Teaming Up for Success

Meghan has spent more than half her life with Miles (she must have started when she was 12!), working on the creative side and then diving into database application and integration. She leads our software-development programs, is tech liaison for the Tourism Exchange USA team, and facilitates our email-marketing programs. Offline, Meghan enjoys anything island-y and relaxing.

Favorite Travel Memory

Too many to choose from, but a particular childhood favorite is my family (mom, dad, sister and me) from Cleveland randomly bumping into my aunt, uncle and cousins from Connecticut in Kitty Hawk, NC. We got to see the sights and spend some quality cousin time!

As a graphic designer for the new-business-development team, Laurie solves the puzzle of pairing content with imagery to create effective proposals and also assists with various marketing projects. Laurie's free time is filled with family, friends, good food, reading and travel.

Favorite Travel Memory

My husband and I celebrated our 30th anniversary with a two-week trip to Italy and Switzerland. Historic sites, cultural experiences and navigating planes, trains and unfamiliar places without killing each other was exhilarating. Can't wait for the next trip!

Debra manages projects across three different teams: GOUSA TV, Places.Travel and Odyssey Studios. She loves creating systems and processes that allow us to work smarter. She shares her passion for travel with her husband and two kids, so working in this industry is inspiring! When she's looking for a quick and relaxing getaway, you can find her with a book on the Oregon coast.

Mitch is part of both the Brand USA and Wyoming teams and thrives on helping his partners inspire visitors to explore these fantastic destinations. He enjoys anything outdoors — he was a raft guide in Arizona, a ski bum in Oregon and worked in Denali National Park before going to the DMO world.

Favorite Travel Memory

Anything with my family, National Parks, ballparks or active outdoor trips definitely rise to the top. The awesome thing about travel is the next trip just adds to the story.

As part of the paid search and social team, Carolyn manages more social and SEM ads for our clients than she can count. In addition to being a proud cat mom to Tybalt, she can frequently be found performing/directing Shakespeare, going upside down on an aerial apparatus or traveling to (and trying to stay in) the U.K.

Favorite Travel Memory

I lived in England for over a year for grad school — it's pretty hard to top that as a travel memory!

Mike is a travel, culture and people enthusiast. By day, he navigates the digital realm as a project manager, weaving website experiences into the vibrant spectrums of travel. Beyond his professional duties, you'll find him strumming melodies, experimenting in the kitchen and planning his next solo mission into uncharted territories.

Favorite Travel Memory

Finding gratitude in small moments, gaining new insights and savoring those first few bites of food in unfamiliar places.

Jack is a digital product manager focused on the best way forward for client websites, aiming to deliver a product that not only meets but exceeds expectations and is built with the future in mind. When he is not staring at a screen, Jack enjoys traveling, road trips through the West and reading.

Favorite Travel Memory

Driving up Pacific Coast Highway from Morro Bay to Monterey sounds lovely and sunny, but we had the luck of driving it in a monsoon. Our little rental car was one of the last cars allowed to pass before highway patrol closed the road. Couldn't see much, but still laughed the whole time and made the best of it.

In managing Brand USA and VISIT FLORIDA (Vacation Guide) across the entire state, I apply a marketing/customer service approach with partners to drive revenue for the client and for Miles, while positively affecting destination awareness and visitation. An avid college sports fan, you can hear Irish swear quite a bit when discussing his alma mater, the University of Florida.

Favorite Travel Memory

I have favorite travel memories from everywhere I visited.

For 20 years, Justin has been a digital innovator, steering global tech teams to amplify brand impact. His unyielding curiosity pushes him to explore and challenge digital conventions. When not in tech mode, he's likely golfing, always pursuing the perfect round with family. At home, he humorously eases his great danes' fears of the commonplace.

As an account director, Sam connects the dots between content, creative and paid-media strategy. Originally hired as an editor at Miles in 2005, she is a crack proofer and published author who manages a content team and still volunteers to write copy from time to time. Outside of work, you'll find her running or mountain biking the trails surrounding her home in San Diego.

Favorite Travel Memory

Finding the elusive "poet's table" after a rock-scrambling, meandering hike through Custer State Park during a FAM tour with our South Dakota client!

Missy is the video production manager for Brand USA. By day, she is making sure all the ah-mazing video projects are set up for success. By early freaking morning, she is on the water rowing with her teammates to prepare for the next USRowing Masters National Championships.

Favorite Travel Memory

My husband and I thought it would be easy to climb the 250-foot dune at the beach in Pacific City, Oregon. Expert travel tip: It was not. But when we got to the top, we saw a whale jumping out of the water. It became one of my favorite travel memories. Nearby, we took a ton of selfies at Haystack Rock, which was featured in "The Goonies."

As a developer manager, August oversees the digital accessibility and quality assurance teams. He's extremely passionate about providing the highest quality digital products that are inclusive to all. August is based out of South Florida and enjoys local craft breweries, subpar cover bands and the great outdoors.

Favorite Travel Memory

Celebrating Christmas in Switzerland while backpacking Europe with my childhood best friend. We stayed in Verbier, which is a small village in the Swiss Alps. We celebrated Christmas Day by consuming our body weight in fondue and watching "Love Actually" on repeat.

With over 8 years of combined hospitality and marketing experience, Katy joins Miles as an Account Supervisor for the Experience Kissimmee team. Outside of work, you can always find Katy with a book (or two) in her hand, wringing every last dime out of her Universal annual pass, and counting down the days until the next Halloween Horror Nights event.

Favorite Travel Memory

I got the opportunity to study abroad in London, Paris, and Barcelona. One of the coolest things we got to do was have dinner in the Eiffel Tower and then go all the way to the top - it is something I will never forget, mostly because I'm terrified of heights.

Katie is a graphic designer on our creative team who works on creating visitor guides as well as other design projects that come our way. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors exploring a number of hiking trails across the state of Arkansas, as well as tapping into her creative side through painting, drawing and calligraphy. 

Favorite Travel Memory

Most recently, I had the opportunity to visit Taos, New Mexico where I went skiing for the first time. When I wasn't on the slopes (trying not to wipe out) I explored a number of art galleries in the town and got to see some extraordinary pieces created by locals.

Hallie specializes in print layout design and loves taking on any "odd jobs" that get her dabbling in branding and logo work. When away from the design world she's likely lost in a book, at the dog park with her pit bull Winston, or hiking/camping Colorado mountains.

Favorite Travel Memory

Walking cobblestone streets to the art studio on an early morning, watching the small island-town come to life along the calm Aegean Sea; Spending my morning(s) painting in Greece.

Amanda is a content manager who loves crafting engaging, fun content for her clients. A lifelong Miami native, her weekends are spent exploring the city with friends and family, trying to get a tan on a beach (keyword: trying), enjoying the best culinary experiences in town or creating content about all of the above!

Favorite Travel Memory

I gallivanted through the UK with one of my best friends and 15-plus strangers from all over the U.S. We ate lunch with the mayor of Cambridge (true story, I have pictures), got lost on the Tube in London and got tattoos in Ireland.

Elodie is a seasoned Account Director with a global footprint. Her professional journey, spanning from France to Germany, China, Thailand, and Silicon Valley—has forged an unparalleled outlook on Business Operations and Marketing. Outside of work, she relishes traveling with her family. A true foodie at heart, she delights in exploring diverse cuisines. Additionally, she's a devoted meditation enthusiast, finding solace and balance in the practice.

Part of the destination optimization team, Rebekah helps DMOs provide education to their local businesses. When not working, you can find her volunteering in the community, reading a good book or working on her latest DIY project.

Favorite Travel Memory

I was a camp counselor in Italy one summer and took a day trip to Capri. I think about the view from the restaurant and the lemon risotto we had at least once a week.

Krystal is a project manager who works with a variety of clients on everything from website and to creative and media needs and visitor guides. When she isn't working on travel-related projects, you can find her hitting the road (or air) for new adventures with her husband, three kids and adorable minpin.

Favorite Travel Memory

I spent two months road tripping with my family from Texas to Washington, hitting all of the national and state parks we could along the way. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Melissa leads the company's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting practice to serve clients, implement internal DEI strategies and best practices, and drive thought leadership to advance the evolution of equitable and inclusive marketing strategies across the travel and tourism industry. She resides just outside of Atlanta, has a deep passion for the arts and loves to cook.

Favorite Travel Memory

Zurich, Switzerland

Sunny is an advertising account manager on the Brand USA team working remotely from the foothills of the Missouri Ozarks. After hours, she and her husband explore local hiking trails or play strategy board games when she is not creating hand-stamped greeting cards. They look forward annually to Colorado skiing and Destin’s emerald waters, sometimes with their adult children.

Favorite Travel Memory

In the Marquesas Islands, I dug my feet in the black-sand beaches and saw manta rays and sea turtles, learned how to weave a thatch roof, helped dry bananas, attended church with the locals, and visited with friends who roasted breadfruit over an open fire and made coconut milk the traditional way.

Jeff leads brand strategy initiatives for multiple Miles teams working with new and existing destination clients. His purview is the coherence, clarity and effectiveness of client messaging across all media and in-market consumer touch points. He is also often tapped for his persuasive and evocative copywriting style.

Favorite Travel Memory

Dinner at the flat of a friendly carpet vendor and his family from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Jessica is a project manager for the Brand USA team. When she's not busy poring over calendars and spreadsheets, she can be found at home with her beloved greyhound or out cycling or running. Jessica loves exploring new destinations with groups of fellow solo travelers, tackling challenging cycling routes with friends, hiking beautiful trails and visiting cozy coffee shops.

Favorite Travel Memory

My time in Prague with three other solo travelers. We walked 23,000 steps in a single day, exploring Prague Castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. We wandered through Old Town Square, taking breaks to shop and sample chimney cakes. We crossed Charles Bridge multiple times, seeking out local bistros and coffee shops. It was a great day spent with wonderful company.

Stephanie is a member of the destination optimization team, where she mostly gathers and analyzes data to help local businesses, as well as other tasks involving spreadsheets or the occasional VBA macro. Outside of work, she enjoys tabletop RPGs, indie video games, sewing and piano.

Favorite Travel Memory

I spent an entire day walking around Stanley Park in Vancouver. It was magical to know that we were in a major city but still felt like we were in the middle of deep woods.

Karen's expertise lies in strategic account planning and management, including comprehensive campaign development, media planning and analysis. When not working with Golden Isles and Sweetwater County, she enjoys traveling with her husband and twin boys, as well as taking her collegiate sport of diving into coaching four Colorado high schools.

Favorite Travel Memory

Jet skiing around Bora Bora with my husband and twin boys.

With 20-plus years of content marketing experience and 30-plus countries visited (so far), Erin heads up our corporate communications and helps steward the Miles brand across channels. Together with our marketing and communications team, she works to positively influence and increase our key stakeholders’ awareness of the company.

Favorite Travel Memory

I have a new favorite travel memory with every trip! One recent memorable experience was glamping overnight in the Sahara desert and then waking up to a sunrise camel ride into the dunes.

Rebekah manages SEO sorcery and/or word nerdiness for Colorado, Capital Region USA, Maryland and Greeley. When her head's not buried in a website or print guide, it's wearing a hat for running trail races in which she will undoubtedly scrape a knee and meet a medic.

Favorite Travel Memory

It's a three-way tie between getting scoped by a shark while paddleboarding in Florida, hiking a questionable ledge to see puffins in Iceland and patting elephants on Singapore Zoo's Night Safari. Probably the elephants win because patting was involved.

Ileana manages a diverse client set that includes the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chicago and Myrtle Beach. She manages a team that makes her look good through their tireless management of brand, media, digital and website accounts. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling (big surprise!), reading, writing and spending lots of time with her family.

Favorite Travel Memory

Pushing my two-year-old son's stroller through Venice, Italy. (2 out of 5 recommend. Muscles required!)