To Marian, the AGC staff and guides, and to our incredible community of travelers – thank you! I am honored and humbled to be writing to you as the new owner and CEO “Chief Experience Officer” of Adventures in Good Company.
As I try to summarize who I am and how I got here, the phrase Nil Sine Numine, keeps coming to mind. For one, because my beloved high school Latin teacher recently passed and also because my son had to memorize it for his 4thgrade quiz on Colorado. This phrase translates to Nothing Without Providence and is the Colorado motto - and Colorado is the new “headquarters” for AGC.
Getting to this place has surely been by hard work and also by providence, both for me and for AGC. I’ve worn many hats over the years and all of them have led me here, gratefully. I sensed something special in my initial conversations with Marian, on my first AGC trip, and in my time getting to know the team. And I knew early on that this was where I was meant to be.
From a young age I had a deep love of nature and fierce desire to protect it. I studied Wildlife Biology in college, envisioning myself as the next Jane Goodall, and for the next ten years I avidly pursued this career. Yet, fate has a way of nudging us in unexpected directions. I moved to Colorado 15 years ago after graduate school to work for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. During this time, I realized I would rather share my love of nature with others than spend my time on data design and analysis. So, I took a leap of faith and changed careers.
Like any adventure, it was scary, I doubted myself, and I wondered where it would all lead. A few years later, I found myself in a comfortable job at Colorado State University with a vested pension and colleagues I enjoyed, yet I knew this wasn’t right either. So, I took another leap of faith and found myself working in the adventure travel industry. Yes, this was more like it!
I’ve always loved adventure, from birding trips to Africa, to weekend backpacking trips in Montana, to snorkeling and beach combing in Belize, these are moments that resonate. As importantly, these are moments that are meant to be shared. Going it alone has value, but joy is amplified, laughter is contagious, and reaching that next summit is more rewarding when you have someone alongside.
Finding my way to AGC has been an incredible journey and I am thrilled to be here with you all. I know I have the best mentor in Marian, despite telling me early on that mentoring isn’t her thing. Even so, she’s pretty good at it. She’s been an essential guide and a steady advocate these last several months. She’s built a team and a culture that’s founded on integrity and courage and I will be careful to protect it as we look forward to the next 20 years of Adventures in Good Company!
