OUR STORY
1998
Reach the World helped to create the concept of virtual exchange in 1998 and continues to be a leader in the field. Founder Heather Halstead was an early pioneer of virtual exchange, sailing 25,000 miles around the globe equipped with an early satellite transmitter, in order to create a proof of concept. Partnering with Teachers College and the Eiffel Project, Heather connected her journey to Third Grade classrooms in Title I public elementary schools in Harlem, NY. Through this effort, the field of virtual exchange began to grow.
2009
Beginning in 2009, Reach the World invented a new IT system, which allowed volunteer travelers to communicate with classrooms via the Web. Together, RTW and the Institute of Learning Technologies incubated RTW’s Traveler Program, which matches volunteer travelers and PK-12 classrooms for one-on-one exchanges. In the last 14 years, RTW has welcomed the Fulbright Program, the Peace Corps, and the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program as key partners. RTW also collaborates with a broad set of campus and association partners.
2019
In 2019, Reach the World relaunched its Explorer Program, partnering with the 2019 Weddell Sea Expedition as its lead education-and-outreach partner. Through RTW’s Explorer Program, world-famous explorers can broaden the impact of their explorations by inviting youth to embark on virtual exchange journeys, with them as the guide. RTW’s Explorer Programs engage large and diverse student audiences while building a legacy for explorers’ and scientists’ fieldwork.
2022
In 2022, Reach the World partnered with the Endurance22 expedition as its lead education-and-outreach partner. 32,000 youth (and counting) traveled virtually with RTW to Antarctica in search of Sir. Ernest Shackleton’s lost ice ship, Endurance. RTW also joined the U.S. Science Support Program as an education and outreach partner, assisting research scientists in driving a broader impact from their fieldwork while modeling careers in scientific research and exploration.
2024
Reach the World celebrated 25 years of building the partnerships, programs and platforms that bring the world into classrooms at a sold-out gala in New York City. At this event, RTW presented its annual Cronkite Award to Mr. George Stephanopoulos and its Lifetime Achievement Award to Mrs. Rita Fields. RTW’s 25th-anniversary film reflects upon more than two decades of leadership.
TEAM
Heather Halstead, Executive Director
Timothy Jacob, Director, Traveler and Explorer Programs
Christopher Ahearn, Chief of Staff
Sophie Lam, Event Manager
Anne Ledvina, Development Consultant
Jessica Wurzbacher, Manager, K-12 Programs
Andrew Han, Sr. Associate, Traveler and Explorer Programs
Jeffrey Wiener, Young Mind Interactive, Educational Design Consultant
Melinda Smith, Solution Architect (Consultant)
REACH THE WORLD BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Katy Huberty, Global Director of Research, Morgan Stanley (Board Chair)
Bob Altman, Executive Producer, Altman International Productions
Jane Atherton, Head, North America, Temasek
Melissa Bradley, Founder & CEO, Indagare
Potoula Chresomales, Chief of Staff to the CEO, Skillsoft
John Delaney, Senior Commercial Advisor, Virgin Voyages
Michael Granne, Founding Partner, Provenzano Granne & Bader LLP
Heather Halstead, Executive Director, Reach the World
Kendal Kalata, Chief Human Resources Officer, See’s Candies
Oliver Plunkett, CEO, Ocean Infinity
Vishal Saxena, Chief Technology Officer, Reorg
Nic Tat
Zia Daniell Wigder, Chief Content Officer, EMARKETER
Brian Zerr, Senior Vice President, Business Continuity Management & Enterprise Resiliency, American Express
REACH THE WORLD ADVISORY BOARD
Elizabeth Porter, Equity Research, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley (Chair)
Alexandra Doll, Project Leader, Boston Consulting Group
James Duong
Sayako Seto, VP, Analytics Product Management & Commercialization, Experian
Sanya Thapa, Associate Partner, Synpulse
Ken Wang, Software Engineer Manager, Confluent
Richard Wiese, Explorer and Host, “Born to Explore”
REACH THE WORLD YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BOARD
Kieran Kenny, Analyst, Balyasny Asset Management (Co-Chair)
Nicholas Zigerelli, Municipal Credit Trading, Vice President, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (Co-Chair)
Conor McVeigh, Assistant Vice President, Barclays (Co-Chair)
Mark Bahreini, Investment Banking Associate, Ferghana Partners
Andrea Balarezo, Project Coordinator, CBA Consultants
Tyler Bordick, Buy Side Relationship Manager, Bloomberg LP
Nicholas Cantafio, Manufacturing Engineer at Northeast Electronics Corp.
Akhil Chittajallu, Associate, PPC Enterprises
Mudit Gupta, Business Operations & Strategy, Google
Ryan Kilgallon Associate, General Atlantic
Sean Klein, Private Equity Associate, 3i Group
Wei Li, Investment Banking Associate, Financial Institutions Group, TD Securities
Sophia Lubrano, Associate Investment Specialist, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Naomi Michael, Associate, Boston Consulting Group
Grace Missakian, Investor, Picus Capital
Julia Patterson, Sr. Member Development Associate, The Conference Board
Elizabeth Santoro, Product Manager, Meta
Sarah Stein, Head of Corporate Communications, Rockefeller Capital Management
PARTNERS
