Meet the Team

Safari Coordinator

Amelia Adamson

Amelia Adamson, Originally hailing from Portland, Oregon, Amelia has steadily made her way east over the years. A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, she now lives in New York City, where she’s thrilled to join Extraordinary Journeys in creating unforgettable travel experiences for clients.

Amelia Adamson’s first encounter with Africa was through Semester at Sea, a multi-country ship-based study abroad program where she got to explore parts of South Africa and Namibia. To date, she has visited more than 25 countries, including studying in England, back-packing through Southeast Asia, and teaching English in Thailand. She can’t wait to share her passion and know-how as one of our safari coordinators.

Accounts Manager

Catherine Kennedy

Catherine Kennedy, While living and working in New York, Catherine’s sales and manufacturing position took her frequently to Indonesia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Singapore, and other parts of Asia. Some of her favorite memories include landing safely more than 30 times at Hong Kong’s infamous Kai Tak airport! It was her sister’s many trips to Africa, and work with Extraordinary Journeys that ultimately brought Catherine Kennedy to the team. She currently lives with her family in the Southeast where she handles accounts payable and other financial aspects of the business.

Co-Founder & CEO

Elizabeth Gordon

Elizabeth Gordon, Born in Kenya and raised in Paris, Elizabeth explored the world from a young age. After graduating from Stanford, she worked in Namibia and started a business in Buenos Aires. Eventually she returned to her passion, Africa and the safari experience, starting Extraordinary Journeys with her mother, Marcia. Elizabeth has visited over 40 countries and taken more than 30 trips to Africa. She is active in the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Africa and Safari Professionals of the Americas. She was one of Travel Agent Magazine’s “30 under 30” and is on Travel + Leisure’s “A-List” of Top Travel Advisors. She is an avid photographer.

Safari Specialist

Emily Cottingham

Emily Cottingham, Emily’s thirst for adventure began at a young age while trekking the Himalayas on a family trip to Nepal. Emily’s family adventures continued and she later studied abroad in Italy, volunteered in Tanzania and then took a yearlong world expedition across the southern hemisphere. However, Emily knew her heart belonged to Africa. She moved to Tanzania and began working with an NGO, with regular escapes to the bush to explore Tanzania’s world-class national parks. After pioneering a 400-mile cross-country mountain bike ride for the charity, Emily realized her true passion was helping others fall in love with nature and wildlife through breathtaking travel experiences. Emily became general manager for a high-end safari and Kilimanjaro outfitter in Tanzania. Emily has now visited 45 countries, but will tell you that her extensive travels throughout East and Southern Africa have been the most fulfilling. Emily eventually returned to the US and now calls Colorado home. She looks forward to her annual trip back to explore new destinations, visit friends and favorite locations.

Itinerary Designer

Esther Ndirangu

Esther Ndirangu, Born and raised in Kenya, Esther is based in Nairobi and designs our itineraries. She holds a diploma in Tourism Management from the Kenya Utalii College and has had the privilege of traveling extensively within East Africa as a group leader as well as to parts of Asia on familiarization trips.

Esther Ndirangu’s favorite park in Kenya is Amboseli for the elephants. She is looking forward to visiting Cape Town and Victoria Falls after reading about them while building itineraries and to the U.S. to meet her EJ family! Apart from traveling, she loves cooking, spending time with her daughter Imaani and Zumba dancing to keep fit!

Safari Coordinator

Gena Tweed

Gena Tweed, has possessed a love of Africa for many years. She has had the opportunity to visit this amazing continent four times and continues to look forward to more upcoming travel. Each visit has not only reinforced her passion for wildlife and conservation but also inspired a love for the land and its incredible people. Gena Tweed has hiked Mt. Kenya, enjoyed safaris on horseback, foot and camelback, experienced the Great Migration in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti, took a microlight flight over Victoria Falls and had dinner on a pontoon in the Zambezi river! Gena Tweed’s favorite animal is the cheetah and so far, her favorite country is Zambia with its remote wilderness and abundance of wildlife. Each trip is unique in this land of adventure and she would love to share her passion of the African continent with you!

Sales Director & Safari Specialist

Jamie Mehrotra

Jamie Mehrotra’s wanderlust was fostered on weekend getaways during a summer at Oxford while attending the University of Virginia. During her time away from “work” creating educational programs at the Smithsonian, she explored the world until her appetite for travel led her to Extraordinary Journeys. Some of Jamie Jamie Mehrotra’s most memorable experiences in travel include being kissed by a giraffe at Nairobi’s Giraffe Manor, quad biking on the Makgagkadi Salt Pans of Botswana, soaking up the sun on North Island in the Seychelles and of course her wedding in New Delhi! Jamie can’t wait to help travelers experience India and Chile, some of her favorite places in the world outside of Africa.

Safari Specialist

Jenny Salentine

Jenny Salentine, A veteran of the travel industry, Jenny has more than 10 years of experience exploring the far corners of the world. She has been to more than 80 countries but from her first lion sighting in South Africa, Jenny was taken by the beauty of Africa. Since then, Jenny has flown over Namibia’s Skeleton Coast, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, been scuba-diving in Mozambique, walked through the South Luangwa in Zambia and the Loita Hills of Kenya​, ​come face to face with gorillas in Uganda​ and played with lemurs in Madagascar​. She is also the proud completer of all 58 fourteen thousand foot peaks in her home state of Colorado!

Safari Specialist

Kim Green

Kim Green, Having set foot on all seven continents, Kim knows that while languages, cuisine, landscapes, and wildlife are diverse around the globe, it really is a small world. Kim Green, turned her passion for travel into a career and lead small groups around the world as an International Travel Director. In her years as a Safari Specialist, some of her favorite journeys have included mokoro rides in the Okavango Delta, shark cage diving in Cape Town, a balloon ride over the red dunes in Namibia, standing atop the “Roof of Africa” on Mt. Kilimanjaro, and coming face to face with mountains gorillas in Rwanda & Uganda. While she can’t wait to get exploring again, Kim Green’s newest adventure is motherhood!

Safari Specialist

Lara Ray

Lara Ray,  is a Boston-based member of the Extraordinary Journeys sales team and African safaris are her passion. Since her first safari in 1997, she has traveled throughout east and southern Africa. From horseback riding in the Serengeti, to tiger fishing in the Okavango Delta, to rhino tracking in South Africa and bonefishing in the Seychelles, Lara has had some amazing safari experiences. Having traveled extensively in Africa with her son, daughter and husband, Lara has seen firsthand what a life-changing experience travel can be for children of any age. She loves finding the unique experiences that make a trip special for adults and children.

Safari Coordinator

Lisa Newby-Fraser

Lisa was born in South Africa and raised in one of the most adventurous families. From the age of 8 to 13, Lisa sailed around the world with her family. Following that she was educated in Europe and South Africa. She has lived in France, Spain, Seychelles, South Africa and the United States. A few years ago, she relocated from Dallas, TX to Cape Town. Lisa’s hobbies are archery, hiking, photography, travel and learning about medicinal plants. Her ambitious bucket list is to see all corners of the globe.

Co-Founder & President

Marcia Gordon

Marcia Gordon, has over 40 years of experience in African travel. After Peace Corps in Uganda, she spent 12 years in Kenya building Park East Tours, raising three daughters, designing a home overlooking Nairobi National Park, earning her pilot’s license, studying traditional medicine and expanding her vast knowledge of properties in Africa. After a lifetime in the safari world, Marcia Gordon started Extraordinary Journeys with her daughter, Elizabeth. Marcia always encourages travelers to gently push outside their comfort zone, because that is where the transformational moments of travel take place. She was named a “Guide to the Super Guides” in Departures Magazine and is a grandmother of five!

Safari Specialist

Pearl Jurist-Schoen

Pearl Jurist-Schoen, is a Boston native. She attended Union College, where she studied Anthropology and completed field work in Tasmania and Barbados. She eventually returned to Tasmania to play soccer/Gaelic football, run a half-marathon on Mt. Wellington and work at the University of Tasmania. Pearl first caught the Africa travel bug in Kenya’s famed Maasai Mara. In Zimbabwe, Pearl Jurist-Schoen, became interested in wildlife conservation efforts in Hwange National Park. In South Africa, she was blown away by the incredible game concentrations in Kruger N.P. Most recently, she had a meditative experience in the remote walking zones of the Serengeti. She is passionate about travel both inside and outside of Africa. Next up: summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Operations Manager & Safari Coordinator

Rachel Cappucci

Rachel Cappucci, is a Massachusetts native with a passion for adventure and spontaneity. She moved to New York to finish her degree in Journalism, while immersing herself in the city’s vibrant cultural scene. Later, she would fall in love with the rich wildlife of Kenya’s Maasai Mara. In Tanzania, she drove the northern circuit, admiring the diverse landscapes. Rachel Cappucci has visited Johannesburg, South Africa, where she is particularly fond of the city’s street art. Exploring off the beaten track wineries in Stellenbosch tops her list of memories in the Winelands. And, of course, one of her most unforgettable experiences is bungee jumping Victoria Falls. The opportunity to exchange with local people and build friendships around the world is very meaningful for her.

Rita Pires

Originally from Portugal, started her career in Lisbon after graduating as a graphic designer and marketer. Her experience as a graphic designer taught her how to marry logic and magic. It honed her perspective skills and gave her the ability to see both the big picture and small details. Later, Rita worked as a marketer for Fujitsu, a leading IT multinational. This role took her to the non-stop frenzy that is Baker Street in London where she was exposed to the fast-paced corporate world. From there, Rita spread her wings and flew to new territory; She moved to the middle of one of the most pristine national parks in Africa, South Luangwa in Zambia. Here, Rita fell in love with Africa as she lived alongside the breath-taking Luangwa River, one of the world’s most pristine, untouched rivers. Rita is fueled by nature, and this was her happy place for a long time. Rita’s love affair with Africa never ended, and a decade later, she is still here, now living on the tip of Africa, in the beautiful city known as the Mother City: Cape Town.

In-Country Client Liaison

Sumendri Govender

Sumendri Govender, has 12 years of experience working in Southern Africa travel. Based in Durban, South Africa, with her husband and two children, Sumendri is the link between the EJ team and our travelers while they are in Africa.

Sumendri Govender started her career in travel just out of high school and is now passionately dedicated to making travel a once in a lifetime experience for any traveler. She thinks Durban is one of South Africa’s most beautiful cities and welcomes all travelers to come enjoy a “Bunny Chow” in her home town!