Meet the Team

Founder and CEO

Phil started Living & Learning in 2006 while living in Quito, Ecuador. He oversees the academic semester program, summer internship program, and short-term academic trips known as Study Tours. Phil is based out of central Washington state but frequently travels to our program locations.

Founder and Director of Soul Care

Elizabeth Payne loves Jesus, reading, ocean, gardens, laughing, and good conversations with good coffee! She is committed to being a life long Christ following learner in every area of life and provides soul care to the Living & Learning staff.

Vice President

Greg oversees our partnerships with universities and other organizations for both semester and faculty led programs. Greg also manages organizational operations. Greg is based on the Central Coast of California with his wife and two children.

Director of Operations & Outreach

Bethany works closely with our institutional partners and connects with the departments across L&LI. On the side she’s probably looking into some new technology to help enhance our operations.

When not in the office, she’s either outside on a run or telling everyone to look at her cute dog.

Marketing Manager

Have you seen our trendy Instagram and our snazzy marketing? That’s all Sequoi!

Sequoi is passionate about community development, maternal health, nonprofit work, and storytelling. You can often find her sharing lots of laughter and good food with family and friends.

Marketing Associate

Eli is a business marketing graduate from Jessup University. He grew up in Sacramento CA, graduated and moved down to San Luis Obispo. He worked as a head roaster at a local coffee roastery and started his own media/production company. He loves extreme sports and “regular sports.” He loves traveling and backpacking, drawing, design, and videography. He hopes to use these skills to effectively demonstrate what Living & Learning is providing for all of their students.

Enrollment Manager - London & Ecuador

Sara is a part of our Enrollment Team and visits our partner institutions, connects with students, and does enrollment and onboarding for our London program.

She loves food and coffee, not just because they taste good, but because of the relationships that are often built around tables. She is passionate about experiences that introduce people to new ways of learning about who the Lord is and who His people are.

Enrollment Manger - Italy

Natasha is passionate about people, Christ, and good coffee –– not in that order! She's excited to walk beside students in this profoundly formative season of their lives as an L&LI Enrollment Manager. In her free time, you can find her at a bookstore or taking long drives in her pickup truck. She is based in San Diego, CA.

Director of Experiential Tours

Rachel is responsible for the design and oversight of all custom programs and faculty-led study tours. She works closely with L&LI program staff abroad as well as designs programs for L&LI globally. Rachel is based out of Austin, Texas.

Experiential Tours Senior Program Manager

Behind our short-term program planning is Ashley! With a passion and love for exploring new cultures, Ashley has traveled to over 45 countries, both for work and personal adventures. Currently based in Nashville, you’ll find her enjoying live music at a concert or cheering on local teams at a sporting event. Always seeking new experiences, Ashley brings a global perspective to every project and thrives in bringing people together.

Experiential Tour Program Manager

Sara works alongside the Director of Experiential Tours to ensure teams have a successful experience from ideation to execution. Sara is based in Ecuador.

Experiential Tours Coordinator

Charlie loves seeing cultures come together with the same purpose of serving Jesus and other people. Charlie likes going on hikes, grabbing coffee, playing volleyball and soccer, pickleball, and hitting the gym in the morning. Charlie is a graduate from UDLA Music School and loves playing the drums. Charlie was a Resident Coordinator the past two years at our Ecuador location for our Summer Internship program.

Account Executive

Nicole is a L&LI Ecuador Alum now living with her family in Middleville, MI. When not working, Nicole loves spending time reading or playing outside with her son.

ET Assistant & Virtual Programs Coordinator

Diana Yepez-Hock has served on the Living and Learning team for over 8 years both on the Ecuador side as well as on the US Team. She currently lives and works out of Indiana and coordinates all Virtual Programs.

Grand Canyon University Global Fellowship Coordinator

Kristen informs and guides students interested in studying abroad. She works closely with students and provides more information about our programs and aiding them in applying. She works with the GCU study abroad office to make the student’s application and acceptance process run as smooth as possible.

Stop by the GCU Study Abroad Office to learn more!

Student Coordinator at Biola University

Riley studied abroad in Rome, Italy for the Fall 2023 semester. She is excited to be a Student Liaison for L&LI at Biola University. Riley says that her experience in Rome, “truly transformed who I am and who I live to be … One of the most valuable parts of my experience was the lifelong Christ-centered friendships that I made within my cohort.”

Stop by the Biola Study Abroad Office to learn more!

Student Coordinator at Southeastern University

Cassie, a recent Southeastern University graduate, studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador during Fall 2024. With a passion for travel and cultural exploration, she loves learning from different perspectives and sharing her adventures. Cassie believes studying abroad is a life-changing experience everyone should have.

Visit her at the Southeastern Study Abroad Office!