Andrew W Lyon Travel

I previously ran a travel business called AWL Travel. I handed over operations to my COO in 2019.

Since 2013, AWL Travel has taken thousands of people to over 60 countries, raising $100m+ for partner organizations. We focus on impact-focused learning experiences for corporations and foundations. Along the way, we built a brand strategy and creative content division for our clients as well (now a separate business: This is the Local Media Group). While at AWL Travel, I managed a team of ten along with 40+ agency partners.

One highlight was a multi-year partnership with Novartis, Fred Hutch, and The Max Foundation. My team organized co-branding experiences to improve access to cancer testing and treatment globally. We connected doctors, scientists, pharmaceutical executives, and patients on mountain climbs in Borneo, conferences in Kampala, and temple visits in Cambodia - raising millions of dollars along with billions of “in-kind donations” of drugs and testing equipment.

See a few more projects I loved working on below.


Wayfarer Foundation

  • We took the COO, Chief of Staff, and operations team to Guatemala and Colombia to meet grantees. While there, the team built new operations strategies based on conversations with grantees. For example, they updated their grant software, streamlined fund disbursements, and adjusted grantee surveys. Grant managers routinely visit grantees on-site, but this trip provided a unique opportunity to connect broader teams to the mission of the organization.

Mona Foundation, Zinpro, Anderson Foundation

  • In a multi-year partnership, we connected girls education initiatives funded by Mona Foundation with corporations and other philanthropies like Zinpro and the Anderson Foundation. Through visits and creative assets created in Panama, Guatemala, India, and Sierra Leone, our initiatives helped raise millions for education in under-served communities.