Some of Andy Ridgway’s earliest memories are of traveling around the U.S. with his family. And when, as a teenager, he got his first taste of overseas travel, he was instantly hooked for good. While he’s sure he could happily spend a lifetime or two exploring the Mediterranean region, some of his favorite destinations remain here on domestic soil. And though he’d been plying his marketing trade in other industries for a while, at some point it became apparent that helping others fulfill their passion for travel, which he does as Criterion’s Marketing Director, is where his heart truly lies.

Beth’s love of travel started as a child on national park road trips and took off after a leap-of-faith trip to China. She spent many years designing and guiding Backroads active adventures worldwide and now channels that same spark into crafting unforgettable journeys with the Criterion team. A Peloton junkie, piano player, and summer camp enthusiast, Beth once participated in a five-day Survivor-style charity game - sleeping on the ground, not eating, lying to everyone (nicely), and winning the final four fire-making challenge. Her favorite locations? Crisp Vermont fall days and bluebird summers in the Swiss Alps.

Bridget grew up in Latin America and the Middle East, gaining early exposure to diverse cultures through her family of international educators. She brings twenty years of marketing and communications expertise from her roles at the University of Portland and Reed College. At Criterion Travel, Bridget focuses on content marketing and trip promotions that effectively represent our excursions while maintaining client brand integrity. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing and living in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog.

Caroline Conner, Director of Development, has been with the company for 15+ years. Having worked in the educational travel industry since 1996, Caroline has held leadership roles in operations, marketing, sales, and program development. She has designed and led programs to all seven continents with her favorite destinations being Southeast Asia, the polar regions, and Oceania. Caroline earned her B.A. from Duke University and an M.S. in environmental studies from the University of British Columbia. She lives in Lafayette with her husband and two daughters—now at Dartmouth and UC Berkeley. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with family and friends, serving on the board of National Charities League, and hiking Bay Area trails with dog, Teddy.

Francesca was born and raised in Como, Italy and grew up developing a vocation for foreign language studies and travel at the University of Milano. Her first memories traveling with her parents include skiing at the Dolomites, snorkeling in the Red Sea, and eating macarons in Paris. She spent her third year of university in Vienna, Austria as an Erasmus student and she also joined a Spanish language study program in Valencia, Spain. Before she moved to the United States in 2018, she mainly built her professional background in the hotel industry and loved getting to know guests from every corner of the world. Now, with her husband, she always looks forward to planning the next trip or seeking the next food experience in the Portland area. Top three travel adventures in her bucket list: Walking the Camino de Santiago, gazing the Northern Lights from a glass igloo in Finland, and admiring the hot-air balloons at sunrise in Cappadocia.

Jacquelyn approaches travel like she approaches life - with curiosity, adventure, and fun! Her passion grew at Smithsonian Journeys, managing student programs and working with world-class experts on cruises, private jet trips, and specialty journeys. She joined the Criterion team in May of 2025 and is excited to bring that same warmth, knowledge, and keen eye for detail along with her.

As Jason Graham traveled to Cordoba, Argentina, to start his year as a high school exchange student, he sat next to a woman who was returning from the Australian Outback. She advised him, “If you’re not interested, you’re not interesting!” These words started Jason on a path of exploration throughout the Americas and all over the world. He has studied, worked, and lived in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica. Over the past 12 years, he has developed, managed, and led scores of trips in the nonprofit educational niche of the travel industry. Most recently he was responsible for a travel series involving several former world leaders.

John Babin, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been an ardent world traveler since participating in an educational tour of Europe his senior year of high school. Inspired by this eye-opening experience, John further explored his budding passion for international educational travel by studying abroad in the historic city of Prague, Czech Republic. Before joining the Passenger Services team at Criterion Travel, John was an advisor to international students from over 30 countries at his alma mater, Notre Dame de Namur University. John’s favorite travel destinations include the Czech Republic, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, and he is thrilled to be part of an organization that designs and facilitates exceptional educational travel experiences.

After emerging from UCLA’s Graduate School of Management, Kathie Harvey sprinted up the corporate ladder until she realized that marketing door hardware (albeit top-quality door hardware) did not fulfillment bring. Lonely Planet Guide in hand, she wandered the world for a year, diving with hammerheads, dancing with Australian opal miners, feeding fish entrails to monitor lizards with Tioman Islanders, and trekking over prayer flag–festooned mountain passes. Thus began her fascination with unique destinations and people-to-people experiences, along with a passion for assisting others as they venture forth to explore, which she does as part of the team at Criterion.