Maddy Mitchell is a Content Marketing Consultant for WWF-Travel with a background in event planning, responsible tourism, and community engagement. She fell in love with travel during her gap year in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Chile before beginning college at Penn State University. During her gap year, she spent time in a rural community in Junín, Ecuador. Their local economy had historically been dependent on the copper mining industry, but over the years, the land had become contaminated, forcing people to leave their homes, community, and ultimately, the only life they knew and loved. She saw firsthand the impact that extractive industries has on the environment but more importantly, the people, wildlife, and ecosystems that it unjustly burdened. At the root of it, her passion lies in community development, especially through sustainable tourism. She wants to help provide a platform in which communities can grow and learn together, feel empowered in community-decision-making processes, and create programs and policies that will allow destinations and tourists alike to thrive. She aims to cultivate this love of the environment, community, and responsible travel with everyone she meets and is eager to continue protecting the living creatures and landscapes of planet earth.