Our Team in the Field
Tour leaders are an integral part of the Worldwide Quest and Quest Nature Tours experience. They bring a particular expertise in some - and sometimes many - elements of the destination you are visiting and the theme we are exploring. They work with our expert local guides and naturalists to help you see and experience more and to create a context for the observations you will make. Our leaders take care of logistical concerns in order to maximize your experience. Last but not least, they ensure your safety and comfort. We carefully select our leaders and match them to tours based on their experience, their interests, and their compatibility with the destination and tour theme. Meet our exceptional group of leaders below and see where they're heading next.
Ornithologist
Catherine Jardine
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Catherine Jardine is a staff ornithologist and data analyst with Birds Canada, based at the organization’s National Data Centre in Delta, B.C. She has conducted field projects in remote locations around the world and is the Bander-in-Charge at the Iona Island Bird Observatory.
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UBC Professor
Dolph Schluter
Dolph Schluter, FRS, FRSC is a professor of Evolutionary Biology and University Killam Professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. He is the winner of the 2023 Crafoord Prize, one of the major international science prizes awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Lund-based Crafoord Foundation, for his work on the origin of species. He was awarded the Royal Society’s 2021 Darwin Medal for major and fundamental contributions to the understanding of how species originate.
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Dr. Diane Srivastava
Dr. Diane Srivastava is a tropical community ecologist with particular interests in the impacts of changing climates and land use on freshwater food webs. She has 35 years of field experience working on insect and plant systems around the world, but especially in Costa Rica and Brazil. Dr. Srivastava is a Professor in the Dept of Zoology, University of British Columbia, and Director of the Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution.
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Educator
Erick Villagomez
Erick Villagomez is an educator, researcher, and designer with academic and professional interests in human settlements. He is the founding principal of Metis Design|Build, Editor-in-Chief of Spacing Vancouver and a regular contributor to the award-winning Spacing Magazine. He is currently a Lecturer within UBC's School of Community and Regional Planning.
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Fundraising Professional
Faye Wightman
Faye Wightman is a UBC grad, BSN’81 (Nursing). Her life work has focused on the not-for-profit sector, as she has worked as a leader and change agent focusing on philanthropy, management, and governance. An avid traveller and alumni engagement leader, she has visited 40 countries, including India, China, Bhutan, Iran, Australia, and numerous countries in Europe and Central America.
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Horticulturalist
Gary Lewis
UBC alumnus Gary Lewis is the owner of Phoenix Perennials, a cutting edge retail nursery in Vancouver, and an expert on perennials and horticulture. He is one of Canada’s most knowledgeable plant experts with a deep and special interest in rare and unusual herbaceous perennials. He recently published The Complete Book of Ground Covers.
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Professor, Biological Sciences
Jane Waterman
Jane Waterman is a professor in Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba, where she specializes in behavioural ecology. She has taught courses such as Biology of Mammals, Animal Behaviour, Ecology, Ornithology, and Conservation Biology, and offers field courses in the biology of African mammals. Her research focuses on the factors that influence the evolution of sociality and mating systems and the majority of her research focuses on sociality in ground-dwelling squirrels. For the past 30 years, Jane has also studied sociality in the Polar Bear.
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Naturalist
Kyle Horner
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Kyle Horner is a consummate environmental educator and well-travelled, lifelong naturalist who can proudly say he’s been birdwatching since before he could walk! He has also worked as a field technician for a variety of research projects. He is currently the NatureCounts Engagement Coordinator at Birds
Canada, where he helps to build awareness and adoption of that
innovative bird data platform. In 2024, Kyle published a book on turtles of North America.
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President of Worldwide Quest
Lewie Gonsalves
Lewie Gonsalves, our peripatetic president, has over 40 years’ experience researching and organizing trips throughout the world. As well as designing and leading our President’s Tours, Lewie is also chief designer of our Private Journey collection of tailored tours.
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Meera Kachroo
Meera Kachroo is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Religion and Culture at St. Thomas More College in Saskatoon (Treaty 6). In both research and teaching, she highlights the perennial texts and teachings of Asian religions and how they flourish in modern lives.
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Opera Expert
Nancy Hermiston
UBC Opera Ensemble Director Nancy Hermiston’s operatic career has taken her throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. The consummate opera expert, Nancy is as knowledgeable as she is congenial.
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UBC Lecturer
Paula Swart
Paula Swart is a museum curator and expert on Asian culture and history. Paula has degrees in Sinology, Asian art history, Chinese history, and archaeology and has published several books and numerous articles on the art and architecture of Asian cultures. Paula is a lecturer at the University of British Columbia and has recently been teaching courses on UNESCO World Heritage sites at the UBC Summer Institute and the University of Victoria.
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Professor
Peter Arcese
Peter Arcese is an Emeritus professor and Forest Renewal Chair in Conservation Biology with more than 200 papers and books on the ecology and genetics of insular bird, plant, and mammal populations in South and North America as well as Africa.
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Sarah and Murray Bancroft
UBC graduates Sarah Bancroft and Murray Bancroft are the owners of Birch Block Vineyard in Kaleden, South Okanagan. They have an extensive network of winery contacts in France and lived in Paris for a year.
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Leadership Coach
Shakeela Begum
Proud UBC graduate Shakeela Begum is an inspiring and sought after leadership advisor and coach, with experience leading groups on international active adventures. Her focus on wellbeing and her energetic and welcoming personality bring warmth and depth of purpose to her tours.
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Chef & Author
Vikram Vij
Vikram Vij is an Indian-born Canadian chef, cookbook author, and television personality. He is a passionate supporter of the sustainable food industry and has championed many causes including the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood Program and the UBC Farm.
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Wendi Lacusta
Wendi Lacusta is our Concierge in Charge. Hailing from Nova Scotia where she grew up sailing and open ocean swimming, Wendi has lived many years since on Canada’s West Coast. Wendi is an inveterate (and veteran) solo world traveller and since her first retirement, has also undertaken work aboard polar expedition cruise vessels.
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More About Us
- The Worldwide Quest Experience
- Our Team in the Field
- Our Team in Toronto
- Explorers Club