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AFC Tour Managers
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| Our vacation managers and the upcoming tours they will be traveling with you on! |
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| Janet Arnold |
 Janet has been a tour director since 1999. She started her career as a local tour guide in San Diego, California. After becoming certified as an International Tour Manager, she began to lead tours throughout the U.S. and Canada. She has taken tour groups on trips through New England, the eastern seaboard, the National Parks of the western U.S., Copper Canyon, and on cruises in Alaska and through the Panama Canal. In the spring she is busy with student history tours in Los Angeles and San Diego counties and California.
Janet has completed coursework in Environmental Biology with an emphasis on the San Diego region. She also completed a course on current issues in environmental biology, focusing on global issues. This coursework has served her well as a tour guide in San Diego and the U.S.
Janet grew up in Delaware (the second smallest state in the nation). In a former life she was a registered nurse, specializing in children and premature infants. She spent most of her career as a traveling nurse, living in many places in the United States. Currently she resides with her husband Jim, in Santee, a small town outside of San Diego.
When Janet is not leading tours she is often off exploring on her own. She loves to travel and learn. Janet is a hiker, road biker and walker and has a great love for the outdoors. She and her husband built two 16 foot expedition kayaks. When they have time they can be found exploring the waterways of CA.
Janet has been folk dancing for over 30 years. She even taught period dance for seven years. Janet is also a water color artist. She has had several pieces of her artwork in gallery shows and has sold a few of her paintings. Art is very important in her life.
Janet is very people oriented. As a tour manager, she strives to make each tour special and unique for the guests traveling with her. She is flexible and creative and can find solutions to any unexpected change of plans that can happen on a trip.
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| Leslie Best |
 Leslie is a native of the Pacific Northwest and loves to travel. As she jokes, “I come by it naturally. Growing up, my family would pile in the car and happily go around the block if it meant we could ‘go’. We just had to see what was over the next hill.”
Now as an adult, Leslie is grateful for the travel opportunities 17 years as a Tour Manager have given her. Some of her favorite locations are Morocco for its ancient and exotic vibe, France for its culture of beauty, the cozy and quaint Martha’s Vineyard, any place with beaches and palm trees, and her own glorious, diverse home state of Washington.
When Leslie is not traveling she teaches school, paints in oils, hangs out with her delightful husband at their lake place, and attends to their very demanding cat.
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| Bob Coltrin |
 Traveling is in my blood. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents who lived through the invasion of Pearl Harbor. I have since moved over 12 times and now reside in San Antonio, Texas. I spent over 32 years working for the United States Air Force in the Human Resource arena all over the world. It only makes sense that two of my loves are traveling and people. In 2001 I started leading tours and have enjoyed every moment of it. I have traveled in Europe, China, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, the Caribbean, South America and through out the United States. Meeting new people and sharing the differences, beauty and uniqueness of our world has been one of the joys of leading tours.
When I am not leading tours I am an avid golfer and spend countless hours working for various ministries in and around San Antonio. My wife, Cheryl is as much a travel buff as I am and we go whenever we can. Throughout our 44 years of marriage we have done and seen things people only dream about.
Wherever you are dreaming of traveling; start making those dreams come true today with an AFC vacation!
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| Don Hartigan |
 I was born and raised in Chicago, where I return frequently to visit family or lead AFC's popular Week in Chicago tour. After graduating from Loyola University and attending the University of Chicago, I began a career as a community organizer and official of city government in Chicago. Then after spending six months traveling in 11 of the 13 South American countries, I moved to California. First living in Northern California for five years and then moving to San Diego, where I have happily lived in Pacific Beach for 29 years. After spending almost 20 years as supervisor or manager of several branches of state government, I attended the prestigious International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) and became certified as a tour manager in 1999. My approach to tour managing is that I believe every good tour has a theme and that people travel to learn as well as have a good time. Therefore, I aim to inform my passengers as well as make certain they have a jolly good time while I am doing it. Fun, food, information and a good hotel, as well as feeling secure and cared for, are the elements of a good travel experience. Come join me.
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| Deb Howard |
 I was raised in Connecticut and chose to go to college in California. I started my career in the tour industry in 1977 shortly after graduation. With a focus on the North American continent I took tours throughout Northern and Southern California, the Southwest, New England, Canadian Maritimes, Canadian Rockies and several 28 day cross country tours primarily sharing our country with Australian and British visitors. In an innocent moment by the hotel ice machine while on tour in Anaheim, CA, I met my Massachusetts born husband, Bill, and shortly thereafter moved back to the east coast to begin a life together.
While raising two kids, Bill and I worked together starting our own business. Product design, development and manufacturing of household and decorative accessories sourced in foreign countries took me to China and all parts of India. This decade long career was interspersed with a new passion; volunteer activity and service to others, In 2001 I started a career with a non-profit in Connecticut as Dir of Volunteer Services & Community Outreach for AmeriCares Free Clinics for the uninsured. This fulfilling position was eliminated at the peak of the economic crisis.
It was time to downsize and in 2010, Bill and I decided to move to Jamestown, RI which would be closer to family, near the water and allow us to engage in our love of boating, fishing and water activity. Not able to retire yet, I decided to go full circle and return to my first love; tour directing. With great gratitude to AFC for taking a leap of faith with my return to the industry, I have ignited that passion and look forward to additional opportunities. In between tours, I am serving as a local docent at Rough Point, one of the mansion homes of Doris Duke, in Newport, RI ...AND fishing and boating:)
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| Ingrid Kokinda |
 Ingrid is a native of Germany and has over thirty years of travel experience. Travelling both independently and as a tour manager she has visited numerous places thoughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe.
Now a Naturalized Citizen, Ingrid resides in San Antonio, Texas.
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| Chris McCool |
 Chris McCool has had the privilege over the past 35 years to lead tours to 105 countries and to all 50 states. He states, “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the places I want to visit, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.” His AFC family of friends continues to grow each year as he shares the excitement and beauty of numerous AFC destinations with you. Chris leads AFC tours both domestically and abroad, and takes you to places that are off the beaten track, as well as well-known destinations. Come with Chris on an AFC tour and you’ll experience far more than the brochure promises. Chris has a BA in History, as well as a Masters in Education. If you love to learn, laugh and let the child that lives inside of you come out to play, take an AFC tour with Chris.
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| Steve Nakamoto |
 I was born and raised in Lynwood, CA. When I was 11, my family moved to Palos Verdes where I became an all-league high school basketball player. I went to college at San Diego State where I played on the basketball team and graduated with a degree in finance.
After college, I moved to Whittier in order to expand my family’s retail flower business. After selling the family business in 1990, I become a Dale Carnegie Instructor where I taught human relations and effective public speaking.
After becoming a certified tour director, I did my first tour with AFC to Branson in 1994. Over the past 16 years I’ve especially enjoyed my trips to New England, Savannah-Charleston, Chicago, Washington, New York, and the Canadian Rockies.
When I’m not touring, I surf, play beach volleyball, and promote the 3 award-winning books that I’ve written about relationships. I live in Huntington Beach - single with no children.
My success as a tour director can be traced to my 90 year-old Dad who always told me, “Treat everyone well.”
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| Gail Richards |
 I am Australian born, living overseas on a number of occasions, but always returning home. I have been in the Travel Industry as a Tour Director for 25 years, travelling the world showing visitors exciting and interesting sites. My interests are sport, theatre, hiking, surfing, outdoor activities, music and meeting people.
My role as a Tour Director is to plan an exciting, fun filled, informative and relaxed vacations. It gives me the opportunity to fulfill the dreams, hopes and expectations of travellers. I love to travel and enjoy sharing knowledge and lots of “local tips” and seeing the smiles, enthusiasm and sense of adventure shown by visitors who undertake some new activities that they would not have previously considered.
At present I am enjoying showing visitors the diverse beauty of Australia with its unique wildlife. The friendly “open” lifestyle of the Australian people gives the visitors who travel “Down Under” a very relaxed and comfortable ambiance, making this a wonderful destination to visit.
My greatest satisfaction is to see visitors have a lifetime experience. Look forward to meeting you.
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| Sheryl Russell |
 Born to a farming family in Kansas, she left, just like Dorothy, when the first opportunity presented itself following graduation from the University of Kansas with a Secondary Education Degree in Theatre and English Literature.
After two decades of professional work in retail and communications systems marketing and living in Dallas, New York City and the California Bay area, she “came home again” in a sense, moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico. There she found a cultural diversity, architectural style and historic richness that supported the next 20 years of tour directing work throughout the West.
Now working in most of the 48 states and Western Canada, Sheryl also supports non-profit organizations involved in resource and wildlife conservation and the preservation of rural family life and economic viability of farms and ranches in the West. Saving the earth is a big job and Sheryl firmly believes that there is a contribution each of us can make. So, while on tour with Sheryl look for the recycle bins!
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| Carol Walker |
 Carol Walker is our AFC Canadian tour director who loves the Canadian Rockies and the Far East (Eastern Canada, that is!). Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Carol learned enjoyed many family outings in the Mountains, before branching out and travelling to six continents and over 45 different countries. Travel is definitely a passion!
After graduating with a BA from the University of Calgary, Carol worked in both the Federal and Civic governments as well as the training industry. She taught communication courses across the whole of Canada and learned to love both the West and the East.
She has guided many of our AFC tours thru her own “backyard” and has been our tour director for Eastern Canada tours for the last 5 years.
Her boundless enthusiasm, caring nature, attention to detail and a genuine desire to provide her American passengers with a true Canadian experience have made her a popular tour director.
Carol is looking forward to sharing her love of Canada and her passion for Canadian history, geology, cuisine, language and culture with you as you enjoy your next vacation with AFC in Canada!
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| Leslie Winkel |
 Leslie is a California girl thru and thru. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, attended college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Ca. has lived in the Los Angeles area and currently resides in San Diego. She has an active lifestyle participating in triathlons (swim, bike run), yoga, hiking and running on the beach with her dog Theo. Leslie has traveled to Kona, Hawaii to volunteer at the Ironman World Championship Triathlon and has been to the Tour de France to watch the top cyclists in the world race, including Lance Armstrong.
After completing course work to become a certified Tour Manager, Leslie has lead groups on cruise tours to such countries as Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Germany and Russia. In addition she has managed several Hawaiian, Alaskan tours along with US national parks and Chicago. Travel is Leslie’s passion and she can’t wait for the next tour so she can share her experiences and enable guests to bring home memories of a great vacation.
One of Leslie’s favorite quotes is from Saint Augustine who said “The World is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” She hopes to open that book read many pages together with her guest!
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