Meet the Team

Paul Jones - North America Regional Manager

Paul originally joined the GVI team in the UK in 2004 as Africa Regional Coordinator, moving to Boston to head up our North American office in July 2006. He has a broad experience of travelling and volunteer work, from reforestation projects in the foothills of Australia's Snowy Mountains to several months as an environmental journalist in Sri Lanka.

A graduate of Physical Geography, Paul has had a variety of jobs including work as a gardener, fireworks tester and football writer. After deciding it was time to ‘do his bit' for the environment Paul signed up to work for a conservation organisation down under, planting native trees in New South Wales and fencing National Parks in Queensland, travelling around Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia along the way.

Looking back on a journey through four continents and eleven countries in little over a year, the islands of Thailand's Krabi Province and the vast expanse of the Queensland outback rank among his favourite destinations, while abseiling down underground waterfalls in New Zealand and trekking in Malaysia's Cameron Highlands were real highlights of the trip!

Richard Walton - Director and Founder of Global Vision International

Having lived and worked overseas for many years as a volunteer and expedition leader, Richard has been largely responsible for the development of Global Vision International from its early days on an island off the coast of Honduras. Richard has led and taken part in expeditions to Patagonia, the Amazon, Honduras and Malawi and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. He continues to be involved in all aspects of the day to day running of GVI and travels extensively throughout the year to GVI field stations.

Steve Gwenin - Director of Programs

Steve Gwenin is the founder of Global Vision International's Marine Conservation Expeditions, and has been key in the set up and running of almost all of GVI’s Expeditions, including 3 in Mexico, and one each in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Patagonia, Kenya, Seychelles and Thailand, and has also spent time on the South African expedition and helped in its development.

In 2007 he co-founded the GVI Corporate Alliance and has since created and managed international programs with Whole Foods Market (Fortune 100), Grameen Trust (Nobel Prize Laureate 2006), Global Giving, Kraft Foods, Emirates Foundation (UAE National Volunteering Program), Explore Travel and many others.

Steve is a qualified commercial diver, PADI Instructor, EFR Instructor Trainer, certified powerboat driver and Health and Safety off-site advisor and Off-Site Safety Management trainer, whom holds a B.Sc. in Oceanography and Fisheries Science and is certified in Firefighting and Offshore survival. Prior to joining GVI, Steve worked in the scientific field around Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and had used these opportunities to travel extensively. He disbanded his own successful and growing marine mammal research company, which operated around Northern European, Artic, and African waters, to join GVI and has now been part of the team for almost 6 years.

Steve has over 13 years field research experience spanning 5 continents, 4 oceans and a host of different eco-systems, including marine, coastal, tropical dry and rainforest, artic and savannah. His boundless energy and enthusiasm, commitment to conservation and determination to work with local communities, his strong background in working internationally with governmental, non-profit and commercial organisations in conservation, research and sustainable development initiatives, and his experience of living, training and working with volunteers, make him ideal for GVI.

Lindsey Hallen - North America Regional Coordinator

Lindsey graduated in 2005 with a degree in communications. While there she studied in Sydney, Australia for a semester and traveled all around Australia and New Zealand, going bungee jumping and having a great time!

Australia was so wonderful that she knew she wanted to move someplace just like it after college. That’s how she wound up living in Hawaii for two years working as a veterinary technician. Living close to the beach Lindsey spent her free time hiking, jumping off cliffs, and attempting to surf. During those two years in Hawaii she also volunteered on GVI's Wildlife Conservation Expedition in South Africa, and had an amazing time. We've been trying to get her to stop talking about it ever since!

She has traveled around Europe several times, also visiting Venezuela, the Caribbean and several states across the US. Lindsey joined the GVI team in the summer of 2008, first as an intern and now as Regional Coordinator for North America. In the winter months she can be found skiing/snowboarding, is a big believer in doing what you love and hopes to continue to live that way!

Stephanie Roberts - Ambassador Program Manager

Stephanie hails from Vermont and moved to the Boston area in June 2008 to join a vibrant group of Resident Assistants at Showa Boston, a Japanese International School, mentoring and creating an array of programs for its students. In May 2008 Stephanie graduated with a B.A. in French and minor in Anthropology from Dickinson College in rural Pennsylvania, enjoying the opportunity to study overseas in Toulouse and conducting an anthropological study in Suva, Fiji.

Growing up on the family farm in rural Vermont Stephanie volunteered with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC), sleeping in the woods by night and restoring historic cemeteries by day. Her volunteering experience includes community service trips to a large Native American reservation south of Tucson, AZ, and besides volunteering Stephanie is passionate about organic and local farming, biking, running, baseball, baking/cooking, laughing, and spending time with family!

After enjoying her time as an office intern Stephanie was offered a full-time role with GVI as manager of our growing Ambassador Program, coordinating the many former GVI participants who are actively promoting GVI after their return and helping us to ensure we keep our marketing costs to a minimum and helping to encourage future volunteer to take the plunge!

Elizabeth Schierloh - Volunteer Coordinator

Elizabeth was raised in the Virgin Islands, sailing and kayaking with her family around the Caribbean. After graduating high school she joined a volunteer program in Cameroon, helping to fight the spread of intestinal parasites amongst local communities. She spent two years in Hawaii learning to surf and perfecting the best tuna poke ever! When island fever started to creep in she made for the mainland, living in sunny San Diego for a few years and earning a degree in Nutrition.

However the travel bug never went away, so Elizabeth moved to Paris to attend the Cordon Bleu School of Patisserie, gaining a degree in Basic Patisserie. A few months of travelling around Europe and visiting family there were followed by another volunteer program, this time with GVI in South Africa, working in local Orphanages.

Elizabeth moved to Boston in 2008 and is currently finishing up her Psychology and Anthropology studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She says she loves living in the city is a big New England Patriots fan!

Alix Collins - Volunteer Coordinator

Alix is originally from Connecticut and joined GVI in January 2010. She is currently a senior at Boston University and will be graduating with a BA degree in History (with a minor in Political Science). Her passion for working with young children started in middle school and recently volunteered with pre-schoolers in one of Boston's schools, enjoying the reward of seeing those who were behind their peers to catch up.

Alix is no stranger to adventurous travel, enduring a 30-hour non-stop van ride to New Orleans to volunteer at an animal shelter, although so far her road trips haven’t taken her beyond the US. Favorite stops along the way include Boston (obviously!), New York City, Colorado (best place for skiing!), camping in Yellowstone National Park, and visiting family in Illinois, Ohio and Tennessee. Alix has seen more than half of the 50 US states and is hoping to get to all 50, although maybe not before seeing some other countries too!

Later this year Alix will be heading to Mississippi to join AmeriCorps, where she will be assisting with natural disaster recovery and community related projects. After that she has already made plans to join GVI in Africa and may also combine the practical education with a Masters in International Studies. The world is your oyster Alix!

Kate Cassidy - Volunteer Coordinator

Originally from Hood River in Oregon, Kate joined the GVI team in Boston in April 2010. Currently a senior at Tufts University, Kate is majoring in International Relations and Community Health, with a focus on Spanish language and caught the travel bug on a high school trip to Costa Rica. Her love affair with Central America continued into her undergraduate studies, and after two years of university she decided to take a year off to volunteer with children in El Salvador and travel throughout Central America, where she got to climb volcanoes, boogie board, salsa dance, rappel down waterfalls, horseback ride, cliff jump, snorkel, and visit ruins. Oh, and volunteer with children obviously.

When she graduates Kate hopes to resume her travels and work abroad while pursuing her passions of global health and working with kids. When not at GVI, Kate can be found studying, dancing with the Tufts Dance Collective, teaching English to Spanish-speaking immigrants in the Boston area, or relaxing with her family and dogs in her hometown.

Alex Dzurko - Volunteer Coordinator

Alex graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in communications. While in college, she backpacked throughout 12 countries in Europe, and ended her adventure by volunteering at an AIDS orphanage in Kenya in 2007. This sparked her desire to explore the world, and ambition to make a positive difference in it. She spent a semester in Sydney and traveled throughout Australia, New Zealand and Thailand doing things such as trekking through the Northern Thailand Mountains, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, and climbing glaciers in New Zealand.

After volunteering abroad once and considering it a life-changing experience, she became passionate about doing so and volunteered in Thailand, training and taking care of elephants while living in a tree-house in the jungle! As well as her experience volunteering abroad Alex spent three summers working with the Student Conservation Association doing trail maintenance and also spent time as a Backcountry Ranger in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Washington State National Parks. This increased her appreciation for nature, wildlife and conservation.

Alex joined the team in June 2010, moving to Boston to join the team on an internship placement. Her enthusiasm for volunteering abroad, traveling, and working with people led her to GVI and she is now determined to follow her dream and strive to help the world!

Anne Benjamin - Volunteer Coordinator

Anne joined the GVI Boston team in June 2010. A native of the area she recently graduated from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) with a degree in Philosophy and Political Science. A few of her loves include running, listening to showtunes, her family, coffee ice cream, foreign films, drinking wine, and in general, being outside - Some of her dislikes include cats (she is allergic to them), hearts of palm, and orange juice.

In the fall of 2006, Anne volunteered on the GVI expedition in Patagonia, where she took part in a long trek, helped with conservation work in Lanín National Park, conducted research on the Andean Condor, and drank loads of tea. She is thrilled to work for a company that showed her such a good time. Anne has also performed volunteer work in the U.S. and in Ecuador, and is lucky enough to have traveled extensively through many countries in Europe, Africa, Central and South America. She hopes to venture east of the Dead Sea in the near future!