Meet Our Staff
David Shurna Executive Director, No Barriers USA & Co-Founder, Global Explorers
Just after losing his hiking boots to a hungry hyena on the Nyika Plateau of northern Malawi, Dave and his friends spent a few intense months backpacking across Southern Africa while crafting their personal visions for changing the world. Years later, after many more experiences in Central and South America, Dave and Julie Dubin created Global Explorers, an organization built on their mutual belief that immersive travel experiences have the unique ability to change students’ lives at a young age.
Dave has spent more than ten years building strong nonprofit
organizations dedicated to education, environmental stewardship and
responsible travel. Dave is a passionate and seasoned educator who has worked with such diverse organizations as the World Wildlife Fund, Duke University, Island Press, The Nature Conservancy, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens and The Catamount Institute.
Dave earned a master’s degree from Duke University in Environmental Policy and Economics and a B.S. in biology from Xavier University. He also holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke. Prior to his work with Global Explorers, Dave served as the Executive Director of The Catamount Institute. At Catamount, Dave helped launch a very successful Colorado-based environmental nonprofit organization with a mission of promoting land conservation and inspiring ecological stewardship through research, education and leadership.
