Jordy Oleson

Like many of us, Jordy faced a crossroads as he graduated from university: accept one of the “good” job offers on the table in front of him, or leave his comfort zone and pursue his passions. Taking a leap of faith, he decided to explore the world and vowed he’d never take a job that didn’t fulfill his adventurous spirit. That decision took him to the cloud forests of Costa Rica where he taught 3rd grade at a conservation-based ESL school. His passion for travel and the natural world became an integral part of his identity, with his wanderlust leading him through most of Central and South America shortly thereafter.

Soon after his travels, Jordy began working as the marketing manager for a nonprofit dedicated to providing life-changing travel experiences for high school students of all abilities and backgrounds. Over a 7-year period he helped develop, sell, manage and lead expeditions in Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, the American Southwest, the Canadian Arctic, East Africa and Southeast Asia. Jordy also played a role in co-founding a nonprofit that teaches workshops on sustainable development and appropriate technology to communities in Rwanda and Mexico. After joining Nat Hab early in 2014, he has since returned to Peru’s upper Amazon Basin, hiked and kayaked in the Galapagos Islands, visited the polar bears of Churchill, explored the savannas of East Africa, experienced the wonders of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and Antarctica, and seen the amazing biodiversity of the “eighth continent," Madagascar.

An “almost-native” Coloradan, Jordy was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, enjoys dual citizenship and regularly travels back to Canada to visit family. When he's not traveling, Jordy’s favorite moments are the hours of entertainment he and his wife enjoy watching their toddler son and young daughter grow and find new ways to be adventurous. He also loves finding and sharing the best new music, snowboarding, camping, riding cruiser bikes, and geeking out over new strategies to beat his friends in Settlers of Catan.

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