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Our Staff: Adventure Tour Management Team


Seth Heald
Seth Heald - President
Born in Canada, Seth was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Biology. As a recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellowship, Seth worked in biological field research focused on Sonoran Desert rattlesnake behavior, co-authored several scientific papers, and was a speaker at the American Society of Zoologists annual conference in 1996. After leaving academia, he worked as a guide and animal handler for the Natural History Unit of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and was recently the on camera talent for a 30-day expedition to a remote corner of Venezuela for the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and Outdoor Life Network. Seth has been a full-time guide and manager at AOA since 1997, plus has twice been an invited speaker at the World Congress of Adventure Travel.

Matt Delany
Matt Delany - Whistler General Manager/Trip Leader
A graduate of University of Victoria on Vancouver Island, Matt now splits his time between our Arizona and British Columbia operations. He is an experienced hiking, biking and rafting guide with an energetic personality and genuine love for sharing nature and new experiences. His certifications include not just First Aid and CPR, but also Commercial River Guide School, Swift Water Rescue Level III, and Avalanche Level I. An avid surfer, rock climber, and kayaker, Matt has traveled to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, and Europe pursuing his passions.

Bernard Philippe
Bernard Philippe - General Manager
Bernard was born and raised in the Loire Valley, France. A graduate of the Hostelry College of Strasbourg, and the University of Bordeaux, Bernard has held various management positions in hotel operations and human resources for Marriott Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Disney Resorts, and more recently Hilton Hotels Corporation. Bernard joined AOA in 2006 as Director of Sales.

Brian Jump
Brian Jump - Multi-day Tour Sales Manager
Brian grew up in Maine and attended the University of Denver graduating with a degree in Philosophy. He is also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School completing a 95-day rock climbing, backpacking, winter camping, canyoneering, spelunking, and backcountry skiing leadership course. On three different occasions Brian has spent as many as 30 straight days in the wilderness. He currently guides more hiking and mountain bike tours every year than any other guide in Arizona. His sensitivity to guests needs, passion for the outdoors, and area knowledge fills his in-box with "thank you" letters every week.

Ed and Sue Ford
Ed & Sue Ford
Both Natives of Western Canada who spend each winter in Arizona, Ed and Sue fell in love with adventure travel while cycling through France. Ed is President of Dockside Capital Group and is a Chartered Accountant with over forty years experience creating and implementing financial development plans for client enterprises in Canada and the United States. He specializes in the start-up of emerging growth companies, arranging seed capital, financial control and management systems.

Rick Hill Rick Hill, Director of Finance and Technology
After receiving an M.B.A., Rick's professional career has spanned almost three decades of work in technology consulting, software design, software development, and project management in a variety of industries. Rick worked successfully for sixteen years at Arthur Andersen (now Accenture) and ten years at National Health Enhancement, Inc., where he was responsible for all software development of products which formed the basis for the Company's growth during Rick's tenure from revenues of about 3 million dollars to revenues of about 50 million dollars. Rick joined AOA in early 2007, after consulting with AOA for several years on technology, web site management and design and accounting issues. AOA provides the perfect opportunity for Rick to use his corporate and technology experience combined with his love of bicycling, fishing, travel and photography.
OUR GUIDES . . .
We take pride in having the best guides in the business. All of our previous clients will tell you our guides enhanced their experience more than they thought possible. We have nearly 30 experienced guides on staff. All guides must learn our 50 page guide manual, complete an apprenticeship, all are CPR / First Aid certified and many have advanced training such as Wilderness First Aid, Swift-water Rescue and National Outdoor Leadership School degrees.

Our guides are teamed to maximize their individual expertise ensuring your every need is satisfied. Our guides are at your service 24 hours a day for the duration of the trip. They will be eager to answer all questions, solve any problems, and keep your adventure fun and worry-free.