Executive Director, Co-FounderDavid Shurna

For as long as he can remember, Dave has been exploring new places, cultures, and environments. He has felt the power of immersion experiences to inspire hope, challenge perceptions, enhance one’s global perspective, and to remind us of the most important things in life. He has experienced this time and time again in his travels throughout Central America, southeastern Africa, India and Nepal.

Professionally, Dave is a passionate and seasoned educator who has worked with such diverse organizations as the World Wildlife Fund, Duke University, Island Press, The Nature Conservancy, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens and The Catamount Institute. His primary areas of expertise lie in nonprofit management and curriculum development.

Dave earned a master’s degree from Duke University in Environmental Policy and Economics and a B.S. in biology from Xavier University. He also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke. Prior to his work with Global Explorers, Dave served as the Executive Director of The Catamount Institute. At Catamount, Dave helped launch a very successful Colorado-based environmental nonprofit organization with a mission of promoting land conservation and inspiring ecological stewardship through research, education and leadership.