Angels, Birds & African Women’s Affairs

In honor of International Women’s Day earlier this month, Travel’n On will introduce Camille Jackson, an officer in the Economic Policy Staff in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, who has worked on development policy, finance, health and other issues related to women in Africa. Then, we’ll go “birding” with Gavin Shire, VP of Communications with the American Bird Conservancy, who will discuss the growth of bird-watching tourism, some of the best places to go bird-watching, and some of the bird conservation issues throughout the Americas. Finally, you’ll meet this month’s Travel Angels, Corliss Hill and Tabeier Shine. In response to Hurricane Katrina these childhood friends formed T.R.I.P., a nonprofit organization that travels to low-income, predominantly African American inner cities in the U.S. to help rebuild communities and inspire hope among its residents.

Episode Segments:

A Perspective on African Women’s Affairs Camille Jackson is an officer in the Economic Policy Staff in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs. She joins Tonya & Ian to talk about her travels and the US Government’s efforts to foster sustainable communities and champion human rights, the state department’s efforts.
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Conservation Birding American Bird Conservancy, the leading bird conservation society and its partners in 12 countries through the Americas has launched an international bird watching tourism initiative called Conservation Birding, aimed at preventing the extinction of bird species. Gavin Shire, VP of Communications with the American Bird Conservancy to tell us more about this global eco-tourism effort.
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Travel Angels Corliss Hill and Tabeier Shine A few years ago, two childhood friends from White Plains, NY decided to merge their passion for travel with community service. Meet Travel Angels Corliss Hill and Tabeier Shine, who in response to Hurricane Katrina formed T.R.I.P., a nonprofit organization that travels to low-income, predominantly African American inner cities in the U.S. to help rebuild communities and inspire hope among its residents.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Gavin Shire Gavin Shire, Vice President of Communications for The American Bird Conservancy, obtained a bachelor's degree in Zoology & Genetics from Sheffield University. He began his career in bird conservation on the island of Mauritius, where he was part of the restoration effort for the Mauritius Kestrel, once the world's rarest bird. He conducted two years of field research and captive rearing/release work before coming to America in 1992. He developed the Trumpeter Swan Restoration Project for Environmental Studies at Airlie, aimed at restoring migratory populations of swans to the eastern United States using ultralight aircraft. Here he was project coordinator, outreach specialist, aviculturalist and ultralight pilot. He joined ABC in March 2000. He has also worked as a free-lance photographer The American Bird Conservancy

Corliss Hill Corliss is a National Director of Business Development at UnitedHealthcare. She has a varied background with more than 15 years of communications experience in public relations, marketing, promotions, event planning and magazine publishing. Corliss is passionate about changing the face of health among African Americans and closing the gap on health disparity and access to quality care. A former Lifestyle Editor at Essence magazine, Corliss has been published in several magazines, including Upscale, HealthQuest, Eclipse and two anthologies. At the National Center of the American Heart Association, she executed national health promotions and media campaigns, including the award-winning “Go Red For Women” heart disease prevention campaign. A native New Yorker, Corliss now resides in Atlanta, GA. Corliss is an active member of her community, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Inc. T.R.I.P. Official Website

Tabeier Shine Tabeier is a Sr. Engineer at PepsiCo in the Commercialization group where she ensures successful launches of complex international beverages all around the world. Prior to joining PepsiCo in 2002, Tabeier was a Road Test Engineer for the General Motors Truck Group for 4 years. An avid community servant, she is also the co-chair of the Westchester-based, Black Employee Association, community service outreach committee at PepsiCo where she rallies her co-workers to get involved and give back, while increasing Pepsi presence in the surrounding communities. Additionally, she is an active contributing member of various professional and social affiliations including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., NABFEME, NBMBAA, and an avid motorcyclist who enjoys getting her hands dirty in the name of community service. T.R.I.P. Official Website

Camille Jackson Camille Jackson is an officer in the Economic Policy Staff in the State Department's Bureau of African Affairs. In that capacity she has worked on various issues related to women, development policy, development finance, health, and the G8/G20S Summits since 2006. Ms. Jackson is the recipient of the State Department's prestigious Meritorious Honor Award on two occasions, and has also been honored with a Franklin Award on two occasions. Prior to joining the Department of State, she served as principal consultant at JXN Communications and served as the Director of Program Development and Communications at the Youth Leadership Foundation/Program for Academic and Leadership Skills in Washington, DC, . She has traveled globally to represent the Bureau of African Affairs in locations such as Accra, Berlin, Maputo, Rome, the United Nations, Addis Ababa, Cotonou, Moscow, Paris , Venice, Algiers, London, Nairobi, and Tokyo. Ms. Jackson received a B.A. from American University, M.S. from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law. She is a member of the New Jersey Bar (inactive).