Wild Optimist.
Nature Advocate.
NG Explorer at Large.

Ami Vitale is a National Geographic photographer, filmmaker, conservationist and nonprofit chief whose work explores humanity’s connection to wildlife and wild places.

Nature Whisperer.
Illuminator.
Mad Scientist.

Anand Varma is a National Geographic photographer and founder of WonderLab, a creative studio and learning space in Berkeley, that explores science through high-tech imaging.

Big Cat Hero. 
Wildlife Filmmaker. 
Survivor.

Beverly Joubert is a wildlife photographer and National Geographic Explorer who creates powerful images to inspire protection of Africa’s wild animals.

Wildlife Filmmaker.
Elephant Whisperer.
Emmy Award-Winner.

Bob Poole is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker whose decades of work in Africa reveal the beauty and resilience of wildlife in a rapidly changing world.

Bigscreen Storyteller. 
Wonder Seeker.
Risk Taker.

Bryan Smith is a filmmaker and adventurer whose cinematic storytelling brings science and exploration to life.

Grizzly Guy.
Wilderness Tracker.
Survival Expert.

Casey Anderson is a naturalist and wildlife filmmaker who explores coexistence between humans and wild predators, such as grizzly bears and mountain lions to inspire conservation.

Yellowstone Hero. 
Disruptor. 
Yellow Border Chief.

Former National Geographic Editor in Chief and acclaimed photojournalist Chris Johns explores the alchemy of sharing a powerful, balanced story.

Chief Innovator.
Biomedical Engineer.
World’s Best Minister.

David Sengeh is the Chief Minister of Sierra Leone - he’s also an inventor, scientist, and policymaker shaping Africa’s future through creativity and equity.

Adaptive.
Life After Coach.
Mr. Irrelevant.

Former NFL linebacker and founder of the Adaptive Training Foundation. After a career-ending injury and dark chapter that followed, David Vobora reinvented his life around service.

Big Cat Hero. 
Emergency Responder.
Wildlife Filmmaker.

This decorated filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer works tirelessly to inspire conservation of Africa’s keystone species.

Paleoanthropologist. 
2% Neanderthal.
Nerdy Stand-Up Queen.

Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist, and BBC Host who reveals how creativity and adaptability made our species the one that survived.

Pilot.
Winemaker.
Fossil Hunter.

Dr. Louise Leakey, daughter of Richard and Meave Leakey, is a paleontologist, National Geographic Explorer at Large, Explorers Club Fellow, and Stony Brook professor exploring human origins.

Conflict Photographer. 
MacArthur Genius Grantee. 
Pulitzer Prize Winner.

Lynsey Addario is a Pulitzer Prize–winning war photographer who documents conflict and human rights with unflinching courage and extraordinary compassion.

Environmental Hero. 
Visual Artist. 
Goodwill Ambassador.

Swedish photographer, filmmaker, and UN Goodwill Ambassador Mattias Klum inspires action to protect our most vital and vulnerable ecosystems.

Documentarian. 
Compassionate Witness. 
Explorer.

Michael Davie is an Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker who explores conflict, courage, and the human spirit in stories that challenge and inspire.

Lemur Lover. 
Primatologist. 
Her Wildness.

Dr. Mireya Mayor is a primatologist and TV host whose groundbreaking science—and tireless quest for Bigfoot—bring adventure and discovery to life.

Dinosaur Detective. 
Deep Time Traveler. 
Paleontologist.

Dr. Nizar Ibrahim, Nat Geo Explorer and TED Fellow, has collected fossils worldwide and is currently working on the world’s largest Triceratops and a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton.

Reverent Witness.
Raised on Ice.
Wild.

Paul Nicklen is a photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist whose imagery and stories serve to defend the natural world with reverence and urgency.

World Walker.
Writer as Witness.
Chief Listener

Paul Salopek is a two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and founder of the Out of Eden Walk, a 24,000-mile journey retracing humanity’s ancient migration routes.

Time Tripper.
Fossil Hunter.
Indiana Bones.

Renowned paleontologist Paul Sereno, Head of The Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago, continues to break new ground in dinosaur discovery.