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.
Wilderness Guide
Boris Wise
Boris Wise is a passionate naturalist, wilderness guide, and excellent photographer. He began his career guiding in Southeast Alaska, where he worked for 10 years before sailing on his first expedition cruise ship in 2010. Boris is a seasoned polar expedition explorer having sailed throughout Arctic Canada, along the coasts of Greenland, Antarctica and throughout Svalbard many times, among other places. He spends much of his professional and personal time exploring with his wife Eva Westerholm.
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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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World Traveller
Cynthia Hoy
Forty-five years of travelling (and almost as many countries) as a
single, couple, mother, daughter, friend and employee, from back packer
and independent traveller, to expat and being part of a tour group, has
imbued Cynthia Hoy with a keen desire to instill a curiosity of
the world and a love of travel and adventure in others. She loves
meeting new people, learning about different cultures and making new
friendships.
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Founder of Women's Travel Network
Debbie Ross
Debbie Ross, founder of Womens Travel Network has been providing travel services to her customers for over 30 years. Her travel around the globe has been extensive. Be it relaxing holidays, trekking or sports related, she has first hand knowledge of many varied travel experiences.
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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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Polar Explorer
Eva Molin Westerholm
A veteran Svalbard explorer and animal-loving outdoor enthusiast, Eva Molin Westerholm considers herself very lucky having explored many countries of the world in the last 15 years. The polar regions are of particular interest to her, and she cannot wait to share whatever can be found out there – whether it be a whale, bird, or the flora – nothing is too small to inspire investigation.
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Professor
Kevin James
Kevin James is Professor of History, Director of the Centre for Scottish Studies, and holder of the Scottish Studies Foundation Chair at the University of Guelph. A graduate of McGill and Edinburgh Universities, he publishes widely on Scottish tourism history, and has appeared in print, radio, and on television, including on BBC Scotland's hit tv show 'Grand Tours of Scotland.'
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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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Naturalist
Patrick Moldowan
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Patrick Moldowan is a devoted lifelong interpretive naturalist and field biologist with a special interest in herpetology and biogeography. Patrick works for the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galapagos Islands, where he oversees a giant tortoise research program.
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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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More About Us
- The Worldwide Quest Experience
- Our Team in the Field
- Our Team in Toronto
- Explorers Club