Amanda Akers
La Presidente
Amanda has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Texas Tech University in Sociology as well as a Master’s in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at UT Austin. From her excessive education and research into how to save the world, Amanda realized it always comes back to education. Since then, she has designed curriculum, written grants, analyzed education policy, and spent over 10 years in the classroom as a bilingual elementary teacher. Amanda’s job at Expedition Ed is to come up with the hair-brained schemes and turn them into reality (she’s R&D and logistics).
Russell Baker
El Jefe
Russell is a bilingual special education teacher with certifications in general elementary education, secondary Social Studies, and secondary Spanish. With a master’s degree in Spanish Languages and Literature from Texas Tech, he has taught classes from 3rd grade through college. He’s also a certified lifeguard who can identify edible local plants, fix almost anything that’s broken, recite historical details, and talk at length about politics and international affairs. Russell is our life-saving, bus-driving, science-loving, kid-managing hero.
Our Story
Expedition Education Founders Amanda Akers and Russell Baker are life-long educators who bring a world of experience to their company. Married since 1994, they’ve lived in Mexico, Spain, and the Russian Far East where they worked as Peace Corps volunteers teaching at the university level. They’ve traveled to France, Belgium, Italy, Vietnam, China, and South Korea. Just finishing 2 years of teaching and traveling in Brazil, they are more convinced than ever that education and adventure make perfect partners.
Expedition Education is the culmination of their beliefs that…
- learning requires movement and active participation
- the road to knowledge and wisdom begins with a powerful sense of wonder
- the most important thing we can give our children is a hunger for discovery
Our Team
José Leal
Expedition Leader and Musical Director
Jose is a phenomenal percussionist and certified music teacher from Salvador, Brazil. When not playing with his band Morena Dub all over the world, Jose is inspiring the next generation of musicians to find human connections and beauty through music. We’re thrilled that he volunteers some of his precious downtime to inspire our Go Global campers.
Luana Pereira
Expedition Leader and Athletic Director
Luana is our multi-talented athletic director. A world-class soccer player, coach, and certified teacher, Luana volunteers her time to keep our Go Global expeditions running smoothly (both literally and figuratively). With education degrees from both the U.S. and Brazil, we’re lucky to have her on our team.
Fernando Souza
Website Manager and Technology Director
Fernando is a certified ESL teacher, with vast experience in the digital world, working as an e-Learning designer for local and international schools and NGOs. Fernando’s unique combination of skills and talents is a perfect fit for Expedition Ed’s tech side.
Lucas
Camp Counselor and Jr. Lifeguard
Expedition Ed is a family affair and Lucas does his part keeping an eye on everyone as a Camp Counselor. We’re also thrilled that he’ll be getting his lifeguard certification this spring!
Jesse
ELL Teaching Assistant
Jesse’s along for the fun during all our camps. But during the winter, he works to film videos for the English Language Learners over at ExpeditionEdLearning.com
Zia
Social Media / Communications Intern
Zia is our social media / communications intern. She makes sure we’re keeping everyone updated and informed via a variety of social media platforms.