BIOGRAPHIES

WRITER

Raised in the small California beach towns of Carlsbad and Encinitas, Michelle Stauffer has always explored the artistic, academic and humanistic aspects of life. As a competitive dancer and ballerina for eighteen years, her childhood experiences strengthened her character and fostered her curiosity about people. As an avid writer and reader, Michelle puts her creativity and compassion into her love of writing, exploration of nature and studying the social importance of cultural traditions. Graduating from San Francisco State University with a BS in Molecular Biology and Chemistry, Michelle followed her passions into women’s health, becoming a Doula, and plans to pursue her interest in women’s rights issues. Combining her scholastic accomplishments with many international travel experiences, Michelle understands, on many levels, how the natural world is threatened, and why these stories of fragile habitats must be told now. Weaving her poetic outlook on life into her written narratives, she draws from the beauty of nature and those around her to encourage inspiration and awareness. Michelle is a Huffington Post Blogger and is published regularly on Huffington Post Green.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Mendocino, California native Justin Lewis was nurtured in the raw and rustic Pacific Northwest, where he honed a keen eye for capturing images that instill wonder and inspire action. At age 16, Lewis set off on the first of many solo international photo excursions, igniting a lifelong passion for adventure and cross-cultural exploration through photography. Having traveled to over forty five countries, Justin has woven photography seamlessly into his lifestyle of exploration and conservation. After graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography Justin made San Francisco his home base and began shooting commercial and editorial assignments for clients including; Islands, Sport Diver, AsianDiver, Trans-World Surf, Scuba Diver Australasia, The Undersea Journal and Caribbean Travel & Life magazine’s, PADI, Body Glove, The Ritz Carlton, Stanford University, Smithsonian, and The New Yorker. Justin’s imagery sells world wide through Getty Images and has been seen on billboards in Time Square, Seattle and Bangkok, on the side of buses, in national ad campaigns, magazine covers, and on television.