TCS & Starquest Expeditions Office Staff

During more than three decades in the travel business, T.C. has been a pioneer, developing unique expeditions involving innovative means of travel to remote and legendary destinations around the world. He founded and developed Society Expeditions, with which he pioneered travel to many remote destinations during the 1970s and 1980s. The company became the world leader in expedition cruising, being the first to operate two expedition ships year-round to the Antarctic, Amazon, Seychelles, Easter Island and dozens of other remote destinations. Under his leadership, Society Expeditions operated the first West-to-East cruise through the Northwest Passage, and flew the first commercial travelers to the South Pole. He also founded the American Orient Express, the first luxury private train to operate on a year round basis in the US. In 1989, T.C. founded Private Jet Expeditions and became the first in the world to operate expeditions to remote destinations with specially outfitted aircraft, a concept he further developed with two additional private jet companies he founded, TCS Expeditions & Starquest Expeditions, which are now one company, TCS & Starquest Expeditions. In recent years, T.C. has set his sights on growing the business and developing ways that philanthropy can play a larger role in it. He has personally pledged $100,000 per year to building schools, alleviating poverty, and establishing sustainable agriculture in rural Cambodia; and has overseen the development of the TCS & Starquest Expeditions philanthropy program, dramatically increasing the scope and scale of how each expedition gives back to the peoples and places we visit. T.C. received a B.A. in Economics from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois.

Shelley Cline began her career in luxury travel at TCS Expeditions where she gained 12 years of experience in private jet travel, including 9 years in product development and tour operations. She is responsible for business growth and product development, acts as jet liaison, and oversees all departments to manage costs and ensure superior program quality. She holds a B.A. in Central and East European Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Since 1997, Jen has skillfully orchestrated all aspects of private jet travel and educational enrichment tours. Jen’s industry savvy and worldwide connections are valuable assets in dealing with operations, product development, business development, destination scouting, and leading expeditions. She has traveled to more than 70 countries on six continents, an impressive sum even among elite travelers. She earned a B.S. in Natural Resources Recreation and Tourism from Colorado State University.  

Dr. Charlene "Charlie" Brannon brings a unique perspective to the educational travel business, having dedicated her life to both the fields of travel and education. She began her career in the educational travel business in 1973 and has been working with non-profit travel programs since 1980. Charlie received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Iowa State University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Washington, where she was a tenured professor. Charlie is active in our philanthropy programs, especially the education of teachers in the schools we support. During her spare time, Charlie creates beautiful quilts for family and friends.

For 9 years, Heidi worked closely with Charlie Brannon in the Idaho office as a sales assistant and as Expedition Staff Coordinator. In 2007 she was promoted to Director of Sales, and travels around the country to attend many alumni travel reunions and events hosted by the prestigious educational institutions that sponsor our expeditions. Heidi also works with our lecturers to plan the educational programs of our expeditions. She was an Assistant Expedition Staff member on our 2008 Around the World Expedition, and has traveled to Honduras and the British Virgin Islands. She received a B.S. in Secondary Education from the University of Idaho.

Stacy has been working in the luxury travel business for more than a decade and is our Sales Assistant, writing up and tracking the many special arrangements we make with various travel partners and expedition sponsors. Prior to that, she prepared contracts for Designer's Press in California and taught preschool. Stacy enjoys traveling throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

A seasoned travel executive with over 25 years of experience, Karen recently joined us from National Geographic Expeditions where she was involved in many aspects of the business from marketing to product development to operations. Karen oversaw educational product lines at Saga International Holidays, Road Scholar (prior to Elderhostel acquiring the brand name) and Smithsonian Odyssey Tours, and has developed and managed custom trips for leading museums, universities, and special interest travel programs. She started her career overseas coordinating study abroad programs in Poland for SUNY Stony Brook. Karen received her degree at Vassar in Russian and East European Studies and continued her graduate study at Indiana University.

Stevie Wooten has traveled to more than 80 countries and has worked in every area of the travel business including sales, operations, marketing, expedition leading, and destination scouting in the past 35 years. She has 15 years’ experience in the private jet travel business. She is most often the first point of contact for Starquest travelers and is passionate about providing the highest level of customer service for each guest. Stevie also creates completely customized tours around the world for individuals and small groups.

Scott Leviton is a veteran of expeditionary travel to wide-ranging locales such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Papua New Guinea, and Mongolia. He has 14 years of experience in the travel industry and has visited over 80 countries on six continents. He has enjoyed building relationships with TCS private jet travelers during the past 10 years and is dedicated to ensuring that all travelers enjoy extraordinary experiences. Scott has a degree in Sociology from Whitworth University.

For seven years before joining TCS & Starquest Expeditions, Cathy managed a luxury travel magazine distributed in print, online, and social media platforms to more than 1 million owners of Lexus vehicles across 48 countries. She has been involved in publishing since 1989 and has been producing Web sites since 1995 as a member of the launch team for ABCNEWS.com. Cathy has also produced Web sites and marketing content for brands like Disney, Microsoft, MSN, Gateway, T-Mobile, and Constellation Wine. Cathy has traveled to 30 countries, and the most memorable trip was sailing 14,000 miles around the Pacific Ocean on a 31-foot boat. Cathy has a master’s degree and bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Washington and the University of Virginia.

Heidi brings over a dozen years of experience in marketing and publishing to the marketing department. She oversees all print and online marketing projects, writes our brochures, and works with expedition sponsors and partners to develop marketing strategies. Heidi has done advance work in Egypt and Iceland, and lived in Los Angeles, Hawaii, and Italy, before moving to Seattle. She holds a B.A. in Politics from Whitman College.

Ardis tracks, gathers information, and reports on our marketing campaigns. She works with the writers to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget, and she creates content for and manages our Web site. Before joining TCS & Starquest Expeditions she was a Coordinator for International Relations at a prefectural capital in Japan, and developed marketing materials for Fireborne Corporate Awards in Seattle. She received a B.A. in Japan Studies from Macalester College in Minnesota, speaks Japanese, and has spent close to 5 years living and working abroad.

Libby has been in the travel business since 1995, working in passenger services, documentation, and now the marketing department of TCS & Starquest Expeditions. Prior to that, she was a hotel reservation manager in downtown Seattle. She currently researches and writes brochures and other marketing materials.  She has done advance work in Brazil, Peru, Samoa, and Jordan.  Libby has a B.A. in Theater from the Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Eric develops creative and strategic content for print and online marketing initiatives and collateral. His broad base of experience in the luxury travel industry has spanned many years. He sailed the seas of the Western Hemisphere as a cruise ship specialist for Expedia; and for the upscale travel consortium, Virtuoso, Eric managed newsletter publications and wrote hundreds of promotions for five-star hotels, land and private jet tours, and yacht vacations. He is the author of the bestselling 2005 guidebook, Seattle, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide (now in its third printing). Eric received a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology and Political Science from Ithaca College.

Fawn joined our company’s marketing department in 2011 after coordinating a web-hosting company’s database and doing sales and marketing for a nonprofit theater in Oregon. She is also a pastry chef, cupcake decorator, home brewer, and she has worked on a Hawaiian coffee plantation. Fawn received a degree in English and Creative Writing from Reed College and is a certified ESL instructor.

Rob Eramia provides a superb level of service to our clients with his trademark friendly manner, drawing upon his extensive travel experience. In addition to being a primary point of contact for our guests, he has worked as an Assistant Expedition Leader on several of our programs and has traveled to more than 49 cities in 19 countries.

Guest Services Manager Emily Haney shares her enthusiasm for world travel with clients while helping to prepare them for their expeditions. She works in a variety of administrative roles at TCS & Starquest Expeditions, and provides guests with insightful information and important documents that make travel a breeze. She has served as an Assistant Expedition Staff member on our Around the World tour, and traveled to Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

Andrew Lorence is passionate about travel and providing guests with top-notch service as they prepare for their extraordinary adventures. Andrew comes to TCS & Starquest Expeditions with a wide variety of experiences in hotel administration, event planning, and educational tours. He grew up in Alaska and has traveled in Europe, Central America, and South America, and lived in Mexico and in Costa Rica, where he worked at an animal sanctuary and a butterfly conservatory.

Lisa began her travel career in 2006 by handling and supervising reservations for a prominent cruise line. She enjoys helping our travelers achieve their ideal travel experiences and her own world travels have included Australia, Mexico, France, and the U.K. Lisa received a degree in communication with an emphasis in public relations from Washington State University.

Stevie Wooten has traveled to more than 80 countries and has worked in every area of the travel business including sales, operations, marketing, expedition leading, and destination scouting in the past 35 years. She has 15 years’ experience in the private jet travel business. She is most often the first point of contact for Starquest travelers and is passionate about providing the highest level of customer service for each guest. Stevie also creates completely customized tours around the world for individuals and small groups.

Amber Shearer provides first-rate service to our travelers, answering a myriad of questions and managing the paperwork necessary to ensure that each guest’s itinerary is to spec. She has traveled to many of the destinations on our expeditions, including 29 countries and more than 84 cities. Amber has done advance work in Egypt and Morocco, worked as an Assistant Expedition Leader, and has scouted other destinations for exclusive itineraries we develop for our clients’ families and friends.

Karen has been in the travel industry for 16 years and has extensive experience in both luxury jets and cruises. She has worked as Assistant Manager of Port Operations for Princess Cruises in Seattle; as a Product and Shore Excursion Manager for Cruise West; and as a tour guide in Alaska. At TCS & Starquest Expeditions, prior to her current role she was an Operations Manager and worked as an Assistant Expedition Staff member on our Around the World by Private Jet expeditions. She has visited five continents and 37 countries. Karen received a degree in History from Western Washington University.

Kjersti has worked in affinity travel for over a decade in the areas of operations, passenger services, and sales. She oversees all logistics and operational details; has been an assistant expedition leader for our Around the World program; and has scouted many destinations. Kjersti has a B.A. in German from Bates College, and was a long-time resident of San Francisco before moving to the Pacific Northwest.

As the Director of Guest Experience, Kara oversees six departments within TCS & Starquest Expeditions, including Operations, Guest Services, Documentation, Air, Administration, and Warehouse & Amenities. She began her career with educational cruises around the world and joined TCS & Starquest Expeditions in 1999. Kara has been a Guest Services Manager, Assistant Expedition Leader and Advance Staff, Operations Program Manager, as well as Director of Operations. She has traveled to more than 80 countries, and has participated in more than 65 private jet expeditions in a variety of capacities, from scouting to program management. Kara earned a B.A. in Sociology and Recreation, Travel, and Tourism from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA.

Jacquie has worked in the travel industry for over 10 years and plans the logistics of private jet trips. She has done advance work to many of the places we visit and has worked as an expedition staff member on several private jet programs.

Teresa has over a decade of travel industry experience. She has been a staff member on several private jet programs and she previously worked as a Program Manager in the operations department at TCS Expeditions. Teresa plans the infinitely detailed logistics of our expeditions and her knowledge of our worldwide destinations is a great asset.

From her experience working in the travel industry for more than  17 years, Lisa brings critical organizational expertise and top-notch service  every step of the way while ensuring that our guests have proper  transportation connections before and after every expedition. Lisa has  traveled to more than 40 countries, countless world cities, and innumerable  cultural sites. She has also visited many of the exotic locales and historic  sites included on our expeditions, including Sri Lanka, Egypt, Cambodia, and Iceland.

Hilary has been involved in the travel industry since 1988. She has more than a decade of experience in private jet travel and has worked in a wide range of roles, from destination scout and program manager, to sales and marketing. In her current role, she coordinates staffing of the lecturers, leaders, physicians and advance staff for our expeditions. Hilary holds a B.A in English and Public Relations from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.

Kat brings her wealth of experience in healthcare staff management to handling the details and logistics of requests for clients on our expeditions. Kat received a degree in marketing from the Foster Business School at the University of Washington.

Jeff manages all the expedition amenities and supplies for our private jet programs. He has done advance work in Namibia, Borneo, and Laos. A native of Washington State, Jeff earned a B.A. in Marketing and Management from the University of Washington.

Steve enjoys his work in the expeditionary travel business. He worked for Society Expeditions from 1997-2000 and joined TCS Expeditions in 2006. A team player with many talents, he oversees our Finance and Human Resources department. Steve is a Seattle native and holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Washington.

Juanita worked in accounting at in Spain and the U.K. before joining our Finance & Administration department. She is well-versed in the intense and precise business of ensuring that all accounts payable and receivable are handled efficiently. Originally from Zambia, Juanita received her education in England and obtained her degree from Portsmouth University.