About Our Team

Dr. Randall Smith along with his wife, Dottie, are the founders of the Christian Travel Study Programs, Inc. developing travel programs around the Mediterranean for four decades. He travels much of the year outside the US, meeting groups in various countries and offering a “how does standing on this spot help you understand God’s Word better” approach to teaching history, archaeology and the Bible at the location of its original events. Randy has three grown children, each with children of their own, and loves to be a “Pop Pop” and spend time with the family.

Group of people sitting and standing on rocks on a hilltop, overlooking a landscape with fields and trees in the distance.

Dr. Randall D. Smith

Bible Teachings
Books by Dr. Smith
Dr Smith’s other projects
email me
Stuff we like
shirts, mugs and stuff

Joan Meyer Keane is a well-trained and thoroughly knowledgeable travel agent who has shared her love for Israel and the Bible with more than a hundred groups since the mid-1960s. Still excited about how travel opens the heart of a Jesus follower, Joan has carefully worked through a myriad of options to understand the best way to see the world of the Bible. She loves Israel, and she is passionate about making travel to Bible lands accessible to everyone she can. She really likes to join groups, and even operates her own escorted travel programs with local guides under the label "Israel Personally Yours." She is an invaluable source of knowledge and yet takes good care of her travelers.

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Joan Keane

Two people sitting at a table in a cafe, using laptops. The man on the left wears glasses and a beige sweater, and the woman on the right has white hair, glasses, and a striped shirt with a black jacket. The table has a menu, a plate with cookies, a glass of tea, a small glass, and a yellow vase with pink flowers. A barista is behind the counter in the background.

Dottie cares for many of our travelers via the phone in the CTSP office, giving them the details they need before they arrive on their chosen program. If you have dealt with CTSP, you’ve likely spoken with Dottie, since she’s our “customer service extraordinaire!” She has a passion for the Lord and His Word, and is deeply rooted in helping others get the most out of their journeys. She’s also made countless trips abroad and is your go-to team member when things go wrong! When she isn’t abroad with her husband, she enjoys spending time with her three children and her wonderful grandchildren (as a proud “Nana.”)

A group of people, including a smiling woman with gray hair and blue eyes, making a gesture with their hands near their faces, viewed from a low angle through a gap in objects.

Dottie Smith

A young woman smiling and holding onto a swing rope inside a rustic wooden restaurant or cafe.

Larissa Smith

Larissa manages the CTSP customer accounts and billing department. We suggest you be nice to her! She is a talented organizer, and a helpful administrator. When Larissa isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with her two children, learning Italian, exploring new restaurants, and assembling beautiful charcuterie boards!

A person sitting on ancient stone ruins, holding binoculars and looking through them, with the sky and some greenery in the background.

Aaron Smith

Aaron is the single most important part of CTSP -he’s also the one writing the “Meet the Staff“ page! Aaron manages our website and social media and designs our online and print content. When he’s not busy saving the company, Aaron enjoys spending time hiking in the North Carolina mountains, learning Hebrew and Arabic, and finding good cafes with fast wifi!