Harriet Friedlander, Chairman & Co-Founder, directs new program development, drawing on her extensive experience and personal contacts made during the firm's over thirty-year history. These hallmark itineraries have included Northern Ireland, under a special grant from The European Union, as well as cutting-edge programs in the former Soviet Union and Cuba, and one-of-a-kind Sea Cloud II voyages. A former educator and author, Harriet is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Mount Holyoke College and holds an MAT degree from Harvard's Graduate School of Education, where she was a Ford Foundation Scholar.

James Friedlander, President & CEO, oversees all aspects of the company's operations, and his more than twenty-five years of global business experience as an international banker and management consultant has been vital to our growing diversity of clients and programs. As a lifelong advocate of private, non-profit cultural and educational institutions, Jim is delighted to advance these causes through the development of educational travel programs. Jim serves on the Executive Advisory Council of the Educational Travel Community. A graduate of Philips Exeter Academy, Wesleyan University and the Columbia Business School, he travels frequently to explore new cultural opportunities in distant points of the globe.

Mary Brophy, Vice President of Marketing, is the chief salesperson for Academic Arrangements Abroad programs and has fostered longstanding relationships with museums, alumni and cultural institutions. Responsible for expanding the company's reach in small vessel charters, she works with sponsoring institutions to develop itineraries and to ensure quality service, occasionally joining their members aboard Sea Cloud II as a dynamic tour director. A former loan officer for Chase Manhattan bank, she is a graduate of Manhattanville College and holds an MBA from Columbia University.

George Garber, Vice President, developed special interest and cultural travel programs to Russia, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe during a long career at Finnair. After earning his MA in Russian Literature, he was a guide/interpreter for the USIA in the Soviet Union and an interpreter for the State Department's Soviet guests in the USA. He has also taught English in Rome, where he learned Italian. George directs the development of the company's programs in Russia and Eastern Europe, as well as the multi-country European odysseys aboard Sea Cloud II. He is a past president of the American Tourism Society.

Ellen Renstrom, Vice President, has spent over twenty years in travel including positions at American Express Destination Services and Nyman Schultz Travel, where she oversaw all aspects of both inbound and outbound group operations. Fluent in Swedish, Spanish, French and Hebrew, she has lived in Israel and Ecuador and spent nine years in Sweden, where she was trained as a professional weaver. In addition to developing and operating programs at Academic Arrangements Abroad, Ellen scouts out destinations, including the Tran-Siberian private rail journey from Ulaan Baatar to Moscow, and most recently Israel and Morocco.

Patricia Leo, Vice President, first became associated with the company as an alumna traveler on a Smith College tour. A former researcher for Mary McCarthy during the writer's Paris years, Patsy returned to Paris and served as our consultant for itinerary development and for contacts in academic circles. She has traveled widely but holds a special affection for Ireland, where the owners of historic homes come out to greet her on the doorsteps. Now stateside, Patsy more often can be found leading a garden or art tour, or on the decks of Sea Cloud, as she was on a mid-November, transatlantic crossing.

Gloria De Luca, Vice President, has over fifteen years experience in the travel industry, including positions with Royal Cruise Line in San Francisco and Air France and Cunard Line in New York. Since 1997 she has overseen brochure production at Academic Arrangements Abroad, as the company's direct mail promotions have expanded and evolved to meet the needs of our growing client list. Gloria has undergraduate degrees from the University of California and University of Paris, and a Masters in Art History from Hunter College. She enjoys traveling, especially to the Middle East, Mediterranean and her favorite city, Paris.

Thomas Cawley, CFO, has over twenty-five years of broad operations and finance experience, and has served as both a corporate officer and a board member at multinational companies and local not-for-profit organizations alike. The firm’s diverse travel destinations allow him to pursue his enduring interest in learning about art and architecture.  A lifelong sailor, an amateur painter of watercolors and oils, and a well-traveled road warrior, he has an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and studied Economics and Philosophy as an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University.

Elizabeth Irwin, Secretary and General Counsel, traces her interest in travel to childhood years spent in Brussels. As Medieval Studies major at Wesleyan University, she spent her junior year in Paris. While attending Cardozo School of Law, she interned at a Japanese law firm in Tokyo and, as a practicing attorney, served as a New Jersey Assistant Prosecutor. An accomplished printmaker and an avid gardener, Elizabeth finds inspiration for artistic pursuits accompanying Academic Arrangements Abroad tours, particularly our family programs on which she often joins her husband and two sons.

Meggan Reim, Director, came to Arrangements Abroad from the United Nations where she focused on ecotourism for the Economic and Social Department. Since 2001, Meggan has been instrumental in the development of the firm's internal operations and technology. A seasoned tour director, she has sailed aboard Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II many times. Currently, Meggan combines her operational and field experience to develop all of the firm's Caribbean programs, among other destinations. Meggan is a dedicated cook, and enjoys sampling gourmet cuisine on trips to distant ports and adding to her collection of global cookbooks. She holds a BS in international business from Southern New Hampshire University and an MS in Global Affairs from New York University.

Deborah Tarr, Director, brings extensive experience in tour operations to Academic Arrangements Abroad. She began leading tours more than twenty-five years ago as a tour director in China. Previously, at several other international tour operators, she worked in operations, tour development and brochure production. While attending Wagner College, she lived for a year in Bregenz, Austria where her interest in travel was sparked. She holds an MA in Art History from Brooklyn College. Deborah was formerly a high school art teacher, has studied Mandarin and is widely traveled, including favorites Scandinavia and Africa.

Erin Sorensen, Director, focuses on the logistical operation of cruise and land programs in France, Germany, South America and Egypt. She also provides input on itinerary development and performs occasional site inspections. Raised in a family that moved frequently and traveled internationally, staying in one place does not come naturally to Erin. She enjoys returning to her favorite European destinations, France and Germany, as well as exploring new cultures, including most recently Egypt, Jordan and Morocco. Before joining Arrangements Abroad in 2003, Erin volunteered in Madagascar and Mauritius and studied in France. She earned a BA in French and History from Brigham Young University and an MA in French Studies from New York University.

Richard Barcham, Director, has a long history in tour management for companies on both sides of the Atlantic and has led well over a hundred cultural tours in Europe, the Middle East and South America. He helped blaze trails in countries unfamiliar to most American travelers, including Cuba, Estonia, Romania, Syria and Tunisia. Richard was born in Plymouth, U.K. and educated at the Universities of Cambridge and Durham, where he studied History and Archaeology. He then conducted fieldwork on Neolithic settlement patterns in the windswept Shetland Islands and was employed as a professional archaeologist in northern and central England for several years. Richard has also assisted numerous non-profit institutions in identifying and arranging high-profile speakers to give lectures on campus.

Cassidy Morris, Manager, joined Arrangements Abroad four years ago to pursue her growing interest in travel and tourism. She supervises the program coordinators and assists the sales team in program development and marketing. An experienced tour director, Cassidy has sailed in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Baltic. She has traveled widely and lived in Athens, Greece, during her junior year. She is an avid runner, having recently completed several marathons, and enjoys cooking a variety of Indian curries. She received her BA in Latin and Greek Studies from Tufts University.

Marisa Swope, Manager, is a member of the firm's operations team, handling the daily logistics for multiple land and cruise programs, with a particular focus on tours to Russia. She additionally assists with itinerary development and operational database management. Marisa has served as a tour director on Sea Cloud, Sea Cloud II, and the Volga Dream and loves meeting and traveling with our groups. Prior to joining Arrangements Abroad, Marisa lived overseas in both Italy and England as well as taught English in Argentina. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia where she earned a B.A. in English Literature. She is passionate about travel, literature and ballet.

Ingrid Ahlgren, Communications Manager, works on travel brochures and the company's website. She also helps publicize the firm's trips. As the daughter of a U.S. diplomat, Ingrid grew up all over the world in countries including Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, South Africa and Venezuela. Prior to joining the staff at Academic Arrangements Abroad, she was writer for Vault.com and a freelance journalist in New York. Before moving to New York in 2007, she was a researcher for National Geographic Traveler magazine in Washington, D.C. Ingrid holds a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri, an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Virginia, and an undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature from Brown University.

Robert Friedlander, Vice Chairman of Finance, brings almost fifty years of financial management experience to Academic Arrangements Abroad, most recently as an officer of Merrill Lynch. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Bob had an extensive Wall Street career as a member of the New York Stock Exchange and as President of Percy Friedlander & Co., a member firm of the NYSE. Under his direction, the company maintains a conservative financial posture and operates with cash reserves to ensure the safety of both passenger deposits and industry partners.