Gail Cornell is an architectural historian and speaker who has lectured extensively on educational trips around the world over the last 15 years. From North Africa to India, from South America to Easter Island, Gail has traveled the world researching master architects, historic architecture, ancient and modern city planning, and issues in historic preservation. A graduate of Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, and a member of the Society of Architectural Historians, Gail is a popular Smithsonian Journeys Study Leader.

Bruce Loeffler Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Geology and Visiting Professor of Art at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and study leader for the American Museum of Natural History. He is an enthusiastic and gifted educator, who teaches ecology, introductory geology, mineralogy, geochemistry, and volcanology, as well as surveys of Western art, American art, and American ethnic studies. His study of volcanoes has taken him around the world, and he has traveled with AMNH groups to the Canadian Arctic, Iceland, Svalbard, Norway, the British Isles, Sicily, Mexico, Russia, and all over Asia. He received his undergraduate degree in chemistry, and both an M.A. in art history and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

David E. Smith is Professor and Associate Department Chair of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. An expert in biological oceanography, marine ecology, and invertebrate zoology, he looks forward to sharing his insights into the jungles of Peru, the coastal environments of the Pacific Rim, the coral islands and creatures of the Great Barrier Reef, and the predator-prey relationship of wildlife in Tanzania. He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.

Eszter Foldvary began guiding and leading expeditions after graduating in 1978 from tourism school in Hungary. “I could not picture myself as a teacher…I like to work with people and am interested in traveling….I never wanted to do anything else in my life,” says Eszter. She has led private jet journeys throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and many other places around the world. Eszter's vast experience, interest in the history of art, ability to speak multiple languages (Hungarian, English, French, and German), and excellent organizational skills serve our travelers very well.