To create a truly bold, unique, and proactive company requires professionals with a dedication and passion for the ocean, for the environment, and for people around the world. The Seadog Travels Team has experience in business, travel, science, and non-profit communities that gives us the skills, insights, and vision to accomplish our vision and mission. Read about our team below.
Paul S. Hardersen, Ph.D.
Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Certified Travel Associate
Rebecca Simon, Ph.D.
Pirate Historian & Travel Host
Dee Peppe
Maine Travel Host
Executive Team
Paul S. Hardersen, Ph.D. Dr. Hardersen has a wide-range of experience in travel, start-up business, scientific research, and college-level teaching. He is currently the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Seadog Travels, a diverse, ocean-themed travel company. He formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of Trouvaille LLC, a startup small group travel company, from 2017-2020.
Dr. Hardersen currently serves as a Certified Travel Associate (CTA) with The Travel Institute and has travel agency accreditation through CCRA. He has earned various travel-related certifications including a recent August 2022 certification with The Travel Institute as a Certified Niche Specialist for Honeymoons and Destination Weddings. Dr. Hardersen is currently enrolled in The Travel Institute’s Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) program.
Hardersen is also a contributing author to a new book, The Art of Connection, that is now available. Currently, efforts focus on developing Seadog Travels into a disruptive, differentiable, and successful travel business. Learn more about Dr. Hardersen and his vision for travel in this article from VoyagePhoenix, published October 2022.
Dr. Hardersen honorably served in the U.S. Navy (1983-1988), earned undergraduate degrees at Iowa State University (Ames, IA), and graduate degrees (M.S./Ph.D.) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY). He served as an Associate Professor at the University of North Dakota from 2003-2017. While there, he was awarded a university-wide professional/graduate teaching award in 2013 and, separately, was honored by having an asteroid named after him (8140 Hardersen) by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Travel Hosts
Rebecca Simon, Ph.D., Bahamas Pirate Sail Travel Host. Dr. Rebecca Simon, a Los Angeles native, has a Ph.D. in the history of 18th-century piracy from King’s College London. Her first book, Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever was published in 2020 and is currently working on two book projects about the female pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read and life on the pirate ship. An article, “The Revenge of Anne [Bonny] and Mary [Read]” published by Truly*Adventurous, was optioned by ABC studios.
Dr. Simon has been featured on Netflix’s docu-drama The Lost Pirate Kingdom, History Channel’s Beyond Oak Island and The Curse of Oak Island, and BBC4’s Britain’s Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates, and Rogues. You can find her discussing her research on piracy on podcasts such as History Extra, History Hit, You’re Dead to Me, and Getting Curious With Jonathan Van Ness among others. In addition to her historical work, Dr. Simon has several years of experience as a film-location/history tour guide with Brit Movie Tours in London.
Dee Peppe, MFA, Photography; Maine Travel Host. Ms. Peppe is an Assistant Professor in the art department at the University of Maine, and an entrepreneur with three small businesses which include a photo tour company that combines travel adventure and photography education. She has been teaching and leading groups for three decades in the United States, Central America, and Europe. The last few years she has focused on the Maine coast offering opportunities for guests to experience the culture and the history of coastal and island communities. As a fine art photographer, Dee’s exhibition record spans 35 years, and her work is in several museum and private collections.
Along with Ms Peppe’s educational and career adventures, her personal adventures include riding a motorcycle to Central America, bicycling across the United States, living in a tepee for four years through New England winters, and living on a sailboat. She has studied natural resources conservation and lives her life with high regard for the environment.
Board of Advisors
Seadog Travels constituted a Board of Advisors in 2022 with the purpose of retaining people with an interest in Seadog Travels and who could provide advice and guidance for the development of the company. The Board meets semi-annually to discuss the business and to provide advice for current and future programmatic activities. Current Board members include Paul Hardersen, Sarah Nolan, Sasha Naugler, and Steven Hardersen.
