Jess Reilly joined Xola in 2008 as an adventure tourism product development consultant with extensive experience as a biologist and backcountry guide.
As the lead for Xola’s Operator Advocacy program, Jess works with clients to identify the unique selling points of a company, organization, or country, and align destination adventure products with target customer segments. She has supported Xola destinations and tour operator clients in Mexico, Montenegro, Kansas, Argentina, and Newfoundland, with her resource analysis and product research, fieldwork, and adventure and nature industry networking.
In her career as a biologist, Jess created a protocol for monitoring amphibians on the Colorado Plateau, authored a proposal for a new national park in Chile for the preservation of the endangered huemul, developed coursework for sea turtle research groups, and field research around the world. As a guide, she incorporates a holistic understanding of land, culture, history, and adventure in both her multi-day backcountry trips and in the office. As an adventure athlete, she has traveled to 5 continents in search of inspiring rock climbing, mountain biking, diving, and surfing.
Jess has a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Brown University
and divides her time between Salt Lake City, UT and the Mojave Desert.
