Staffing on the Road

Trip Staff Contact Details

• Stanford tour manager Lisa Hepps: +1 (650) 474-9008 (beginning on September 4)

• 24-hour operator number: +1 844-382-2701

Please note cell phone service may not be available at all times, particularly in remote locations.

If friends or family back home have difficulty reaching a participant at any point during the program, they can contact the Stanford Travel/Study office by phone at +1 (650) 725-1093 or by email at travelstudy@alumni.stanford.edu. Our regular phone hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on weekdays.

LISA HEPPS ‘90, STANFORD TOUR MANAGER

Stanford Travel/Study sends a representative along with each tour to assist with the details, leaving you free to enjoy your trip. Lisa isn't just an experienced tour guide and educator with more than 70 countries, five languages and a Stanford degree under her dupatta—is a dancer with Dholrhythms Dance Company and the Non Stop Bhangra collective, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the artistic and cultural heritage of Punjab, India. When she's not performing with her dance company or on the move discovering delicacies in hidden corners of the world, this Oakland native finds her rhythm at home with her husband and longtime feline companion, Koshka. Lisa has extensive connections and a large family scattered throughout France and she is eager to share her passion for the capitol's cuisine and culture with you!

CATHERINE EKIMA, AHI TRAVEL

The eighth child of an African family from Cameroon, Catherine was born in Paris, where her parents moved in the 1960s. Curious about people and cultures, she traveled to Africa to learn more about her origins, and then throughout Europe including to London where she worked as an au pair. She obtained a degree in Psychology and continued with a Master's degree in Languages (English and Spanish). She worked as a Bilingual Assistant in an international translating company. Then she completed her curriculum with a course in Art History and passed the exam of Tour Guide. She has been working as a Bilingual Licensed Tour Guide for 10 years, giving tours of the most renowned Parisian museums and monuments. Catherine's interests include physical activity including jogging and cycling, sports games like ping-pong and badminton, and writing a travel diary.

JAKE LAMAR, GUEST SPEAKER

Jake Lamar has lived in Paris for two decades and is considered the spiritual son of Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Chester Himes rolled into one. He is the author of a memoir, six novels, numerous essays, reviews, short stories and, most recently, a play. He is a recipient of the Lyndhurst Prize (for his first book, Bourgeois Blues), a prestigious Centre National du Livre grant (for his upcoming novel Posthumous), France's Grand Prix for best foreign thriller (for Nous Avions un Rêve, the French translation of his novel The Last Integrationist), and a Beaumarchais grant for his play Brothers in Exile. A warm and thoughtful speaker, he delights audiences with his humor and insights into American and French politics, social and culture.

JULIA BROWNE, PROGRAM SPECIALIST

Julia Browne pioneered Black heritage tourism in France in 1994. Born in Britain, raised in Canada, and a resident of France for fifteen years, Julia founded the heritage education company Walking The Spirit Tours-Black Paris & Beyond while a student at the Sorbonne’s Center for African American Studies. Her Afrocentric tours and customized itineraries have introduced countless travelers, students, and educators to the rich but lesser known influence of Black history and culture in Europe, the UK, Washington DC, and Nova Scotia. Also an award-winning broadcaster and a captivating speaker, Julia has partnered with documentary filmmakers Joanne and David Burke of Blue Lion Films since 2002 on their African Americans in Paris series. She is the associate producer of their documentary Paris Noir – African Americans in the City of Light. Since 2016 she has been invited to speak on France's Black history at cultural organizations, film festivals, educational institutions and special screenings in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Contacts in the Travel/Study Office