Teaming Up for Success

Michael works as a content manager on the hospitality team. When he's not capturing magic with words, you might find him searching San Diego for new coffee shops. Once he's caffeinated, Michael enjoys building his music collection, heading to the beach, watching reality TV and writing for his blog.

Favorite Travel Memory

I love a relaxing vacation, but meeting a dolphin in the Bahamas is definitely a standout moment.

Taryn is a creative director who is both analytical and creative, executing on ideas thoughtfully and strategically from concept through production. When she’s not solving creative problems, she’s planning her next adventure or hanging out with her husband, baby and cats.

Favorite Travel Memory

Going on a three-week adventure in Japan and Thailand with my now-husband. We went to Japan to ski, then shipped our ski stuff back to the United States before heading south to Thailand for warmer weather.

Lex is a program manager on our Brand USA team, where she leads projects with a strategic and detail-oriented approach. Outside of work, she enjoys getting lost in a great thriller on her Kindle, discovering new favorite restaurants and always planning future adventures with her fiancé.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is backpacking across 9 countries in Asia with my boyfriend (now fiancé!) for five unforgettable months. It had always been a lifelong dream of mine, and getting to experience so many different cultures, cuisines and communities alongside the person I love most made it even more meaningful!

With nearly 20 years of experience building teams in the travel industry at both Tripadvisor and Sojern, Richard uses his skills and expertise to lead sales efforts for the DMO and Brand USA sales teams. When he's not selling, Richard enjoys traveling, wine, sports and music. Richard’s family lives in Boston, MA. 

Favorite Travel Memory

Our family trip to Aruba. We spent seven incredible days connecting as a family, and it was one of those trips you never want to end. Every aspect of Aruba completely blew me away. 

Chelsea is a member of the ad operations team who oversees a diverse client portfolio. Beyond campaign management, she's an avid baker, a Ted Lasso enthusiast, and enjoys beachside reading. In her free time, she's either chasing passport stamps, attending sporting events or on the hunt for the perfect cup of joe.

Tenzin is part of our Colorado content team as a content coordinator. When she's not ferociously typing away on written content, you can find her making a mess in the kitchen trying out new recipes or reading a good romance book, with her YouTube fireplace playing in the background.

Favorite Travel Memory

Out of the few countries I’ve traveled to so far, Ireland has stolen my heart as my number one travel memory. Everything about it was amazing – the lively culture, hearty meals, friendly community and stunning views. It holds so much history, and I will never forget how it made me feel.

Mari brings with her more than 20 years of experience working with Tahiti Tourisme. Her natural ability to be organized led her to specialize in event planning. She has traveled to The Islands of Tahiti nearly 30 times and has been fortunate to have visited 16 of the 118 islands. Mari works remotely from Huntington Beach, California, and enjoys taking her dog, Poé, to the beach and going to yoga.

Lauren is our fearless director of marketing, responsible for the strategy and implementation of various corporate marketing initiatives, such as overseeing the Miles brand and managing industry events and partnerships. Outside of work, you'll find her unwinding at the beach or exploring local festivals and music events.

In 2024, Lauren was selected for Destinations International’s Young Professional Leadership Development Program, recognized alongside the association’s 30 Under 30 class.

Favorite Travel Memory

I’m an avid beach-goer, so traveling to Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and experiencing the unique beaches on each part of the island was incredible.

Steve is a web developer with a knack for captivating animations. When he's not building sites, he's a seasoned symphony musician, and can be seen performing with orchestras across Colorado. Outside of work and music, Steve loves exploring breweries worldwide with his wife Jessica.

Favorite Travel Memory

During my recent trip to Seattle, I stayed with a local friend who provided us an insider's tour of the city's vibrant food and beer scenes. Beyond that, he offered invaluable insights into the distinctive cultures of various neighborhoods, enriching our experience and truly leaving a lasting impact on our visit.

Lori is a paid search analyst on the hospitality team. She specializes in building and managing data-driven, results-focused paid search campaigns that deliver measurable success. Outside of work, Lori is deeply committed to animal rescue and usually has at least one foster dog or cat bringing joy (and sometimes chaos) to her home. She also loves to travel and explore all the beautiful sights the Pacific Northwest has to offer with her two dogs, Ripley and Lita.

Randi is the Chief Operating Officer and works alongside the senior leadership team on developing and implementing strategic organizational goals to steer the company’s future in a positive direction. When she's not in the office, she spends most of her time cheering on her daughter out on a soccer field somewhere around the country.

Kayla combines creative and strategic thinking to build thoughtful, effective media campaigns. When she’s not working on the next strategy, you’ll usually find her traveling or planning her next trip. She’s drawn to culture, nature, incredible food, vibrant cities and new adventures. Each experience continues to shape her perspective and fuels a genuine passion for helping others discover the world.

Favorite Travel Memory

My trip to New Zealand is one of my favorite travel memories. It was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation, with experiences like bungee swinging, zorbing, ATV rides, paragliding, walking along the top of a skyscraper, wine tours and time to unwind at spas.

Pat’s job is to travel the beautiful state of Colorado and sell awesome media packages that perform off the charts — something he doesn’t think is actually work. When he’s not “working,” he’s hanging out with family, looking for tickets to his next Red Rocks show or bopping down the river somewhere in a pink or green kayak, depending on the water level.

Favorite Travel Memory

Elephants, big waves, that one time The Grateful Dead encored Brokedown in Atlanta — there's too many to pick just one.

Ant is part of the digital products team as a digital product designer. Ant is not just about pixels and interfaces — he's all about crafting seamless and delightful experiences for our clients. When not perfecting user journeys, he can be found all over Florida skateboarding, taking and developing photos, as well as tinkering on cars and motorcycles.

Favorite Travel Memory

Taking the train from the airport into Tokyo, I thought I could manage without using my phone for navigation. When the train headed north instead of toward Tokyo, I eventually gave into temptation. I discovered the train would eventually turn back toward Tokyo, which taught me that I can navigate without technology if a country is as organized as Japan.

A data wizard turning dusty numbers into sparkling insights — from spreadsheets to coffee cups, Vicky brews data-driven magic for DMO and hospitality clients. Part detective, part storyteller, all data! Are you more interested in her pie charts or apple pie? Insights say her bakes are still more popular than any graph she could build.

Favorite Travel Memory

We went to the rainforest for a small hike in Puerto Rico. When we got to the stream at the bottom of the hike, it started raining. It rained and rained, but that didn't stop my 3-year-old. We went swimming in the stream while it was raining. A new experience for him and so much fun!

Ashley works on the DMO content team with a variety of clients, including Colorado and Nashville. Though she lives near the mountains in Denver, she feels most at home by the ocean. In her free time, she enjoys dance classes, cuddling her three adorable cats and watching “Jeopardy!” with her husband.

Favorite Travel Memory

Visiting Paris with my husband twice — once while we were dating and the second time exactly 10 years later, when we recreated a photo from our first trip at the top of Notre Dame.

As a former CVB marketing director with nearly 30 years in the tourism industry (including work at Yellowstone National Park and a cruise ship), Carly’s passion for travel marketing has inspired successful campaigns for Miles' partners for more than 15 years. In between travels, Carly can be found exploring her home in the New River Gorge of West Virginia.

Favorite Travel Memory

I took a train to Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe — Europe's highest railway station, which is located at 11,333 feet in the Swiss Alps. The panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains and glaciers was breathtaking!

Alex is part of Odyssey Studios, primarily working on edits for various projects, but on occasion he's seen helping out on a shoot. Alex is an avid Tampa sports fan (Go Bucs, Bolts and Rays!), but oftentimes he's chasing down his two sons and trying to catch up on "Star Wars" shows with his wife, who is also named Alex — which is fun!

Favorite Travel Memory

We took my first-born son to Key West when he was not quite one, which some might think would make for a rough time, but it was his first real vacation and it was absolutely wonderful. He had a blast, and every time we go again he gets so amped for the trip.

As part of the hospitality division, Haylea's days consist of optimizing and managing online profiles such as Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Bing, Yext and local CVBs. When not updating profiles, you can find her outdoors hiking, biking, reading, playing pickleball or scoping out new things to do.

Favorite Travel Memory

Traveling with my best friend is a favorite memory. Keeping in touch as adults is tough, and getting together one-on-one for a girls trip is a rarity I will always cherish.

David creates and automates reporting, troubleshoots data problems and maintains our internal budget/forecast planning tools. He has a degree in Physics from University of Colorado but never worked in that field—unless you count his home brewing of craft beers—and is equally at home on the beach or the ski slopes.

Emily merges creative storytelling with data-informed strategy to create compelling content in our hospitality team. Based outside of Phoenix, she enjoys baking, needlework and exploring local spots with her husband and their greyhound, Tobey.

Favorite Travel Memory

I was able to travel to Melbourne, Australia, to meet some of my husband's family and friends! It's such a beautiful country and I got to pet a koala; definitely worth the 19-hour flight.

Sebrina specializes in creating customized packages and sharing the many benefits of advertising with the DMO of the Windy City, Choose Chicago. You can usually find her enjoying time with her husband, daughter, son and two Icelandic sheepdogs, or exploring new restaurants and traveling to any place with warmer winters than Chicago.

Favorite Travel Memory

Taking my daughter to Cancun for a girls trip before she headed off to college.

A proud Miles boomerang, Alexis returns as Director, Operations to support operational needs across the organization, drawing on deep experience with Brand USA and destination marketing. Off the clock, you can find her painting travel memories, riding her electric bike on Fort Lauderdale's beaches or wrangling a lively household featuring two young boys.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is our first international trip as a family of four, which featured ten days road tripping through southern England, from London to Cornwall to Canterbury, with two boys under four.

Jeff has been in our IT department for nearly 30 years. When he's not putting out fires or searching for the next useful tools, he can be found running and biking around town or paddleboarding in the mangroves.

Favorite Travel Memory

After a day of hiking in Custer State Park in South Dakota, we rushed out to Wildlife Loop Road in hopes of seeing some bison before sunset. We were not disappointed! A million bison crossed the road right in front of our van.

Colombia-born and raised, Pablo’s journey transitioned from fine art to design, driven by its transformative potential, unifying influence and guiding essence. On the Brand USA team, he applies these convictions to multiplatform products that spotlight the U.S. worldwide. Outside work, he is either hiking trails or chasing winter on a snowboard along with his wife and son.

Favorite Travel Memory

A trip to Glacier National Park in Montana during early spring became my catalyst for embracing outdoor adventures and cold weather as a lifestyle. The sight of melting snowcaps nourishing swift-flowing rivers and the reawakening wildlife left a lasting impression of our interdependence on this planet.

Ally is a Denver transplant originally from Sarasota. She is a detail-oriented member of the account services team who loves working alongside her teammates to problem-solve and execute projects of all sizes for her clients. When not in the office, you can find her at hot yoga, adventuring in the mountains and discovering new restaurants.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is rafting the Grand Canyon. As a former guide, I was given the opportunity to take a private trip with some friends. Any vacation without cell service is my kind of trip.

Melissa has been creating, recreating and maintaining a diverse range of website projects at Miles now for 23-plus years and has expertise in web platforms and languages, server environments and database programming. She works remotely, making her home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with her husband and two children.

Favorite Travel Memory

ATV riding in South Dakota.

Josh is part of the operations team and oversees the company's use of Wrike. He helps teams optimize their use of the PM tool so they can work as effectively as possible. Outside of work, he's probably outside mountain biking or skiing. Colorado has some of the most beautiful trail networks and outdoor areas, and he's trying to see as much as he can.