenous tourism at conferences and forums in
the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, North and South
America, and the Pacific. She holds a BA
(international studies), MA (international
politics), MBA (tourism management), and Honours
Certificate in Internet Marketing. When she is
not travelling on project work, she lives in
beautiful North Vancouver, Canada.
 Karen
Kefauver
Karen Kefauver
is a freelance journalist based in Santa Cruz,
California. She has been writing about adventure
travel and endurance sports for 14 years for
international publications. She often writes
about road and mountain biking, rafting,
kayaking and multi-sport trips. Her stories and
digital photos have appeared in major
metropolitan newspapers including
The San
Francisco Chronicle Magazine, The Christian
Science Monitor, The San Jose Mercury News
as well as national magazines including
Triathlete, Velo News Cycling, Adventure Travel
(U.K)
and
Her
Sports.
Currently, Karen is an outdoors writer for the
travel website
Away.com and publishes a travel blog. Karen
habla Español (un pocito) and is an experienced
public speaker. At the São Paulo conference, she
will present Saturday, September 6, on the
topic: “Beyond the Press Release.” After the
conference, Karen will explore Brazil and Peru,
then mountain bike with Sacred Rides. To view
her stories, photo and blog, visit
www.karenkefauver.com.
 Bryan
Kinkade
Since joining
the advertising team of National Geographic
Adventure in March 2004, Bryan Kinkade has been
responsible for greatly expanding the travel and
tourism business of the magazine. Named director
of travel & tourism for the magazine in January
2008, Kinkade continues to extend the value of
National Geographic Adventure’s assets for its
partners in the adventure travel community. The
magazine’s travel advertisers have been
important to the brand’s growth on both its
print and digital platforms.
Kinkade currently serves on the National Board
of Directors of the Association for the
Promotion of Tourism to Africa, and on the
Benefit Committee of the Africa Foundation. He
has been a featured speaker on adventure and
sustainable travel at several international
conferences, most recently in Mexico City, MX (Aventura
Y Ecoturismo Expo),
Guayaquil, Ecuador (Feria
Internacional del Turismo en Ecuardor),
and Delhi, India (Adventure
Tour Operators Association of India National
Conference).
Kinkade was also recently featured on Travel
Talk Radio and in major local and national
travel media.
www.traveltalkradio.com/ERIC/apr06_08/archives_apr06_08seg09.mp3
Prior to joining National Geographic, Kinkade
held sales management and marketing positions at
CNET, Blue magazine, Yahoo, eGroups and Lehman
Brothers investment bank.
 Kurt
Kutay
Kurt Kutay is
the founding Director and President of Wildland
Adventures, Inc. and the non-profit Travelers
Conservation Trust. He has traveled and guided
groups throughout the world since 1975. Kurt
completed an M.S. degree in Natural Resources
from the University of Michigan after conducting
research in the National Parks of Costa Rica. He
has also worked on international programs for
the U.S. National Park Service. Kurt has
authored a chapter on adventure travel for
Fodor's guide books and written many articles on
ecotourism. As a founding member of the Board of
Directors for numerous professional associations
and conservation organizations including The
International Ecotourism Society, the
International Galapagos Tour Operators
Association, and the Maasai Environmental
Resource Coalition of East Africa, Kurt is
recognized as a pioneer in adventure travel and
ecotourism.
 Don
Mankin
His adventures
have taken him to Africa, Asia, Antarctica,
North and South America, Europe and almost
everywhere in between. Several of his trips are
described in his new book, Riding the Hulahula
to the Arctic Ocean: A Guide to 50 Extraordinary
Adventures for the Seasoned Traveler.
Don has learned a great deal from his travels,
about the world, himself and human nature. This,
plus his many years as a professional
psychologist and educator, has led him to a deep
understanding of how adventure travel and
experiences can transform our lives, work,
relationships, and organizations. This is the
current focus of his work and the speaking,
consulting handwriting services he offers.
 Margi
and Gérard Moss
Earthrounders
Margi and
Gérard Moss
are environmental explorers. For more than 20
years they have travelled all over Brazil and
around the world in light aircraft, at low
altitude, attune with the land, seas, forests
and deserts that pass beneath their wings.
After worldwide expeditions, including a 3-year
circumnavigation in a single-engine plane
(1989-1992), an expedition to the four cardinal
points of the Americas (1997) and Gerard’s solo
flight around the world in a motorized glider
(2001), their focus is now on Brazil and
particularly on the importance of water.
From the air, it is possible to “explore” the
environment in a different way, by using
innovative technology on a geographical scale.
They use light aviation’s strong points – access
to remote locations, low-level flight, moving
observation deck and photograph platform – in
the service of the environmental cause, working
together with prominent Brazilian scientists.
With
The Waters
of Brazil
(2003-2004), they flew over 120,000 km in an
amphibian sea-plane and collected water from
more than 1,000 sample locations in Brazil’s
main rivers and lakes. With
Seven
Rivers
(2006-2007), they navigated seven specially
selected rivers and connected with the
communities along the way about “their river”.
The
Flying Rivers (2007-2009) is their most
ambitious project yet. The lower half of Brazil,
essentially its agricultural and industrial
heartland, depends entirely on its hereto
reliable and abundant rainfall. So-called flying
rivers are air masses blown down from the Amazon
region carrying huge quantities of humidity that
sparks off rainfall. Brazil receives more rain
that any other country in the world (estimated
at over 15,000 cubic kilometers per year –
almost double the next best, Russia) and has,
until recently, relied on hydro power for up to
90% of its energy requirements. The project aims
to quantify the amount of water vapour
transported by these invisible airborne rivers.
They may well account for a volume of water on a
par with discharge of the mighty Amazon River
itself – estimated at 200,000 cubic metres per
second – the most powerful discharge of any
single river in the world. The results will be
extremely important in the context of how
climate change and the destruction of the Amazon
could affect rainfall patterns in the region.
So who are these intrepid travelers? Both are
naturalized Brazilians. Gérard, of Swiss/English
origin, is an engineer with a passion for
flying. Margi, who grew up in Kenya and majored
in Arts, is the photographer and writer of the
team. After calling Rio de Janeiro their home
for many years, they are now based in Brasilia.
With a passion for their adopted country, its
boundless natural beauty and enormous potential
for adventure in the great outdoors, their
commitment to contributing to the science of
conservation makes them the perfect guides to
introduce to the magic of Brazil.
Gérard and Margi do not only travel by air. Some
of their land adventures outside Brazil include
canoeing in Alaska and down the Zambezi river,
Landrover expeditions in various African and
South American countries, climbing Mt
Kilimanjaro and a visit to Antarctica.
Websites
www.riosvoadores.com.br
www.brasildasaguas.com.br
www.extremoss.com.br
 Janaki
Nayar
Founded in
1976, SATH is an educational nonprofit
membership organization that has been in the
forefront of advising and assisting state and
foreign governments, travel trade organizations,
travel agents and tour operators in the correct
ethical handling of people with disabilities in
all aspects of travel thereby achieving their
goal of raising awareness and providing detailed
training on how to market, and serve the unique
needs of travelers with disabilities.
Jani Nayar joined in the work of SATH, (The
Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality) in
1995. Her long-standing involvement with SATH
was at first as a tour operator and now as our
Executive Coordinator; She is not only our
primary spokesperson and liaison but also SATH’s
representative at Congresses and Travel
Exhibitions.
SATH provides speakers for radio and television
and contributes articles to numerous
publications. In this regard she has been
interviewed by CNNfn, CNN HeadLines and several
radio stations. She has also contributed several
articles on disability travel to several
publications.
Her responsibilities include acting as liaison
with state and international governments and
trade bodies planning, organizing and executing
sustainable projects on behalf of SATH. These
projects help them influence both the public and
private sectors, making their nations accessible
destinations by helping with the accessibility
issues both physical as well as attitudinal.
She received a Bachelor of Science Degree from
The University of Kerala, Trivandrum, India. She
was ranked 1st among a student body of 1200.
 Dr.
Antonia Neubauer
Dr. Antonia Neubauer is Founder and President of
Myths and Mountains, Inc., a cultural travel
company, located in Incline Village, Nevada.
Focusing on Asia, Southeast Asia, Antarctica and
South America, the company designs adventures
that highlight cultures and crafts, religions
and holy sites, folk medicine and traditional
healing, wildlife and the environment. The
company’s goal is to introduce to and immerse
participants in unfamiliar cultures in a manner
that encourages understanding and appreciation
of their global neighbors.
Giving back to the locals in regions where Myths
and Mountains travels was a priority for Dr.
Neubauer from the company’s founding in 1987. To
this end, she established READ--Rural Education
and Development--a non-profit organization whose
current focus is improving rural education and
infrastructure through out the developing world.
The READ beta site is in Nepal, where the
organization has built 39 rural libraries,
trained village librarians, supplied more than
250,000 Nepali books, and constructed sustaining
projects (ambulances, mills, factories,
storefront rentals, fishponds, etc.) to support
the libraries after construction.
In 2002, she was honored by the Association of
Nepalis in the Americas with the “Friend of
Nepal Award,” for her “deep friendship toward
Nepal and for the difference made in the lives
of Nepalis.” In 2005, she received the
International Visionary Award from the Northern
Nevada International Center and in 2006 she
received the “Global Citizen Award” at the UN
sponsored “Walk the Talk” dinner in San
Francisco. Most important, READNepal was honored
with the $1,000,000 Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation’s 2006 Access to Learning Award. READ
has been the subject of articles in such
publications as the “Christian Science Monitor”,
“Outside Magazine”, and the International
Reading Association’s “Reading Today”.
Tanya
Niederhoff
Bio
coming soon...
Fabio
Raimo de Oliveira
Fabio Raimo is
an instructor in Outdoor Adventure Education
with more than 15 years of experience and
trained in Educo Colorado, Outward Bound School
and NOLS. Since 1998 he prepares students to
work with outdoor activities through NOLS
Outdoor Skills and Leadership courses, in
canoeing expeditions, mountaineering,
rock-climbing and sailing in Patagonia, Alaskam
Amazon, Mexico and Canada. He is a Safety Review
Team Leader of Outward Bound International and
participates in adventure tourism safety audits
in various countries. He is a consultant to
ABETA in Safety Management Systems.
Indira Palomino
For the last
five years, Indira Palomino has been involved in
the tourism industry.
She studied a master degree in Tourism
Destination Development and Management in the
Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain.
Then she came back to Peru and started working
with adventure operators and outdoor retailers.
She has been working as Adventure Specialist for
almost two years at PromPeru- Peru Export and
Tourism Promotion Board, where she actively
participated in the ATDI project in Peru,
providing logistic coordination and the
information request by the consultants.
 Daniela
Papi
Daniela Papi is
the Founder of PEPY, "Protect the Earth. Protect
Yourself.", an educational non-profit
organization funded through volunteer and
adventure tours of Cambodia. PEPY's tagline,
"Adventurous Living. Responsible Giving."
highlights the dual mission of the organization.
PEPY has won the CIMPA Human itarian Travel
Award, the University of Notre Dame's Social
Venture Business Plan competition, and was a
finalist for the Cartier Women's Initiative
Awards. Daniela is active in the growing
volunteer tourism movement, speaking regularly
on the subject. She has been a speaker at the
UNEP Sports and the Environment meeting in
Geneva, Switzerland, and a guest lecturer on
Peace Boat.
Daniela has written in the trade and online
press about the challenges of grassroots
development and the issues facing operators
looking to offer tours in this growing market.
After a childhood in Briarcliff Manor, New York,
Daniela graduated from the University of Notre
Dame with a degree in Economics and went on to
work for a management consulting firm in
Chicago. She has since spent the last six years
in Asia working in education and tourism. She
currently manages PEPY from her Cambodia office
in Phnom Penh.
 Herbert
Pardini
Herbert Pardini is a tourism professional and
geographer, president of the Espinhaço Mountains
Association and owner/director of tourism
consultancy company Ciclus. He is based in Belo
Horizonte, Minas Gerais. He organized the
Expedition Challenge of the Espinhaço and in
2006, walked 416 km on hiking trails between the
World Heritage Sites Ouro Preto and Diamantina
along the crest of the Espinhaço mountain range
(a Biosphere Reserve). He is responsible for the
Adventure Tourism Observatory in Brazil, which
advises companies in Brazil looking to certify
themselves in Safety Management through the
adoption of the Standard ABNT NBR 15331 – Safety
Management System. He is also the author of the
Good Practice Manual for Long Distance Hikes,
which to be published by the Ministry of Tourism
in partnership with ABETA, the Brazilian
Association for Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism
Companies.
 Glenn
Phillips
Glenn Phillips
has been in the hotel industry for over 20 years
and has worked in hotels and game lodges in
South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania. He has
travelled extensively through Africa, Europe,
the Middle East and the USA. He has been with
South African National Parks as the Director of
Tourism Development and Marketing for over 5
years. He has a passion for the environment and
Service delivery. He enjoys the outdoors and
amongst other activities enjoys Mountain Biking
and Scuba Diving.
 Everett
Potter
Everett Potter
is a columnist for USA Weekend magazine,
Diversion and Laptop magazines, a contributing
editor to Ski, and publishes Everett Potter's
Travel Report.com. He is a frequent contributor
to National Geographic Traveler, New York
Magazine, Travel &Leisure online,
ForbesTraveler.com, Forbes Life, Virtuoso Life
and Culture & Travel. Potter wrote a weekly,
nationally syndicated column for The New York
Times Syndicate for nearly two decades and was a
founding contributing editor at SmartMoney: The
Wall Street Journal Magazine of Personal
Business. The Society of American Travel Writers
awarded Potter the Lowell Thomas Gold Award in
1993, 1994, 1995 and the Bronze Award in 1998
for his travel journalism. Potter is the author
of The Best of Brazil (Crown) and serves on the
board of the ATTA.
 Jean-Claude
Razel
Jean-Claude is
founder of Alaya Expedições, a pioneer company
and reference for quality of operations in the
Brazilian outdoor tourism market. He is the
coordinator of the South American Summit for
ABETA.
 Jaime
Rios
Jaime Rios has more than 25 years of experience
in the Argentinean tourism market. For the past
ten years he has worked in the development and
promotion of Patagonia, focusing on sport
fishing and adventure tourism. Since 2001 he
coordinates the NGO MESA CONSULTIVA DE PESCA
DEPORTIVA DE RIO NEGRO, ONG which works with
sustainable development. Since 2003 he is
contracted by the Ministry of Tourism of
Argentina to develop Adventure Tourism and
Sports Fishing on a national level.
Jussara
Maria Rocha
Jussara is
currently the Superintendent of Funding and
Development at the Secretary of Tourism of
Brazil’s mountain state, Minas Gerais. By
education an historian, she has worked for many
years in tourism as a consultant working with
local and regional tourism development. She is
an avid adventure traveler and loves to be out
in the mountains.
 Lane
Roney
Lane is CEO of
Geovative Solutions, LLC, which specializes in
software for GPS tourism. Lane and Scott Rock
founded Geovative in January, 2006 after
conducting research in GPS tourism at Kansas
State University. Lane has worked as an
industrial engineer for Raytheon Missile Systems
and has served overseas with The Navigators as
an educator and business consultant. Lane is an
avid adventurer and traveler and is excited to
be a part of the ATWS here in South America.
 Alejandro
Rosales
Alejandro
Rosales is a kayaker and architect, who is a
whitewater pioneer in his native Argentina.
He is a National Park Guide, kayak and rafting
instructor and founder-director of Extremo Sur
Rafting& Kayak
Since 1991, he operates in Nahuel Huapi Nacional
Park 1991 in Patagonia.
He is the president of ATAP ( Patagonia Active
Tourism Association) and a founding member of
Grupo Al Sur.
Ronald
Sanabria
Tourism
Certification Network of the Americas that today
has more than a hundred members representing 25
countries in the Americas. Internationally,
Ronald has been coordinating the steering
committee of the Sustainable Tourism Stewardship
Council (STSC), an accreditation body for
sustainable tourism certification programs to be
launched in 2009; the Rainforest Alliance’s
participation in the World Heritage Alliance, an
initiative of the United Nations Foundation
(UNF) and Expedia. Inc. to promote sustainable
travel in World Heritage Sites; and he is part
of the coordinating committee of the Global
Sustainable Tourism Baseline Criteria, together
with representatives from UNWTO, UNEP, UNF,
IUCN, CBD and many other international agencies.
This year, Ronald was the recipient of the 2008
EXPOTUR - Friend of Nature Award in recognition
for his efforts to promote sustainable tourism
in Costa Rica. Since 1992, Ronald has also been
teaching at the Faculty of Engineering of the
University of Costa Rica. A Fulbright scholar,
Ronald has a degree in Industrial Engineering
from the University of Costa Rica with a Masters
in Sustainable International Development from
Brandeis University.
 Richard
A. (Dick) Schulte
Dick is CEO of
Adventure Central (www.adventurecentral.com),
the leading provider of online distribution and
booking services for the adventure and
experiential travel industry. A seasoned
entrepreneurial leader with over 20 years of
experience leading values-centered, purposeful
teams in achieving challenging objectives, Dick
has held management and senior leadership
positions with ROLM/IBM, 3Com Corporation, McCaw
Cellular Communications and ConferTech
International. In 1997, Dick joined his first
technology start-up organization, Colorado-based
MSHOW.com, as principal and VP of Sales and
Marketing. Since then he has led other start-ups
to success, including Voyant Technologies where
he was a co-founder, and most recently
Denver-based Adventure Central, where he joined
as CEO in May 2006. Dick and his family live in
the Denver area. He is an active outdoors and
adventure travel enthusiast and enjoys the
physical and inspirational beauty of the Rocky
Mountain West via alpine skiing, cycling,
hiking, whitewater sports and cross-training.
Ricardo
Noboru Shimosakai
Ricardo Noburu
is a Bachelor in Tourism, who is specialized in
accessibility and inclusion of disabled people.
He is a founder of Turismo Adaptado and a member
of SATH (Society for Accessible Travel &
Hospitality), Brazilian Adventure Society,
Centro de Vida Independente Araci Nallin, Rede
Internamericana de Turismo Acessível e da ENAT
(European Network for Accessible Tourism).
 Jurandir
Siridiwê
Jurandir
Siridiwê Xavante was born in 1967 in the village
of Wedezê (São Domingos) in the Indian Territory
Pimentel Barbosa in Mato Grosso. He was chosen
together with 7 other boys to study outside of
the village, learning Portuguese and the urban
way of life in order to contribute to the
strategy of strengthening the tradition of his
people. He is a grandson of the great Xavante
Leader Ahopowê, also known as Apoena. He is a
founder of IDETI and represents the Institute as
an elected member for the defense of indigenous
peoples rights in the Municipal Commission for
Human Rights and is a Member of the Permanent
Council for Public Policies for the Culture and
Traditions of Indigenous Peoples (Ministry of
Culture).
Daniel
Spinelli
Founder
and director of Praia Secreta Expeditions since
1996. Adventure Tourism Consultant and Safety
auditor. Coordinator of ABETA Paraná and the
Rafting Technical commission.
 Veronica
Stoddart
Veronica
Stoddart is USA TODAY's Deputy Managing Editor
for Travel. Previously, she was founding editor
of Caribbean Travel & Life magazine, which she
edited for 10 years. She has worked as a
contract editor for the National Geographic
Society, as travel editor of Americas magazine,
and has contributed to numerous publications
during 25 years in travel journalism. She is
also on the faculty of the SATW Institute for
Travel Writing & Photography.
She has received the Marcia Vickery-Wallace
Award for Excellence in Travel Journalism, the
Westin Award from the North American Travel
Journalists Association, and seven Lowell Thomas
Awards from the Society of American Travel
Writers.
Veronica is a graduate of Wellesley College.
 Shannon
Stowell
Shannon’s
personal and professional background is well
suited for the adventure travel industry. He’s
lived in Fiji, trekked Indonesia, Thailand,
Burma and China, and has spent time in many
places around the world including Taiwan, South
Africa, Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil, Qatar,
Norway, Mexico and Canada. Among the diverse
adventures he’s enjoyed: summiting Mount Rainier
& Mount Hood, diving in Mexico, sitting out a
riot in Jakarta, being involved in Fijian kava
ceremonies, caving in Thailand, and many more.
Shannon is an active traveler, trail runner,
swimmer, mountaineer, skier and fly-fisher. He
brings a special passion to this industry borne
of experience and a desire to see others
experience the world in a richer way. His 17+
years of business experience, connections,
marketing insight, environmental science, vision
and passion for adventure travel have prepared
him well to serve and lead as the president of
the Adventure Travel Trade Association. Early in
his career, with a B.S. Biology from Seattle
Pacific University, Shannon worked as a
fisheries observer on ships in Alaska for the
National Marine Fisheries Service. After a stint
on the Bering Sea, and work with the Colorado
Division of Wildlife, he spent eight years at an
environmental testing laboratory as a
biologist/chemist. He was promoted into
management to develop and spearhead the
company’s international vision and Asian
presence with the President of North Creek
Analytical International.
Shannon then engaged in the dot-com revolution
as a co-founder of Altrec.com, a successful
outdoor and adventure travel gear retailer
(www.altrec.com). He directed the company’s
business development, affiliate marketing and
non-profit relations for six years. Despite the
dotcom boom and bust, Altrec survived, then
thrived. During his time at Altrec.com, he
struck deals with Amazon.com, CBS Sportsline,
National Geographic and National Geographic
Adventure, Backpacker Magazine, Virtuoso, Nike,
Gore-Tex, Outward Bound, Virtuoso and Mountain
Travel Sobek among many others. He wore many
other hats during his tenure, overseeing aspects
of marketing, PR, affiliate programs, ad sales,
advertising program development and development
of Altrec’s sister site, www.Greatoutdoors.com.
Under his leadership as president of the ATTA,
the organization has grown into the largest
international association of adventure travel
companies with nearly 500 members and dozens of
tourism boards, major corporations and
influential individuals helping propel industry
initiatives forward. The ATTA also hosts the
Adventure Travel World Summits. Shannon also
co-authored a book in 2008, published by
National Geographic: Riding the Hulahula to the
Arctic Ocean- A guide to 50 Extraordinary
Adventures.
Committed to non-profit endeavors, Shannon
served for four years on the Board of the
American Hiking Society. He has also directed
several community plays, been the vice-chairman
in a community political group, serves with his
local church and served on the Library Board at
his local library. Raised on the Arkansas River
in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Shannon today
lives with his wife, Shelly, and two children in
the Seattle area.
Gustavo
Fraga Timo
Gustavo Timo,
Executive Manager Brazilian Ecotourism and
Adventure Travel Trade Association – ABETA. Timo
is involved with adventure and nature travel for
13 years. He is one of the first founders and
Leaders of ABETA, the Brazilian Adventure Travel
Trade Association, has served as an elected
member of the board of Directors, as Technical
Director, and now works as ABETA executive
manager. He is also an advisory board member at
the Adventure Travel Trade Association - ATTA
At ABETA his energy is focus on developing,
organizing and converging the adventure travel
industry of Brazil in a movement that involves
establishing standards, building qualifications
and certifications systems and implementing
search and rescue teams in main adventure travel
destinations in Brazil, as well as turning
Brazil an international adventure travel
destination.
All this getting the attention and resources
from the Brazilian Minister of Tourism, that
have identified the Adventure Travel as a
priority and strategic segment for the
development of Brazil's Travel Industry and
other organizations that are able to invest
funds on the development of Adventure Travel.
Gustavo has an extensive experience as a
Adventure Travel Tour operator, he was Executive
Director of Brasil Aventuras Expedições for 8
years, a leading company in Brazil and
experienced developing new destinations,
marketing, establishing strategic partnerships,
development distributions channels in Brazil and
internationally and training adventures travel
guides. He have also worked as a consultant in
planning, developing and marketing destinations,
training entrepreneurs to manage nature based
tourism in many projects in Brazil. His
experience as an expedition leader and guide
involves mountaineering, backpacking,
canyoneering and overland expeditions all over
Brazil for more than seven years.
He is an experienced traveler and have visit
most countries of South America, including the
bioms of Patagonia, Andes, Pantanal, Amazon and
Gran Sabana, have also being to other continents
searching for adventure travel experiences . An
outdoorsman and family man, Gustavo is and
active diver, canyoneer, mountaineer and
mountain biker, and now enjoy his time
introducing his two daughters together with his
wife Gisela to the outdoor world.
Lawrence
Wahba
Lawrence Wahba
is an underwater filmmaker and director of
documentaries. He has directed over 40
documentaries and participated in more than 400
TV programs, which have appeared all over the
world through channels as Rede Globo, National
Geographic and Discovery.
 Israel
Waligora
Israel Waligora
is a geologist and owner-director of Ambiental
Expeditions, a pioneer of ecotourism and
adventure tourism in Brazil for over 20 years
and now one of the market leaders. Israel is
also the president of ABETA.
Esteban
Walther
Esteban is
current head of Google’s Vertical Markets Group
for Latin America based in Sao Paulo working on
the development of the Advertising market for
Google in the region.
Esteban has been with Google over 2 years and a
half and before moving to Brazil he was the Head
of Travel for the EMEA region managing the sales
teams that were looking after all the major
European Travel companies.
Prior to joining Google Esteban was part of the
team that launched Opodo across the different
European markets leading some of the core
Strategic Partnerships with Airlines, Hotels and
Tour Operators, working as UK Country Manager
and identifying new distribution opportunities
for the company across Europe.
Before moving to London from Barcelona for the
Opodo start up in 2001 Esteban worked for
Deloitte&Touche in projects for different
leading Tourist Boards, for the TUI Group in
their main Spanish Headquarters getting involved
in different projects for the incoming
operations for leading European Tour Operators
and for Arthur Andersen auditing major
industrial corporations. His fluency in English,
French, Spanish, German and Catalan has enabled
him to forge an established network of
partnerships in the international e-commerce
travel industry.
Esteban graduated from the University of
Barcelona in 1995 with a 5 year degree in
Business Administration with a major in
marketing and enjoys travelling to places with
amazing food and wine.
 Anne
Wood
Program
Director for Europe and the Pacific at Mountain
Travel Sobek, Anne Wood has also worked as a
Photo Editor, Marketing Associate, and Europe &
North America Sales Specialist during the years
since she joined the pioneering company of
adventure travel. As a regional Program
Director, Anne supervises all operations the of
the Europe and Pacific programs at Mountain
Travel Sobek; conceptualizing, designing and
building out innovative, uniquely appealing
world-class adventure itineraries; crafting a
marketing strategy for the Europe and Pacific
regions; creating custom travel experiences for
MTS travelers; trouble shooting and solving
unexpected challenges in the field; supervising
in-country staff; and assuring top-notch and
flawless quality of the Europe and Pacific
programs.
Anne has also worked on contract for the US
Agency for International Development (USAID) in
Croatia, touring the country to observe post-war
tourism development efforts and presenting
regional lectures and workshops to hundreds of
newly established tour guides, hoteliers, and
service providers in that country.
Anne is a graduate of the University of
California at Santa Cruz with a B.A. in History
of Art and Visual Culture. She resides in
Berkeley, where she is and avid distance runner,
and a very active support hiker and climber with
the Breast Cancer Fund's annual 'Climb Against
the Odds: Mount Shasta.' When Anne isn't on the
trails, she is spending precious time playing
and cooking with her 9 year old daughter,
Lauren.
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