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MEET THE OXEN TEAM

Those who have lived and worked in the polar regions know the value of team work. Oxen's mission is supported by a dedicated team of ambassadors and field leaders who through the course of their adventures develop and facilitate opportunities for deeper connections with those around them.

Alex McNeil

Founder

Alex has spent the entirety of his professional life working in close knit teams in wildness. Having started as a carpenter leading crews in remote areas of Canada after extensive mentorship and training he transitioned into an Expedition Leader and Guide. After a decade working in the polar regions Alex has been fortunate enough to travel to every corner of the circumpolar Arctic on over one hundred expeditions, including visiting over fifty remote communities, and travelling to the Geographic North Pole on fourteen separate occasions. Through these adventures Alex has developed many friendships and is grateful for the support he has received from others. His current focus is on the development of new expedition programs as a Director of Product while serving on numerous industry committees that advocate and promote the practice of environmentally and culturally sensitive travel to the polar regions.

Solan Jensen

Founding Ambassador

Born and raised in coastal Alaska, Solan has worked as a wilderness ranger, expedition leader, kayak guide, boat builder and marine mammal emergency responder. His passion for wild places was laid forth at university, where he received a degree in philosophy, which led him directly to a guiding career in the Polar Regions. Solan has led trips throughout the Arctic, including Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Norway and Russia.

Hadleigh Measham

Founding Ambassador

Hadleigh has been living and working in the polar regions for almost a decade, spending most of his time on ice-strengthened vessels and icebreakers. Ever since graduating university with a degree focused on medical genetics he has spent up to eight months of each year in the field conducting over 120 voyages and expeditions to date. He works in both West Antarctica and around most of the circumpolar Arctic, including Svalbard, the Russian Arctic, East Greenland and Canada. 

Acacia Johnson

Founding Ambassador

Acacia Johnson is a photographer, artist and writer from Alaska, focused on human relationships to the earth's Polar Regions. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Acacia has made over 55 expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica, both as a guide and through her personal photographic projects. Her long-term work with the Inuit of Baffin Island, begun on a Fulbright grant in 2014, has inspired a lasting passion for the inhabited regions of the North. Today, her work is exhibited internationally, held in the collections of the Anchorage Museum and the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and has been featured by many publications, including National Geographic. Acacia is particularly interested in the diverse ways humans have related to the polar landscape throughout time, and how these interpretations shape the meaning of our travels there today. She is passionate about the Polar Regions and sharing their magic with others, either through photography or in person.

Dave Merron

Founding Ambassador

Originally from Vancouver, Dave now resides in Toronto, Canada, the third-largest city in North America. He began traveling extensively at an early age with his parents, a trend that continued throughout his 20s and 30s. Dave has lived in several countries including Australia, Spain, England, New Zealand, China and Israel. Travel truly sparked Dave’s love of photography through which he attempts to capture the majesty of nature and the interactions travellers have with it, and each other, along the way.

Christian Geissler

Founding Ambassador

Christian was born and raised on the west coast of Canada. As a child, he had a passion for the ocean and the amazing animals within it. He has spent most of his life working on the ocean as a biologist, skipper, environmental consultant and adventure guide. After almost two decades of working in the Polar Regions Christian has developed an acute appreciation for the values of teamwork. He seeks to understand, support and engage with those around him at every opportunity.

Niki Trudeau

Founding Ambassador

Niki’s love and passion for the outdoors was born from adventures in Canadian lakes and forests as a child. Fresh from university, she took on a role with the Canadian non-profit organization Students on Ice, coordinating and guiding educational expeditions for youth in the Arctic and Antarctica. She also organized and presented youth forums and a workshop on polar education for educators. Students and Elders from the Arctic inspired in her an interest in and deep respect for Inuit culture and traditional knowledge. As a result, Niki has also worked with Nunavut Sivuniksavut, a special college program for Inuit students from Nunavut.

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