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Expedition Team Directory
Browse our directory of expedition team members who will join us on upcoming expeditions.
By Expertise
- Expedition Leader
- Naturalist
- Undersea Diving
- National Geographic Photography Expert
By Destination
- Alaska
- Galápagos
Expedition staff are subject to change.
Our Team
Naturalist
Dennis Cornejo
Dennis has spent more than half of his life working with Lindblad Expeditions. He first studied biology in the Sonoran Desert. It was his work with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum that brought him into contact with Sven Lindblad. Dennis was working with sea turtles in Mexico, desert tadpoles in southern Arizona and evaluating various legume trees for arid lands agriculture throughout the Sonoran Desert. Sven asked him if he would be interested in working on a ship as a naturalist in Baja California… a simple ‘yes’ turned out to be perhaps the most important decision he ever made! At first, life as a Lindblad naturalist, working during the winter while on break from university, exploring Baja California while guiding and lecturing, was a positive feedback loop for his academic goals. Spending time with guests, who possessed incredible amounts of life experience and enthusiasm, soon eroded Dennis’ dreams of a career in Academia. However, during this time he earned a master’s degree with a thesis on the reproductive strategies of Sonoran Desert toads and a PhD with a dissertation on the mechanical design and biogeography of columnar cacti (large cacti including the saguaro and the cardon). For almost 40 years Dennis has explored and learned with Lindblad. At first in the Sonoran Desert, then the temperate rainforest of Southeast Alaska, the topical rainforests of South America and Oceania and many, many other places: dry to wet, hot to cold. As his world experience increased, so did Dennis’ interests… from reptiles and amphibians, to flowering plants, insects and other invertebrate and lichens. He also worked for 15 years as an Undersea Specialist diving and making videos from Antarctica to Svalbard to Papua New Guinea. Now he is out of the water and on the tundra, so what next? With Lindblad Expeditions there is no limit with the whole world to choose from!
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
David Cothran
David has worked for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic since 1993 on six continents and in over 65 countries. David is interested in many of the natural sciences, particularly ornithology, geology and marine biology; he most enjoys contrasting the broad perspectives provided by world travel with detailed investigations of local ecosystems on land and in the sea. David is an avid wildlife and landscape photographer and enjoys shooting with DSLRs, compact cameras and his iPhone. He particularly focuses on photography of wildlife in habitat, macro images of insects and abstracts images of patterns and textures. Before joining Lindblad-National Geographic, David worked as a staff field biologist and education coordinator at the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, an independent research institution in California. At PRBO David studied songbirds, seabirds, owls and elephant seals while overseeing a broad education program, which included classes for school-children, workshops for professional biologists and interpretation for the general public. His home, which is completely off the grid, is at the crest of the Siskiyou Mountains in southern Oregon. He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop. Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition — to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition.
Naturalist
Bud Lehnhausen
Bud received an undergraduate degree in wildlife biology at Colorado State University. He then immediately went to Alaska where he worked and lived for 30 years. At the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Bud studied wildlife biology and received a master's degree conducting research on four species of alcid seabird nesting on a remote island in the Gulf of Alaska. For a number of years he worked as a research biologist studying various fields, including moose/habitat relationships, songbird populations in relation to succession, tundra bird populations and migration, and woodpecker populations after natural forest fires. Since 1983, Bud has worked as a naturalist and expedition leader with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic. During these years he has traveled in the Arctic and Antarctic, temperate and tropical regions of Central and South America, Atlantic Ocean crossings, and the western South Pacific. These numerous voyages over the years have given him a chance to appreciate diversity of life and cultures which he finds fascinating. In addition to traveling, Bud is an avid natural history photographer and his wife writes children’s books on natural history illustrating them and using Bud’s photographs. Having built their own super-insulated house in Fairbanks over a 20 year period, in 2003 they relocated their family to northern Colorado. They are in the process of being owner/builders of a new energy efficient passive solar home in the foothills above Fort Collins.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Mike Greenfelder
Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and maritime. After graduation, Mike promptly moved to Catalina Island in California where he taught marine biology to school kids. Since 1999, Mike has been working and traveling chasing his three loves: marine critters, photography, and birds. Before joining Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic, Mike spent one and a half years as the resident biologist at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, a renowned vacation destination in the South Pacific. His days were filled with a great combination of guest education, research, environmental projects, and local school children education. Mike has also worked in the Amazon of Peru and Ecuador, the Pribilof Islands of Alaska, the cloud forest of Costa Rica, and the kelp forests of Victoria, Australia. When not working, Mike enjoys underwater photography, searching for endemic birds, and sunset chasing. He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop. Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition—to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Michael Nolan
Michael Nolan was born in Bitburg, Germany to an Air Force family stationed there. His first experience of the ocean came at age 12, when he learned to snorkel in the Italian Mediterranean. At age 17 he moved to Tucson, Arizona and became a PADI SCUBA instructor, before starting a SCUBA diving business that specialized in diving trips to the Sea of Cortez. Michael has since begun a new career in marine photography. He worked with National Geographic dolphin researchers in the Bahamas throughout the nineties, as well as running trips to the Silver Banks in the Dominican Republic to study and photograph Atlantic Humpback Whales. Today he is an award-winning photographer who specializes in intimate portraits of marine animals. He has traveled the oceans of the world in search of the world's most magnificent beings. His photography has appeared in hundreds of magazines, calendars, and books in over 45 countries worldwide. He currently "migrates" with the whales, spending his winters in the warmer tropical latitudes where whales mate and give birth and his summers in the cooler higher latitudes where animals migrate to feed.
National Geographic Photography Expert
Dan Westergren
As the longtime photo editor for National Geographic Traveler magazine, Dan Westergren was responsible for the magazine’s photographic vision, which has earned the publication numerous awards for photography. He's been lucky to photograph amazing places for Traveler , such as the summits of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Kilimanjaro, and the North Pole. Dan is especially drawn to Arctic regions, having made more than ten trips above the Arctic Circle. On one of these memorable assignments, Dan flew to Svalbard Island and then jumped on a Russian plane that took him over the pack ice, a landscape that is depicted in his favorite painting that hangs in the boardroom at National Geographic’s headquarters. The painting depicts Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s historic flight to the North Pole. The Russian plane landed near 89 degrees north latitude, and with a small group of intrepid travelers, Dan skied the “Last Degree” to the North Pole. After seven days of skiing in the cold footsteps of Fritjof Nansen and the other famous adventurers who have gone north from Svalbard, Dan finally stood for himself at the North Pole, and felt he had personally reached out and touched the heart of exploration at the Society. Westergren is an experienced teacher, having led workshops and served as photography expert for National Geographic Expeditions around the world—from Yellowstone, Baja, and the Galápagos Islands to Alaska, Antarctica, and the high Arctic.
Naturalist
Gaby Bohorquez
Gaby was born and raised in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her first job in the Galapagos was on board a 90-passenger cruise ship as the cruise director’s assistant, and she fell under the spell of the Enchanted Isles. She returned to Guayaquil to study at the Espiritu Santo Technological University to obtain a degree in Tourism Management. Her fascination for the islands was still strong so, after finishing her studies, Gaby took the opportunity to join the Naturalist Guide’s course, jointly organized by the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station. That was back in 1992, and she has been a naturalist since, keeping her deep love and passion for the islands during all these years. In recent years Gaby was closely involved in the logistics and organization of a two-year conservation program, which brought international teams of volunteers to help in the eradication of aggressive introduced plants –a serious threat to local ecosystems- in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. The program was coordinated with the Charles Darwin Research Station under the seal of approval of the Galapagos National Park Service. Gaby is a certified National Geographic Field Educator, and she combines her work as a naturalist with motherhood, teaching her children Emily and Danny to know and care about their very unique birthplace. Gaby and her family moved to the United Kingdom a few years ago, and with the kids now reaching university education, she commutes back to her beloved islands several times a year. Being based in the UK makes it easy for Gaby to practice the languages she is fluent in: English, Spanish, French and German. In her time off, Gaby is a self-taught artist, and she is always seeking to learn new arts and crafts techniques, her favorites currently being paper crafts and watercolor media.
Naturalist
Vanessa Gallo
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovered that learning foreign languages was one of her main interests. Coming from a family of naturalist guides, it was not a surprise that she also became one at the age of 17. Vanessa left the islands once again for Switzerland, where she earned a diploma in tourism and strengthened her language skills and knowledge of the travel industry. She has also travelled extensively to destinations including as Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Canada, the Canary Islands, Mauritius, and many European countries. She has come to realize, however, that she is never happier than when outdoors, surrounded by the unique and pristine environment of the Galápagos Islands. Although she has now been guiding for over 14 years, she never ceases to be amazed by the ecological innocence of the Galápagos wildlife and the daily surprises presented by Mother Nature on each visit. Vanessa lives in Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island, and is the proud mother of an 11 year-old boy named Luke. Together they share hobbies such as swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, reading, and astronomy. Vanessa feels incredibly fortunate to be able share this piece of heaven on Earth with others, and she is very happy that her job is also her favorite hobby!
Naturalist
Octavio Maravilla
Octavio was born in Mexico City and moved to La Paz at age 19, to study Marine Biology at the Baja California Sur State University. He began his field research on California sea lions, working at Los Islotes, a small rookery close to La Paz City. Later, he expanded his research to all the sea lion colonies in the Gulf of California and over the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula — aside sea lions, he studied three other species of Mexican pinnipeds, harbor seals, elephant seals, and Guadalupe fur seals. His graduate work includes censuses of California sea lions in five different colonies on the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. In 1986 Octavio travelled to Paris, France, where he spent a year obtaining a degree in animal behavior. Returning to La Paz in 1987, he began research with gray whales in Mexico; a directed and coordinated international effort to do censuses with the endangered vaquita porpoise of the Gulf of California. He joined Lindblad Expeditions for a first period in 1994 until the year 2000 in Baja California. Then he engaged in further research to obtain his Ph.D., working in the Bay of La Paz, analyzing and studying the interactions between sea lions and fisheries. He obtained his degree in August 2005. Octavio rejoined Lindblad Expeditions in 2006 season working only in Baja California. He lives in La Paz, Baja California Sur, recently he retired and works teaching French at the French Alliance of La Paz.
Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Patricio Maldonado
Patricio, better known as Pato amongst his friends, was born in the Galápagos Island. His family moved to the islands from the mainland and settled on the island of Santa Cruz over thirty-five years ago. Pato had an enchanted childhood in the islands, where his keen interest in the wildlife of the Galápagos was born initially through catching lizards and observing how they lost their tails. His experiences in the islands have led him to teach visitors about the need to protect this rare and unique environment. Pato underwent all his primary and secondary studies in local schools on Santa Cruz, and after graduation he moved to Quito to attend college, where he studied hotel management. This was an adventure that lasted for only two years, since city life was too hectic for Pato, who missed his idyllic islands. He learned that the Galápagos National Park was opening a guide course and looking for new, fresh-minded applicants. He passed the entrance requirements and the intensive three-month course, and now finds himself in his dream job of leading visitors along the trails of the islands. He has taken such joy in this line of work that he is continuously striving to improve his understanding of the Galápagos Archipelago, to better share it with others. He is now continuing his studies, taking a new direction – a distance learning course in ecology. Pato loves music, especially Andean music, and the first time he set foot aboard a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic vessel it was actually as a musician with a local band! He received his Photo Instructor certification in a multi-day training workshop. Developed and taught by National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions photographers, the workshop helped him develop additional insight and skills necessary to help you better understand your camera and the basics of composition — to better capture the moments at the heart of your expedition.
National Geographic Photography Expert
Michael Melford
Award-winning photographer Michael Melford has produced more than 50 stories for National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler magazines over the past 30 years. His work has been featured on the cover of National Geographic , as well as LIFE, Smithsonian, GEO, TIME , and Coastal Living, among other publications. Michael has traveled to numerous countries and all seven continents—from Antarctica to Alaska and from New Zealand to the Seychelles. His assignments have focused on conservation, preservation, and celebrating the beauty of wilderness and national parks around the world. Melford also has produced photography for multiple National Geographic books, and is featured in two online photo courses from National Geographic and The Great Courses ( National Geographic Masters of Photography and T he National Geographic Guide to Landscape Photography ). Michael’s work has garnered prestigious honors, including the Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Photography and recognition from World Press Photo. The United States Postal Service also recently honored Melford by featuring several of his images on a set of Forever stamps celebrating Wild and Scenic Rivers.
Naturalist
Marylou Blakeslee
For the past 20 years, Marylou Blakeslee has traveled the world sharing her love of wild places. She lectures on a number of topics from the bears and wolves of the Arctic, to the leopard seals and whales of the Antarctic, as well as the turtles and fishes of the Great Barrier Reef. Most summers Marylou works as a park ranger at Glacier Bay National Park. Fall finds her guiding trips among the “ice experts,” the polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba. Her naturalist work in Antarctica, in the austral summer, provides ample opportunity to share observations on interactions of ice, climate and marine life. Late winter, Baja beckons with grey whales birthing in warm lagoons and desert wildflowers in bloom. She also leads trips to Yellowstone for a glimpse of the winter world of the wolf. Marylou Blakeslee began her involvement with the natural world through her love of drawing and painting. Her work is included in collections across the country and internationally. Leading hikes, lecturing, kayaking, snorkeling, wildlife spotting and painting are some of her favorite things to do. Come share with her the varied natural treasures and beauty this world has to offer.
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