Teaming Up for Success

Rachel leads the growth strategy for Destination Wayfinder, helping tourism organizations strengthen destination stewardship. When she’s not advising DMOs, she’s kayaking near her home in Durango, Colorado, cooking global cuisine or exploring her next destination—45 countries and counting!

Favorite Travel Memory

At 14, I visited the small remote island of Nosy Komba, Madagascar, seeing lemurs up close, wandering its beaches and meeting the welcoming locals. That adventure sparked my love for travel and passion for ecotourism, showing me the magic of exploring new places while honoring nature and culture.

Melanie is a content manager for the Brand USA team from Atlanta, Georgia. She loves jazz festivals, beach trips and overpacking. When she's not in her writing cave, Melanie enjoys going out for good food, soaking in good vibes and spending precious time with her family. 

Favorite Travel Memory

Each time I've ever stayed at an oceanfront resort, and going on family road trips to Orlando every summer for nearly a decade.

With over 15 years of content expertise, Jason drives Places.Travel, the consumer-facing travel hub for Odyssey Studios. Known for pushing boundaries, he thrives on launching innovative content programs, from leading the charge with Apple Maps Guides to spearheading a new travel podcast. When not crafting compelling content, Jason hangs out with his trio of chihuahuas—Gizmo, Astro and Nemo—who keep him on his toes!

With 15-plus years of travel-industry experience, Susan has demonstrated expertise in digital marketing and connecting media- and owned-channel strategy with broader marketing goals. When not working, she is further developing her status as a breakfast-taco aficionado and is lobbying for breakfast tacos to be considered their own food group.

Favorite Travel Memory

Visiting different Mayan villages by boat around Lake Atitlán (a lake inside a massive volcanic crater) in Guatemala.

With a background in reality TV production, Christie brings her storytelling skills and logistical know-how to the Odyssey Studios team, helping craft immersive experiences that whisk audiences away to distant places. She has traveled the globe working on some of your favorite reality shows. Now based in Los Angeles, she is passionate about baking, snowboarding and diving into true crime podcasts.

Favorite Travel Memory

Spending over a month in South Africa while filming a season of Naked & Afraid. We saw giraffes, hippos, elephants, crocodiles and much more.

Craig leads the web developers on the client web support team. With 15-plus years of experience in web development and 9-plus years at Miles, he takes coding challenges head on. You'll always find him traveling with his family, whether it's a staycation in Colorado or visiting extended family.

Aimee is a content manager on the Brand USA team. She loves learning and writing about vibrant destinations. When she's not crafting copy or chasing her two awesome kids, she spends time at her local library.

Favorite Travel Memory

Summer vacations in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

Vivian brings the creative vision for videos of all kinds to life as part of the Odyssey Studio team. Outside of tinkering with video plans, you can usually find her fussing with her plant collection and spending time with her husband and two pet rabbits, Dallas and Charlie.

Favorite Travel Memory

I dropped my phone at Natural Bridge in Bryce Canyon. As it slid away on the snow like a mini toboggan, so too did my hopes of recovering the photos from my mother-daughter trip. But then help arrived: A very kind park ranger had just completed rappel training. Phone saved. New favorite memory made.

An accomplished art director, Megan works closely with the Brand USA team, skillfully managing the Global Inspiration Program's print materials. Outside of work, Megan has a keen eye for finding beauty in everyday life, pursuing hobbies like photography, drawing and DIY house projects. She also shares her heart with her husband and their dogs, Bella, Tucker, and Miley.

Favorite Travel Memory

I had an unforgettable 10-day journey through Spain with my family. From the ancient city of Toledo to the fine art in Madrid and the breathtaking beauty of Granada's Alhambra, every moment was a captivating adventure. Exploring the vibrant culture, savoring delicious paella and sharing laughter with my loved ones made this escapade truly magical.

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.

Tiffany thrives on developing big-picture content strategies and working with clients to increase the performance of their digital content, but she also loves straight copy editing. When she isn’t absentmindedly proofreading everything she sees, Tiffany is probably reading, watching college football or daydreaming about Disney World.

Favorite Travel Memory

Descending an unsteady ladder into dark, cool cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park.

Donna is a native of sunny Florida who channels her passion for design into vibrant creations influenced by her travels. With a keen eye for detail, she crafts unique visuals while finding joy in moments spent listening to music, reading, or playing with her beloved cat Maisie.

Favorite Travel Memory

Hiking on a glacier in Iceland, or spending a month exploring Colorado with my best friend!

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.

Madeleine is a graphic designer who thrives on crafting visually captivating designs that capture attention and spark connection. Outside of her work, she loves reading, video games, trying new cookie recipes and spending time with her family.

Favorite Travel Memory

I loved my entire visit to Colorado Springs, but driving up Pikes Peak was my favorite. It offered a breathtaking view the whole way up. We reached the summit, it felt like being on top of the whole world.

As one of Miles's art directors, Amanda is passionate about bringing brands to life through effective and engaging creative. Outside of moving pixels around and meeting with clients, she also loves visiting new places, going out to eat at unique restaurants and hoop dancing down St. Charles in Mardi Gras parades.

Favorite Travel Memory

On the northern coast of Washington, the beach was unlike any other place I've been. A massive rocky formation slowly appeared before my eyes as I strolled the beach through the thickest fog I've ever experienced. It was like walking on an alien planet.

Jason is happiest when he sees partners get results from a successful program. A father of two and a former sports journalist, Jason is also a stand-up comedy nerd who loves to sing. When he’s not playing softball or wiffleball, he’s dreaming up a return trip to Chicago or trek to the mountains of Montana.

Favorite Travel Memory

The trip I just took to the Pacific Northwest with my girlfriend, hitting Portland, Seattle, Idaho and Montana. Amazing food and even better scenery.

Anna is a valued member of our Brand USA team who applies her strategic approach to support multiple teams. When she's not immersed in her work, you'll find her indulging at new restaurants, enjoying outdoor adventures and planning her next getaway with loved ones. She also whips up a mean Buffalo chicken dip, is a proud Southeastern Louisiana University alumna and adores her labradoodle, Perre-Gabe and orange cat, Phen.

Favorite Travel Memory

After graduating with our MBA, my best friend and I embarked on a 4.5-month backpacking trip through South America and Europe. We named our adventure Ancora Imparo, which means "Yet, I am learning" in Italian. We visited 20 countries. We explored Greece and Croatia, immersed ourselves in the history of Peru and Italy and experienced the cultures of Colombia and Spain. 

Kelly handles all aspects of print procurement and circulation management, as it relates to all print projects for the company. Outside of work you will find Kelly off visit Family spread out all over the US and Ireland always including a visit to the local art museum.

Favorite Travel Memory

A shared taxi ride from Dublin to Belfast gave me an opportunity hear from the taxi driver and a local woman sharing their perspectives on the Northern Irish troubles. She shared a song and the story of the American Choctaw Indians helping the Irish, which I did not know.

A journalist by trade, Steven traded the newsroom for a much more enjoyable assignment as a food writer and travel editor. (Yeah, he gets paid to eat.) As a senior content director, Steven now cooks up effective, innovative and integrated content strategies for a host of destination clients, including Puerto Rico, Louisiana, New Orleans and Fairfax County, Virginia.

Favorite Travel Memory

There are so many! But gathering for a multi-country family reunion at a five-star farm-restaurant high atop the mountains in Slovenia is way up there. The food. The views. The connections. The memories. Priceless!

Delaney designs eye-catching creative for social media, display ads and websites. Her specialization is print, and she has lead creative efforts to producing several guides during her time with Miles. She values creativity, communication and integrity when executing projects.

Favorite Travel Memory

In 2017, my mom and I traveled to northern Spain to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago. We started our trek in León and ended in Santiago de Compostela, walking a total of 315 km over 14 days. Along the way, we met people from all over the world and indulged in the freshest of meals.

Lori has been creating websites for over 25 years, starting with her local music scene before making it a career. Born and raised in Canada, Lori later moved to Detroit, Michigan. Her hobbies are playing with technology, traveling everywhere she can and spending time with her family. She tries to pet every furry animal she meets — to mixed results.

Favorite Travel Memory

Trips to the beach in Boca Raton with my family and exploring everything weird and hip in Portland, Oregon.

Shiann is a part of our account services team, and she is passionate about travel and executes all sizes of projects for her clients. Outside of work, Shiann enjoys reading until all hours of the night, planning her next trip abroad and finding the best local coffee and food spots.

Favorite Travel Memory

Spending almost two weeks in Peru, hiking Rainbow Mountain, Machu Picchu, white water rafting, zip lining and spending time with new people and surrounding myself in the local culture.

With 25-plus years of experience, Carrieann oversees design execution and process and ensures adherence to client brands. From concepting and designing digital and print implementations, she's adept at identifying the perfect font treatment to tell an article’s story, searches out unexpected angles in photography and keeps us on track with publication schedules.

Favorite Travel Memory

Waking up in the Battlefield Bed & Breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and realizing how much American History was around me.

Jordan is committed to helping destination brands tell their story, leading Miles’ teams to deliver exceptional service and products. When she's not busy helping clients achieve their business goals and objectives, you can find her adventuring with family, listening to live music, enjoying a good cup of coffee or thrifting for unique textiles.

Favorite Travel Memory

Getting engaged in the Italian Riviera and spending the rest of our trip exploring small villages along the coast, enjoying delicious food and wine at every turn. The relaxed culture, slowed-down pace and natural beauty of Italy was an incredible backdrop for such a celebratory life moment.

John is part of the Memphis Tourism Sales Team and also the SEE Magazine Publisher on Panama City Beach. When not working to create great outcomes for our clients, he enjoys tennis, boating and traveling with his wife, children, grandchildren and friends.

Favorite Travel Memory

So many to pick from, but Yosemite’s 2023 spring snow melt was an unforgettable trip.

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.

Lillian is a part of the account management team at Miles Partnership. When she isn’t working, you can find her going to the beach, figure skating or spending time with her friends and family in her hometown Orlando, Florida. 

Favorite Travel Memory

Exploring the hidden cave networks and gardens in Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal. 

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.