From journalists to artists, accountants to mountain guides, our crew is unified by our love for experiencing everything this world has to offer. Together we’ve covered continents, climbed epic peaks and lived far off the grid. We’re here to help you experience the world the OG way.
Managing Director, Programs
It didn’t take long for Ben to figure out that he suffered from an acute case of wanderlust. On one fateful day, a commute home from school turned into a multi-year backpacking trip that eventually landed him in Latin America. After a brief stint as a freelance journalist, Ben was both incensed and inspired by what he saw and returned to school at the University of Toronto to complete degrees in Latin American Studies and International Development while living out of a backpack in Argentina, Ghana, Guatemala, and Kenya. The experience taught Ben the value of learning by doing and now after 10 years as Program Leader, Regional Director and Board Member, Ben continues to explore the world as Operation Groundswell’s Managing Director. When he’s not at his desk, you can find Ben scaling a wall or hitting some sort of ball.
Get in touch: ben@operationgroundswell.com.
Director, Communications
Despite studying engineering, Lauren much prefers valleys and mountains over valves and mechanics. She has hiked thousands of kilometres around the world, once planted 7000 trees in a day, cycled the length of Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, and has been on a 500km hike through the Appalachian Wilderness. In the summer you can find her on canoe trips or hike & bike adventures; in the winter, playing shinny on outdoor rinks or flying down a mountain on a snowboard. Lauren is keen to marry a passion for education with a love of travel with OG!
Get in touch: lauren@operationgroundswell.com.
Manager, Guatemala Hub
Erwin is originally from to the Northmost area of Guatemala, Petén. 13 years ago, he moved to the shores of Lago Atitlan in San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala to get into community-based tourism and hasn’t looked back since! He graduated from San Carlos University as an Administrator of Tourist Resources, and loves sharing his knowledge of Mayan Culture with people from all over the world. Alongside his work with OG’s Hub sharing stories with and caring for visiting backpacktivists, Erwin is a passionate coffee farmer and accomplished gardener. With OG, Erwin loves learning about environmental justice, preserving Mayan culture and history, and helping people both locally and globally.
Get in touch: erwin@operationgroundswell.com
Founder of ICOMM
Alan is an entrepreneur, leader, experienced CEO, and winner of multiple awards including “best 50 companies” and “Entrepreneur of the Year”. Co-founder of a leading North American consumer information company, Alan also served an unprecedented 2-year term as Chairman of the Canadian Marketing Association. Alan’s consulting career includes buy-side due diligence, business strategy, Executive Coach, and two years as CEO of Infersystems, a mathematical technology company focused on “big data”. Beyond that, Alan is a passionate urban farmer, travel adventurer, reader, music lover, and fitness enthusiast.
COO at Neighbourhood Capital
Eyal was Operation Groundswell’s fearless Executive Director from 2012 to 2019. A compassionate leader with over ten years of experiential education development under his belt, Eyal found a home at OG after planning the inaugural Middle East program in 2008. Eyal was also on the founding team for the Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada, which became the first and largest organization in Canada to promote and support socially enterprising youth in achieving their goals. Eyal received a certificate in Non-Profit Management from the Schulich School of Business, and was awarded the Social Economy Scholarship Award for his contribution to the social economy.
Consultant at Look Good Feel Better
Claire is a facilitator, leader, coach and project manager with 5+ years experience in non-for-profit leadership and 7+ years in the education sector. With a Masters in Political Science, a BA in International Development, and 10 years of international travel and work experience, she has an incredible ability to bring together diverse teams and connect with all kinds of people. Claire’s OG story started in 2014 as a Program Leader in India. From 2015-2019 she served as OG’s Programs Director, guiding OG through its most rapid and extensive growth. Claire loves to bring her travels to the kitchen, where she can often be found recreating delicious dishes from around the world!
Executive Director at New Leaf Tree Professionals
Jo has been with OG since the very beginning. She helped coordinate the pilot program in Ghana in 2007 and has been a part of the OG family ever since. Jo developed a passion for building alternative curriculums while facilitating OG programs as Programs Director and as a member of the board. At her core Jo is an educator. The thread that runs through all her work is facilitating change in the world through service to community and environment. As the founder and Executive Director of New Leaf Tree Professionals, Jo connects formerly incarcerated, and system impacted young adults to hands on job training for careers in conservation and climate resilience. She is fiercely dedicated to creating space for people in roles that they have been traditionally excluded from.
Founder at Hara World
Jazzmine Raine is a social entrepreneur, storyteller, and experiential education facilitator. She is the founder of Hara World and Hara House, India’s first zero-waste hospitality space. Jazzmine leverages the power of story to support recent grads, aspiring entrepreneurs, marginalized groups, and ethical brands to challenge the status quo and work towards a sustainable, inclusive, and inspiring future. Jazzmine has been nominated for multiple awards for her Hara World initiatives and was named 1 of 35 social entrepreneurs to watch by Causeartist. She has spoken on her passions and journey across the globe, including at BoldTalks Dubai, Tourism Shala India, and with many education institutions and community platforms across the globe. Jazzmine is a 2021-22 Western Union Fellow under Watson Institute. In her spare time, you’ll find her writing short stories and working on her first YA novel, Generation Uprising.
South America
Jhoss hails from the beautiful town of Ambato in Ecuador but lived in the big apple where she received her bachelor’s degree in International business. More recently, she completed a Masters degree in Rural Development in New Zealand. In between, Jhoss managed to backpack around South America and work with a number of different NGO’s and learn to teach Yoga and Reiki. When she’s not in the classroom or out on the trail with OG, Jhoss loves to explore nature, read a good book, dance!, do a little yoga, or chow down on Ecuadorian chocolate!
East Africa & South Asia
Born and raised in Tanzania, Jigar is a nomadic polyglot and philosopher who is always ready for a cathartic dance-off. He believes that travel is about an inner journey of self-growth and transformation as much as it is about seeing and experiencing the beauty of our extraordinary world. An adventure filmmaker by profession, he yearns to connect deeply with the people he meets on the road and seeks meaningful stories to tell.
South & Central America
Kayla studied and worked in the fashion industry in Los Angeles, but chose to trade it all in for a little backpack and big adventure. She set off on a solo trip through South America that was only meant to last a few months, but ended up changing her life and turning her into a true nomad. She’s since worked in a number of countries around the world, growing all sorts of things and facilitating lots of different trips for others. She even did a stint as a wilderness therapy guide but more recently returned to the US to explore the country in her own truck camper.
The World
Evelyn was working towards a career in criminology in Costa Rica but switched to psychology after taking a class on psychological first aids for victims of natural disasters. This new passion had Eve working closely with rural communities and slowly evolved to include the coordination of local community development projects and cultural immersion programs. Her work also took Eve all over the world from Latin America to Asia and back again. When Eve’s not leading OG programs, she’s just as happy in the mountains as she is on a beach but rainy days are meant for watching movies.
Central America
Nicté is a proud Maya K’iche’ woman. She was born in Totonicapán, in western Guatemala but currently lives with her family in the capital. Nicte has always been passionate about tourism and quickly became a certified local guide leading treks and tours around the highlands. Nicte also studied Business Administration and teaches English to kids but is happiest outside climbing volcanoes and walking in the mountains around Quetzaltenango and Guatemala. She is excited to make new friends, share her culture, and show everyone what life is really like in Guatemala. Also, she’ll gladly trade a little help with your Spanish for some practice with her English!
Central & South America
Pete originally hails from jolly old England, but has been, in no particular order, living, working, travelling, volunteering and learning in Central America for the better part of decade. But he’s still got an accent. Pete is an accomplished trail guide, certified scuba instructor and the best person to take off the beaten path. He’s excited to show you around his neighbourhood, introduce you to some of his friends, share a few laughs, and explore the nooks and crannies of the region he now calls home.
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