Kate Desvenain, Director of Client Services

Kate began traveling in high school as an exchange student to South Africa during the Apartheid era. This experience awakened her political sensibilities, and led her to study Political Science (B.A. ‘90) and International Affairs (M.A. ‘92). She worked on democracy development projects in Eastern Europe and Africa for several years before deciding to turn her energies toward civic education in the U.S. She received her M.A. in Secondary Education and became a high school social studies teacher in Washington, D.C. After meeting her French husband, with whom she built and ran a Bed & Breakfast in Costa Rica, she gravitated toward academic travel, which combines her passion for education and cultural exchange. Kate has worked as a Program Manager for Smithsonian Journeys and the Close Up Foundation, and has taught at the University of Costa Rica. In her free time, Kate enjoys birdwatching, photography and print-making.