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Meet Our Team

Our Destination Specialists

At Down Under Answers, our success is based on our wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry. We want to delight you in every way and we believe our team of dedicated destination specialists will exceed your thoughts on what customer service should be about… and that’s you!

Come and meet our talented team!

SUE-ANN HIME, Account Manager

Sue-Ann is our resident Tropical North Queenslander. After teaching in a two-room schoolhouse in a small town near Cairns for 10 years, Sue-Ann decided on a change of climate and signed up for a 12-month exchange teacher program to Vancouver, WA. During that year she met her husband Robert and they now make their home, with their “babies”, huskies named Alyeska and Kosciusko, in Seattle and are deeply committed to husky rescue. There’s almost nothing you can ask Sue-Ann about Queensland that she doesn’t know. Sue-Ann’s most recent trips were to Fiji and Queenstown, NZ, where she passed up much longed-for opportunity to go bungee jumping because of her fierce dedication to inspecting as many hotels as possible (that’s her story, anyway).

JANE OSBORNE, Operations & Reservations Manager

Jane has lived in more places than many people ever visit. Born in Montreal, Canada, she collected permanent addresses in the US, UK, and New Zealand, while traveling extensively throughout Australasia and Europe. When pressed for her favorite destination, she can only narrow it down to “somewhere in the South Pacific.” With an advanced degree in Geography and an IT background, she was a shoo-in for the travel industry! As well as choreographing excellent travel itineraries for her clients, Jane, together with husband Phil, is raising three children and a dog, and in her 15 minutes of spare time per week, likes to read and hike. Jane’s next trip is to the Tahiti. We’re just hoping she doesn’t decide to live there.

CAROLE ERICSON, Manager/San Diego Office

Carole, an Aussie, has been in the travel industry for over 25 years, beginning with a stint with Ansett Airlines of Australia. She has worked as a sales rep. for a major Australian & New Zealand wholesaler, owned her own South Pacific tour wholesale company, and is now the manager of our San Diego office. Having seen more of Australia and New Zealand since her move to the US, Carole loves the hidden treasures that both of these destinations offer, so returns each year to explore further. Having also discovered the exotic cultures and scenic delights of South Pacific countries such as Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, Carole is passionate about the “paths less traveled,” and loves to provide unique itineraries for intrepid travelers as well as first-time visitors.

CASEY STUDHALTER, Destination Specialist

A true Seattle-ite, Casey needs mountains and coffee, and picked up another lifelong addiction on a UW trip to Spain--travel. After graduation, New Zealand called and Casey picked up his backpack. To book his ticket, Casey wisely used a travel agent, who mentioned that a stop in Fiji cost no more, and all of a sudden a simple trip turned into the multi-cultural adventure of a lifetime. After two weeks of snorkeling and hammock surfing through Fiji’s Yasawa Islands, Casey spent the next five months exploring the best of the New Zealand back-country and its abundance of pristine wilderness. Over 190 miles of tramping-and numerous sheep encounters-later, Casey is convinced that New Zealand offers something for everyone. Whether it’s kayaking in Abel Tasman or strolling through the vineyards of Waiheke Island, Casey loves to share his experiences with prospective travelers, especially those who enjoy the outdoors.

MARGOT NAHAY, Destination and Islands Specialist

Margot, our resident Island Specialist, was born in LA, then moved to Las Vegas before finding her permanent home in Seattle. A chance encounter led her to a job with a South Pacific retail agency where Margot often puzzled over the strange vocabulary of her colleagues from Down Under. A trip to Australia soon had Margot fluent in her new language and she’s had “a thing” about the South Pacific ever since. Margot’s latest adventure was Fiji & Tahiti where, when she wasn’t off making friends with the locals, was perfecting her knowledge of the islands. Keeping it all in the family, Margot also officiated at the marriage of Cathi and Tom Landowski!

CATHI LANDOWSKI, Destination and Tasmania Specialist

Yes, she was born in Arkansas but, no, she doesn’t know Bill Clinton personally. Cathi’s father’s career moved the family to such exotic places as London and Norway, and down home places like Whitehouse, TX. Her first brush with the South Pacific was as an exchange student to NZ in high school. Ask Cathi to name her favorite places in the South Pacific and most of them are in Tasmania. If you’d like more information, call Cathi and ask her, she’ll wax poetic and you’ll be on your way. Within two years of marrying her, Cathi’s husband Tom switched careers from art gallery owner to marsupial researcher and rescuer. We are deeply grateful to Tom for traveling all the way to Mole Creek, TAS to intern at a wildlife refuge that specializes in Tassie Devils.

DAWN THOMPSON, Destination Specialist

Dawn’s 15 years in the industry and passion for selling the South Pacific adds a wealth of expertise and knowledge to an already great team of specialists here at DUA. The numerous times Dawn has traveled to the South Pacific, first as a single gal, then a newly wed and most recently with her son, has shown her the diversity our destinations have for every traveler. While single she experienced thrill-seeking adventures including jumping off Auckland’s Sky Tower, but took a more leisurely approach when touring with her husband, sipping wines in the Yarra Valley and basking in the luxury of resorts like Hayman. Currently, she sees things through the eyes of a two-year-old and is able to share the many experiences available for family travel. It’s obvious to us that Dawn’s love and enthusiasm for the South Pacific is as large as the region itself.

DELLA SHEEDY, Destination Specialist

Born in Seattle (a true Seattleite!) where rainy days are typical, Della grew up in a roller skating rink where she quickly became hooked. Her dance partner eventually became her husband. They still, to this day, compete in Roller Dance Skating competitions and have won several national medals. Their daughter has also donned her skates, continuing the family tradition. Della’s passion for travel started with a TV show about koalas when she was a child. She just knew she needed to hold one. After completing travel school in 1992, her first travel job was one that specialized in Australia and New Zealand. Finally she got to cuddle her koala! She moved on in the industry to explore other travel destinations. She has traveled to Mexico, Italy, Argentina and Hawaii, as well as the South Pacific. She has joined Down Under Answers to sell her destination of choice - the South Pacific. Her passion for this destination continues to grow, and she is anxiously awaiting her next trip down under. 

Behind the Scenes

KIRK DEMETER, President

Kirk, a Seattle native, started his career at Nordstrom in the mid-1980s, arguably its heyday. Before Microsoft, Costco and Starbucks put Seattle corporations on the Fortune 500 map, Seattle was known primarily for Boeing planes and Nordstrom stores-both benchmarks of quality in their respective industries.

Flawless customer service was the “Nordy” mandate, and Kirk experienced firsthand how much loyalty that engenders. Lesson learned: going the extra mile for the customer is simple and it works. Kirk decided that, if he ever had his own company, he would apply that principle.

Several years later, after backpacking around the world and spending several months in the South Pacific, Kirk started Down Under Answers from the kitchen table while his small son Alex and baby daughter Meghan played underfoot. Now the toddlers are teenagers and DUA has nearly 40 team members in two offices, Kirk is deeply grateful for such rewarding growth in both his professional and personal lives.

A sports fan who can (and does) turn any life lesson into a baseball analogy, the highlights and lowlights of the many sporting events that Kirk has watched from bleachers all around the world are: the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the final of the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Sydney and the Steelers controversial defeat of the Seattle Seahawks at the 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit. He’ll let you guess which was which.

JILLIAN BARROW, VP Sales and Marketing

A New Zealander raised in Auckland, Jillian first came to Seattle for an extended visit with friends in 1987. She fell in love with the Pacific Northwest, and, a couple of years later, a Canadian named Brian. Despite enjoying Seattle, Jillian wanted to maintain ties to her homeland, and, as a keen sailor, decided to sell sailing trips to the South Pacific, which she did successfully for several years. After a four-year stint back in NZ with Tourism Auckland, Jillian returned to Seattle to take on the challenge of promoting the Americas Cup, before joining Down Under Answers and creating the Sales & Marketing department. When not on the road Jillian likes to spend time at home gardening and cooking, and once in a while you might still find her out sailing. On a recent trip to New Zealand she out-fished her brothers by landing a 10 lb. Rainbow trout and completed her first-ever bungy jump in tandem with Kate Lawry. Jillian says it felt a lot safer to have someone to hold on to!

KERRYN COOK, VP Product

Born in Sydney to a Fijian mum and Australian father, Kerryn enjoyed a relaxed beach lifestyle on the Gold Coast, Southern Queensland. From an early age, Kerryn loved to travel and realized that her love of excellent customer service was tantamount to a career in travel. After starting her career in the industry at home, Kerryn did what many Australians do--an overseas working holiday to Canada and the U.K. Upon winning her Green Card in the Australia lottery, Kerryn chose to live in Los Angeles where she spent seven years at a travel wholesaler. She recently joined Down Under Answers as our VP Product and produces our brochures and website as well as keeping everyone up to date on the latest travel specials and trends. Kerryn has traveled extensively and of course has a real passion for Fiji, Tahiti and the Cook Islands. A newcomer to Seattle, she is enjoying skiing and learning how to cook seafood dishes. She loves entertaining, being on the water and has settled into the Pacific Northwest lifestyle quite nicely. We’re still trying to convince her that she doesn’t need an umbrella though!

GARY GRAYSON, Controller

Born in Okinawa, Japan and raised in Hawaii, Gary’s future was determined at a very early age. A perverse love of numbers and accounting proved Gary Grayson was destined for fiscal greatness. Gary began his career in money as a bank loan officer in 1981. The finance prodigy jumped to the other side in 1989; instead of giving loans he was receiving them. Gary, who graduated from the University of Washington and received a Certificate in Accounting from the UW Graduate School of Business is a devoted Husky fan. Gary joined Down Under Answers in March 2006. As a member of the DUA team, Gary will no longer have to dream of travel to an exotic destination, he can now plan a trip to the South Pacific. When Gary is not making smoke rise from his 10-key, he enjoys tennis, golf, and spending time with wife Lynn, and their two Dalmatians, Walter and Norman.

BROOKE CASTOR, National Accounts Manager

Born in the heart of the Hunter Valley (Australia’s oldest wine growing region), Brooke not only has a thirst for good wine, but for travel and adventure! By the age of 21, Brooke had circled the globe five times with her travels through Europe & North America. While studying in college, Brooke met her husband Andy, a rancher from Montana with a yearning to learn how to surf! They now live close to the water in California where Andy continues his search for the perfect wave. Brooke has a passion for sharing the many wonders and beauty of the South Pacific, evoking people’s sense of adventure and encouraging them to travel. When Brooke isn’t telling stories about discovering the true magic of the Outback, landing on glaciers by helicopter in New Zealand, or perhaps describing the rainbow spectrum of soft coral to be enjoyed when snorkeling in Fiji, Brooke enjoys a good laugh with family and friends, entertaining in her home, tackling the surf in her kayak and taking time for yoga.

LARRY COVELL, Pacific Northwest Sales Manager

Larry is a Seattle native whose family immigrated to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old, presumably they just couldn’t wait any longer for the sun to shine. He got such a taste for good weather, Larry moved to Honolulu where he graduated from the University of Hawaii and worked as a travel agent. Love interfered with his tropical plans when he met his wife on a trip to San Francisco. Larry and Melody subsequently moved to Seattle where both have been heavily involved in the travel industry for the past 24 years, making many, many trips back to the South Pacific sunshine. Having grown up Down Under, Larry has a true affinity for selling the South Pacific and has traveled extensively throughout the region.

MARY-MARGARET REUTHER, Midwest Sales Manager

A Chicagoan by birth, Mary Margaret was transplanted to Ohio, the Buckeye State, at a tender age. She never forgot her original home however and, after graduating from Miami University in Ohio moved back to Chicago for a part-time summer job in the hotel industry before taking up a teaching post in rural Virginia. But Chicago worked its magic; Mary Margaret fell in love with the Windy city all over again, tore up her contract and settled in. She met her husband George on a Ski Club bus one very memorable New Year’s weekend and skiing became a recurring theme in their lives--not only did skiing become an enjoyable sport, but when Mary-Margaret was recruited to manage a ski tour company in Chicago, her career in travel was launched. Mary-Margaret fell in love with the South Pacific on one of her many international trips and, to our mutual delight, joined DUA in 2005.

ANITA LAN, Ticketing Manager

Without a doubt, Anita is a ticketing whiz kid. Anita came to Seattle from Taiwan to attend college. As well as earning a degree, Anita met and married her Singaporean husband James with whom she has an adorable and adored daughter, Eugenie. Anita joined the travel industry and was instantly comfortable with the way fares and routings work. Anita’s sweet and gently persuasive nature has enabled her to forge strong relationships with her counterparts at the various airlines with which we work. Anita finds seats and gets waivers where many others fail.

ELICIA JOHNSON, Air Specialist

A Seattle native, Elicia Johnson embodies the great Northwest conundrum; why do people from the wettest part of the US spend the most time outdoors? In winter, Elicia and her partner Casey ride their snow mobile, and in summer they camp and hike. Their dogs, Simba and Maddy, sensibly prefer to stay home out of the rain and wait. Elicia is our resident airfare expert, if she can’t find a better fare, no one can. Elicia’s last trip to the South Pacific took her to Australia where she fell in love with Port Douglas… and found another pet she would have adopted if only those picky Aussie officials permitted koalas to leave the country.

YVONNE LAWRENCE, Sales & Marketing Co-ordinator

Wellington born and bred, Yvonne is the first in her family of Scottish decent to have been born a ‘Kiwi’ and she is absolutely, positively proud of it! But unlike the flightless bird of New Zealand, Yvonne has had a passion for flying ever since her first overseas trip at age 9. Her fond memories of Disneyland brought her back to America as an adult and after returning several times and journeying across many States, she fell in love with an American, married and has settled in Seattle - a place she says “feels a lot like home.”

Yvonne has recently been promoted to our Sales & Marketing Coordinator.  Her strong background in graphic design & publishing as well as coming from reservations makes Yvonne a welcome addition to the sales and marketing team. 

DIANNE BACHMEIER, Documents Manager

Dianne’s job is perhaps the most visible in the office; she creates the final travel itinerary and documents packet, those oft-consulted pages so necessary to ensuring a trip goes perfectly. Born in Seattle, Dianne penned an editorial column for a local Northwest newspaper for many years, and loves the written word. As if there weren’t enough bookstores in Seattle to keep a reader happy, Dianne spends many weekends at Powell’s in Portland, arguably the best bookstore west of the Mississippi. Dianne has traveled in Australia and New Zealand, which, with its female Prime Minister, gets the nod of approval from Dianne, DUA’s liberal political pundit.

JAMIE SUIT, Documents

Jamie was born in Kansas but grew up in Arizona. She moved to Seattle after her older brother, Jason, who was already living in Seattle, convinced Jamie that she’d have no place to retire to if she stayed in Arizona. Jamie loves hiking and doing arts and crafts. Traveling is also a passion, be it real travel or the armchair variety-a lover of maps and researching other cultures and customs, Jamie doesn’t have to go to the South Pacific to know the South Pacific (but she’ll happily go there, too). Jamie says her own travels, most recently to Australia, have convinced her that a successful trip requires an open mind.

TILDY REID, Documents

Tildy couldn’t be more Australian if she tried. Not only is her name derived from the song Waltzing Matilda, but she spent her youth in a surf community on the New South Wales coast, before taking off on a 3 month overland backpack trip in Australia, followed by her “OE”, or Overseas Experience. Tildy embarked on a 2-year jaunt that has stretched to 6 years, and seems likely to last her lifetime. Tildy met her American husband, Clark, in Prague and they lived for a couple of years in Scotland before coming to Seattle to get married. Tildy has embraced our outdoorsy lifestyle and is keen on softball and rock climbing...or at least she was, until beautiful baby Marcus joined the family and motherhood eclipsed all else, especially personal time.

FOZE HAMED, Finance

Foze hails from Lebanon, and we don’t mean Lebanon, IN, MO, OH or TX-we mean the real Lebanon. Growing up Foze dreamed of becoming a flight attendant so that she could travel endlessly, but worked mainly in various accounting roles and traveled for leisure instead. Foze and her husband relocated to the US eight years ago. When she isn’t bringing scrumptious delicacies such as kibbeh, hummus and Turkish delight to the office, Foze is hard at work in the Finance department. For someone who is a whiz with numbers, Foze’s favorite things are decidedly girlie-girl: cats, birds, flowers, and ultra feminine clothes.

NICOLA FORD, Reservations Support

Born on a sheep farm near Invercargill, New Zealand, Nicola is a true outdoorswoman. Nearby Queenstown is her favorite place in the world because she can indulge all of her sports hobbies in one place (and, knowing Nicola, probably in one day!). Her list includes, but is not limited to: bungy jumping, rock climbing, hiking, cycling, snowboarding, waterskiing and rugby. The latter was almost a career move when Nicola made the national Women’s Rugby training squad, but she had to choose between rugby and travel, and wanderlust prevailed. When Nicola met and fell in love with her American husband, Pete, in the UK, she was torn between moving to the US with him and leaving her own family, but a job with DUA means that she is surrounded by other Kiwis and that she’ll get to go home and see the folks regularly. Nicola has lived in Japan and the UK and has traveled extensively.

SAMANTHA VALENT, Reservations Support

Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in upstate New York and Cincinnati, Samantha began her love of travel when she spent her 3rd year of college in Rennes, France. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where she taught English as a Second Language and studied French at the University of Geneva for 3 years. Once back in the United States, she applied for a Working Holiday Visa and spent 4 months in Australian and one year in New Zealand. Starting in Sydney - off she flew to Perth and then up the Western Australian coast where she swam with a Whale Shark, worked on a cattle ranch in The Kimberley, visited Ayers Rock and finally Adelaide. Next she flew to New Zealand were she instantly became an All Black rugby fan. She worked for 10 months in Auckland and spent 2 months traveling. Samantha returned to the US and began working with Down Under Answers in the fall of 2006. Her future plans include going back to the South Pacific and marrying either George Clooney or Richie McCaw (the All Black’s captain). Go Sam!

GRACE WIXOM, Group Co-ordinator / Destination Specialist

Born in Detroit, Grace moved to Seattle at age 5. Her career began as a Graphics Illustrator at Boeing where she worked for 12 years while raising her family. Her passion for travel began after a trip to England, Ireland & Scotland with her son’s soccer team. After that experience, travel was in her blood and she couldn’t get enough. She quickly discovered she had as much fun planning a trip as taking it and decided to quit her job at Boeing and go to travel school. She has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the South Pacific Islands, Australia, the Caribbean and Mexico. Europe was her favorite destination until she had an opportunity to take a trip to Tahiti, then Fiji and finally Australia. This made the South Pacific into a passion which eventually led her to Down Under Answers. Grace has recently returned - all excited from a famil to New Zealand where she got her wish to experience the beauty of the land and people.