Andreea grew up in Romania, where she spent many hours daydreaming about adventures at the other ends of the planet, in exotic places populated by the animals she was seeing in her atlases and books that her grandma read to her. Meanwhile (actually a decade earlier), Justin was writing stories about wanting to visit the Amazon for his school assignments in the suburbs of Chicago, and asking his parents to drive him there for their summer vacation. Many years later he actually got to spend several weeks deep in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon, while participating in the filming of a documentary about the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve. This was the start of a one year trip through South America, volunteering with nature organizations and heading all the way to the bottom of the continent, to Chilean Patagonia. After studying a semester in Indonesia, Andreea too was in search of a new experience that would fulfill her childhood dreams of seeing the world, so she signed up for an internship in Punta Arenas, at the southern end of Chilean Patagonia.

Or so the story goes... When we met in 2013 we were working for an organization that puts together one of the wildest adventure races in the world, with the ultimate goal of promoting the natural beauty of southern Chilean Patagonia. The common passion for travel, the outdoors, nature conservation, and photography brought us together.

In 2014 we got married on the shore of Lake Michigan. Knowing from the start that we were going to travel extensively to nature spots around the world, our wedding registry included items like ice axes, backpacks, a sleeping pad, hiking poles and other fun stuff. In late 2016 we left Charlottesville, VA — our home for three years, and jumped on the adventure of becoming "conservation storytellers" to inspire people to travel differently. These first two years have been a successful learning process that will allow us to take Conservation Atlas to the next level.

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT:

Originally from Romania, where I've lived most of my life, I'm now based in the US and traveling the world. The past two years (2017 & 2018) have been the most fulfilling and transformative so far, a time of learning and experiencing. The subject of nature conservation is bittersweet, but spending time at projects with people that are doing amazing work to protect the natural world is truly inspiring and rewarding, and has given me the strength to continue to bring my contribution to this cause. The most important lesson so far has been one of hope: while we're being bombarded with negative news about the environment and while politicians are not listening to the needs of the planet, there are extraordinary people out there who have succeeded tremendously in protecting biodiversity and wildlands. 

FOUNDER & VICE PRESIDENT:

I grew up near Chicago and studied mechanical engineering and business management, and have worked in the renewable energy sector for over a decade. For as long as I can remember, I've been interested in conservation of wild areas and species. I think it's the most important item of our generation: to ensure we do as much as possible to protect the planet's biodiversity. Over the last year and a half, we've visited as many conservation projects as we could to learn about the various ways in which private individuals, governments, and organizations are working to protect the earth's land, water, flora and fauna. It's been an eye-opening experience, and it has helped us better understand the challenges we face as a species, as well as the opportunities that exist within the field of conservation. As Conservation Atlas continues to grow, we hope that it becomes a useful organization for those that are interested in learning about conservation, and ways in which people can make a positive impact while traveling to see the incredible biodiversity and wildernesses of the world.

BOARD OF ADVISORS:

BRUNO GARCIA, MARKETING ADVISOR. Bruno is a 11+ year Nike vet working on and leading teams across: product, brand marketing, digital marketing, brand communications, city marketing and media.  Across his tenure at Nike, Bruno has been keen to step into roles that are challenge areas for Nike, allowing the brand to be at the forefront in consumer engagement and finding innovating new ways to build strong consumer affinity at every step. He also led and championed ways to elevate team talent and development within Nike with personal projects turned best practice for the company. A native Texan, he is deeply connected with running and the global running crew culture. He ran Division-I Cross Country and started running communities in New York, Portland and Mexico City. Beyond running, Bruno enjoys traveling the world, cooking and teaching himself new things — currently the cello. Last year, Bruno went solo in South America and camped in Patagonia, visited Easter Island, Machu Picchu and made it to the Equator.