The Secretariat

Based in Providence, Rhode Islands, USA, the IAATO Secretariat provides the administrative and operational functions of the association. The address for the IAATO Secretariat is:

[Mailing address]
IAATO
11 S. Angell St., #302 Providence, Rhode Island, 02906 USA

[Street address: do not use for mailing purposes]
179 Wayland Avenue Providence, Rhode Island, 02906 USA

Telephone/Fax:
Phone: 1-401-272-2152   Fax: 1-401-272-2154

 

Steve Wellmeier

Executive Director

Executive Director since July 2008, Steve is responsible for leading the association's 100-plus members in their mission to advocate for safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to Antarctica.

Prior to his appointment, Steve was vice president of marketing and sales for Elegant Cruises & Tours. During his four-year tenure there, he was active on IAATO issues, and was chair of the membership committee.

Following the events of September 11, 2001, Steve assisted in the World Trade Center recovery effort as a public affairs liaison for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Empire State Development Corporation.

His affinity for the small-ship cruise industry dates back to the early 1980s when he was one of the first employees of Clipper Cruise Line, responsible for the company's marketing and public relations efforts. During that time, he helped introduce small ship cruising along the U.S. East Coast and Virgin Islands to the educational travel segment of the market. He went on to become vice president of marketing at INTRAV & Clipper Cruise Line during the 1990s and was responsible for launching inaugural campaigns for the Clipper Adventurer and Clipper Odyssey to the Antarctic, Arctic, South Pacific, Amazon River and Russian Far East.

Dr. Kim Crosbie

Environmental Operations Director

Kim has been working in the polar regions since 1991, initially as a research student at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK, completing a M.Phil. on environmental protection in the Canadian Arctic before joining the Institute's Antarctic program, spending three seasons, two as leader, at a small temporary field camp in Antarctic Peninsula researching wildlife / human interactions for her Ph.D. Her work has led to several publications and presentations at international symposia. On completing her academic work Kim worked full-time leading expeditions to both the Arctic and the Antarctic, primarily onboard expedition cruise vessels.

Kim joined IAATO in 2005 and, as Environmental Operations Director, works on the development and implementation of environmental and operational guidelines, best practices and policy, representing IAATO in various Antarctic related inter-governmental forums.

Laura Goldstein

IAATO Office Manager

Laura started with IAATO in September 2010, coming from the Potter League for Animals where she served as a development specialist. She was co-owner of a travel agency in Newport, Rhode Island for 15 years, and assists with her husband's fundraising consultancy. In her position as IAATO Office Manager, Laura handles bookkeeping and financial transactions, payroll and taxes, the collection of post-visit site reports and End of Season reports, and database and website maintenance.