Where academic rigor meets global discovery.

Maria Rojas brings over 15 years of experience spanning government, international organizations, and higher education across six countries. A Fulbright Scholar and Yale University M.A. in Global Affairs, she has dedicated her career to creating meaningful cross-cultural educational experiences.

Fluent in four languages — English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese — Maria leads Knomadic with a unique combination of academic credibility, operational expertise, and genuine passion for global education.

Before founding Knomadic, Maria worked with leading institutions and organizations to develop and manage international programs, building a deep understanding of the challenges universities face in delivering high-quality study abroad experiences.

Salvatore Benintende brings Knomadic’s European programs to life on the ground.

A Rome-based National Geographic Expedition Guide and founder of Nature of Sal, Sal specializes in immersive experiences that reveal the natural, historical, and cultural layers of a place. His work spans Italy’s most compelling landscapes, from the volcanic terrain of Sicily to the mountains and national parks of Abruzzo, with a particular gift for turning a route, a landscape, or a local encounter into a meaningful learning experience.

In Europe Operations, Sal helps Knomadic design and deliver programs with the care universities need and the depth faculty expect. He supports expert sourcing, field logistics, route planning, safety considerations, and local coordination across European destinations, ensuring that each program is intellectually rich, operationally sound, and rooted in genuine regional knowledge.

His approach is practical, warm, and deeply place-based: travel should be well-run, but never generic; adventurous, but never careless; beautiful, but always connected to learning.