Alexandra
Youdeem
A dual French and American citizen born and raised in Manhattan, Alexandra has relished every opportunity to engage with worlds different from her own. A nomadic soul and multi-linguist, she has spent much of her life wandering, living and studying around the world. Upon receiving a Masters in Economics from the Paris Institute of Political Studies and the London School of Economics, she returned to New York and devoted four years to a career in Investment Banking and Real Estate. Recognizing the need for a higher degree of personalization and a more empathetic approach to trip curation, Alexandra founded The Local Foreigner in 2012 as a one-stop shop for inspiration, insider insight, and comprehensive travel planning.
Barkley
Hickox
A Yale graduate and Manhattan native, Barkley spent the majority of her young life traveling before turning her passion into a career. With parents in the luxury hotel business, she spent much of her youth in the Caribbean amidst the chaos of a developing hotel, procuring an acute attention to aesthetics, customer service and hotel management. After living in Paris on two separate occasions, Barkley spent several years in investment banking before marrying her business skills and love of travel. Prior to becoming a partner at the Local Foreigner, she was the Managing Director of a high-end membership-based travel company in New York.. Barkley is a Travel + Leisure A-List Travel Advisor.
Brooke Pearson
Lavery
Brooke grew up in Michigan, where bucolic family vacations at the lake gave way to a teenage sojourn to Spain, and she was never quite the same. She graduated from Michigan State University and began a career for a Fortune 500 company in Chicago. Successful but not content she bought a round-theworld ticket, and spent a year seeking her next path on a slow journey from Europe to India and Nepal, Southeast Asia to Japan, and Australia to New Zealand. Manhattan was the end of the road, and her dual loves for travel and business culminated in a new career. Brooke spent five years at a high-end membership-based travel company based in New York prior to becoming a partner at the Local Foreigner.
Alexandra
Erdman
Alex was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut and grew up spending holidays on the slopes out west and summers in Europe. After graduating from the University of Virginia, her appetite for adventure evolved into a travel obsession. A city girl and an outdoorswoman, she has taught English in the slums of Mumbai, excavated fossils in Mongolia, and trekked with gorillas in Rwanda. After stints abroad in Zermatt and Florence, Alex settled in Manhattan. Her early career was spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Turner Broadcasting. She spent four years at a high-end membership-based travel company in New York before becoming a partner at the Local Foreigner.
Shana
Mandel
Growing up in Los Angeles, Shana spent summers on the scenic beaches of southern California, and “winters” hiking the picturesque Santa Monica mountains. After graduating Chapman University, Shana headed to New York, where she was part of the opening team for a luxury hotel. She honed her hospitality experience further in event planning for Fortune 500 companies. Along the way, Shana’s travels traversed the globe from Central America and Europe to the Middle East. One of those trips provided the inspiration to pursue a new career path to combine her sense of adventure and creativity with her love for designing authentic experiences, and she’s been with us ever since.
Jordy
Lievers-Eaton
Jordy grew up in the idyllic surf capital of Encinitas, California surrounded by art and theater, but she always felt the pull of New York City and moved east at 18. She has a BA in Art History and English Literature from Columbia University, and an MFA in Acting from The American Repertory Theater Institute at Harvard. Working as an actor brought her to stages across the globe, and begat an insatiable appetite for discovering unique art, theater, and vegetarian food wherever she went. She has lived in Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Alaska, and Cambridge and visited five continents, but loves to bring her dogeared passport home to her brownstone apartment on the Upper West Side.
Alexandra
Creange
Growing up in the suburbs of northern New Jersey, Alex spent her childhood dreaming of distant places. She loved watching TV shows like the “Amazing Race” and aspired to be the Travel Channel’s next Samantha Brown. After studying in Paris during her college years, she knew she needed to make travel a regular part of her life. Armed with the English degree everyone told her was worthless, Alex graduated Loyola University Maryland and began her career in the travel industry. She worked for a global travel magazine before becoming a hotel investigator for a popular travel website. Her travels have brought her to places like India, Iceland, Fiji, and French Polynesia, but she still calls New Jersey home. She joins the Local Foreigner team as the Content Manager and third Alex.
Claudia
Willen
Claudia grew up in Ohio with her tight-knit Colombian family, who instilled an unwavering appreciation for her culture and a yearning to discover far-flung destinations. She graduated with degrees in American Studies & Corporate Strategy from Vanderbilt University and continued her studies at The Columbia Publishing Course. Before entering the luxury travel industry, Claudia interned at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, studied at the University of Seville, and consulted for a Latin American technology startup. Determined to build a career brimming with inspiration and continuous learning, she moved to Manhattan and joined the Local Foreigner as a Travel Coordinator.
Libby
Shillito
A proud Ohio native, Libby has a deep love for her home state. Her first memorable travel experience was a trip to New York with her mom and aunt for her seventh birthday. Fast forward a few years, and Libby is living in Manhattan and soaking up insider travel knowledge from her colleagues, as the Local Foreigner’s Office Manager. Libby has an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and a JD/MBA from the University of Toledo. She serves on the Board of Directors for EAGLE Certification Group.