ABOUT
MICHAEL GRAZIANO (CHAIRMAN)
Michael is the founder of Global Degree Academy. He noticed the need for a formal travel-study program that allows students to gain valuable life experience through travel while taking advantage of online degrees available through existing universities. He will graduate with his Global Degree in 2019.
GUNNAR GARFORS
Gunnar is the youngest hobby traveler to visit every UN nation and complete his Global Degree. He is author of the book "198: How I Ran Out Of Countries" and is President of International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG), a digital radio and mobile TV organization with members on 4 continents. He also advises on distribution for Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) and often presents or debates at conferences around the world.
GRAHAM HUGHES
Graham is Guinness World Record holder as the first person to visit 201 nations without airplanes while filming a show for National Geographic Adventure Channel. Following receiving his Global Degree, Graham won a contest held by Samsung and is now the owner of a 2-acre private island in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Graham is currently writing a book titled "Man Of The World - Part One Of The Odyssey Trilogy".
JAMES ASQUITH
James is the Guinness World Record holder as youngest person to visit every UN nation and receive his Global Degree. He got a chance to travel places like Iraq, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia with his father who was a commercial pilot. James then decided "I want to go everywhere" and started his journey at age 19 and completed it by 24. He is now in investment banking in London and recently released a book titled "Breaking Boarders: Travels In Pursuit of An Impossible Record."
HARRY MITSIDIS
Harry is a Global Degree graduate (Class of 08'). He is the founder of thebesttravelled.com which is a community of over 13,000 avid travellers, and a database of record holders. Harry is also featured in the book "Chasing 193" by Ryan Trapp.
ALEXANDER JAN
Alexander is the Investment Director at Ascot Capital Partners, a venture capital firm in London. He enjoys world exploration through running in famous international and ultra marathons, raising awareness and funding for charities.
He has developed a £130m portfolio of patent based startups - taking them from basic idea through to various stages of commercialisation. Over the years, Alexander has been involved with a number of startups across many industries globally from San Francisco to Thailand.
KELLY CROSBIE
Kelly is one of the founders and partners in the Master Franchise of Keller Williams - Panama, the largest real estate company and training company in the world. Previously she was founder and CEO of a large oil & gas training company in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Currently she is a motivational speaker, angel investor, coach and writer who believes success is through others. Above all, Kelly is a firm believer in travel education and the Global Degree movement. She is a purposeful entrepreneur whom leads with love and building teams positioning companies for success.
JOEL PRIMUS
Inspired from a trip to Thailand, Joel set out on a mission to visit every UN nation. But upon discovering unique fabrics in Peru, he jumped on the opportunity to create a clothing & lifestyle brand. Today, Joel is the President of Naked Brand Group (NASDAQ: NAKD) with products distributed in Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Hudson's Bay stores across North America. They also recently developed a collection with NBA all-star Dwane Wade. Joel is an advocate of travel-education and finding opportunities abroad while giving back to local communities.
ALICIA TAGGIO
Alicia is co-founder of Travel Massive, a online community that connects over 30,000 travel business professionals worldwide. She is also head of Advocate Marketing at Hootsuite and previous Head of Social at Flight Centre Canada. Alicia is an avid traveler and has been a supporter of Global Degree since its inception.
BRADY HEDLUND
Brady is Founder of Life Before Work Travel, a tour provider that operates in 15 different countries across 4 continents. They introduce thousands of youth to the world each year and believe that travel is not a reward for working, but the most valuable and impactful form of education for life.
DANIEL BEAUMONT
Daniel is co-founder of Podstel Hostel in Bucharest, Romania. His aim is to create a franchise network of Podstels across Europe and rest of the world providing a place for youth to connect and learn.
He is author of the Zen Nomad which a blog providing personal growth through travel.
Want to join senior management?
We're now accepting applications for top level positions within the Academy.