Peter grew up birding alongside Victor Emanuel and other VENT leaders, experiences that inspired a lifelong commitment to birds, conservation, and education. As one of the inaugural leaders of VENT’s youth birding camps, he helped shape programs that introduced countless young people to the natural world. 

Over the following 25 years, Peter led roughly 150 tours throughout the United States, Central America, and South America, earning a reputation for both expertise and mentorship. Peter earned his Ph.D. studying mixed-species bird flocks in Amazonian Ecuador and has been recognized as both a Fulbright Scholar and a Watson Fellow. His research and recordings have contributed to several bird call collections produced with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

Peter has been passionate about conservation throughout his career.  He built ecotourism lodges with indigenous communities, established a protected forest in Ecuador, and has managed non-profit conservation organizations in the US and South America. 

Peter is currently Director of Operations at VENT and a tour leader on select departures.