2026 BOARD OF DIRECTOR ELECTIONS
Thank you for taking part in The Adventure Travel Conservation Fund’s member-elected board vote. Your voice matters, and this is your opportunity to help shape the leadership and future direction of our organization. Below you’ll find a shortlist of candidates who have been carefully reviewed by the ATCF staff and Board of Directors. Each brings unique experience, perspective, and passion for community-led conservation through travel. Please review the candidate profiles and select the individuals you believe will best represent our membership and help guide the ATCF forward.
Voting will remain open until March 27, 2026
Monika Sundem, Chief Executive Officer, Adventure Life
Monika Sundem is the CEO of Adventure Life, an experiential travel company crafting custom journeys and small-ship expedition cruises focused on human connection, cultural immersion, and responsible exploration.
A Pacific Northwest native who now lives near Montana’s Glacier National Park, Monika has been an “Adventure Lifer” for nearly two decades, working across operations, trip planning, and marketing before taking the helm as CEO in 2021. She has traveled extensively across dozens of countries and brings a rare 360-degree perspective on the travel experience, from the realities facing local operators to the emotions travelers feel from the first spark of an idea to returning home transformed.
Passionate about Latin America’s cultures and the idea of “travel for growth” rather than bucket lists, Monika helped guide Adventure Life through the pandemic by prioritizing transparency and trust while strengthening the company’s human-first approach in an era of overwhelming choice and AI-driven travel planning. Today she leads a global team of travel specialists with over a century of combined expertise and more than 3000 expeditions crafted for curious travelers.
Charlie Clark, Director of Philanthropy, Cotopaxi
Charlie Clark is a Portland, OR–based dad of two with nearly two decades of experience in the outdoor and adventure travel industry, including the past ten years focused on philanthropy and international grantmaking within B1 companies (Certified B Corp and 1% for the Planet members). He currently manages operations and grantmaking strategy for the Cotopaxi Foundation and previously led nonprofit partnerships and grant disbursements at MiiR and other outdoor brands. He brings deep experience in due diligence, monitoring and evaluation, partnership management, and impact storytelling, along with perspective from both the funder and nonprofit sides, including time with Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Charlie holds a Master of Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University and previously served in an advisory role on ATCF’s Grants Committee. He is eager to help shape ATCF’s next chapter and brings a strong network across funders, nonprofits, and the outdoor industry.
Jim Kane, Director of Sustainability & Outreach, Exito Travel
Jim Kane is a leader at the intersection of food, travel, and scalable impact. A longtime advocate for transformational travel, he is the founder of an award-winning boutique tour operator, creator and host of the PBS docuseries The Food Principle, and Director of Sustainability and Outreach for Exito Travel, a flight specialist serving more than 150 active and conservation-focused tour operators. Impact has always anchored Jim’s work. He co-created the annual Weavers Awards in partnership with a Peruvian NGO and National Geographic grantee Nilda Callañaupa, directing more than $60,000 over a decade to Indigenous women weavers and helping revitalize traditional textile arts. At Exito, he led industry-first sustainability commitments, including offsetting 100% of direct travelers’ flight emissions and becoming a certified 1% for the Planet business member. Jim believes collaboration among like-minded conservation leaders is the most powerful way to scale impact and is excited about advancing that vision through service on ATCF’s board.