Teaming Up for Success

Shay is a seasoned senior art director with a background in brand and campaign work, and her role focuses on finding a destination’s unique visual expression. When she’s outside the office, you can probably find her on a mountain or lacing up her roller skates in a big empty parking lot.

Favorite Travel Memory

Sitting above the clouds in the Andes, tea in hand, watching a sunrise on the Inca Trail near the Wiñay Wayna ruins.

Mitch has been a developer at Miles since 2008, coding and executing responsive emails in HTML/CSS for destination and hospitality clients. When Mitch isn’t building emails, he is spending time with his family.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory was being a nomad in New Zealand for almost 2 months.

Having grown up all over the world as the child of a resort general manager, Ursula has been in hospitality her entire life, including 30 years in resort marketing before starting the hospitality division at Miles. She was recently named to the HSMAI Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing.

Favorite Travel Memory

Seeing the world by living in and traveling to more than 60 countries while learning and experiencing a variety of cultures through the people I met and lived near.

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!

Emilie was a founding member of Miles' first video team, producing content for VISIT FLORIDA. Hundreds of videos and thousands of miles later, she's since dreamed up videos for many more destinations, including San Francisco, Louisiana and Maryland. She's never bored and can be found enjoying life at home with her husband and daughter in Maine.

Favorite Travel Memory

I was a 16-year-old on spring break in Giverny, France — and like most, completely directionless. College was in my future, but then what? While filling up at least two rolls of film capturing their famous garden in its spring splendor, it dawned on me: Wouldn't this be a glorious life? Eight years later the opportunity came calling and the rest is history.

A performance coordinator on the hospitality team, Jessica manages and optimizes paid social, paid search and programmatic campaigns to align with client goals. She is continually educating herself on the ever-changing marketing landscape through the digital-marketing masters program at Wake Forest University.

Favorite Travel Memory

I took an amazing trip to Costa Rica. Surfing, riding ATVs and deep-sea fishing were the highlights of the unforgettable adventure.

Adam is part of the Odyssey Studios team, and is responsible for curating and cataloging the team's video and photographic assets to increase ROI for clients. Adam is a bookworm and video gamer who enjoys getting lost on backroads while finding new places and painting with his wife and their children.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is when I traveled to Springfield, Ohio, for a family gathering. My wife was able to book an Airbnb stay in the home she lived in as a teenager, which she always loved but had never been able to say goodbye to as it was sold while she was away. Listening to the owner ask her about how she and her family installed features was just fantastic.

Lee is part of the SEO team and develops SEO strategies for his clients to generate organic website traffic and appear at the top of search engines results pages for their specific destinations. When he is not working, Lee enjoys spending time with his wife discovering great new restaurants.

Favorite Travel Memory

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean from a cliff on the west side of Kauai.

Samantha brings 9 years of experience in destination marketing to Miles. When she isn’t busy supporting the Alaska and Madrid accounts, you'll find her on hiking adventures with her two dogs, Parmesan and Nelly, tending to dozens of houseplants, or paddleboarding on one of the 10,000-plus lakes in her home state of Minnesota.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is learning how to whitewater kayak on the Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana. The power of the water is exhilarating — there is nothing quite like being at the mercy of the river, staying focused and using your own strength to float down nature’s roller coaster.

Julia's work focuses on client satisfaction and bringing their vision to life, while balancing the priorities of internal teams. When she's not making things happen for clients, she can be found enjoying 300 days of sunshine in Tucson.

Favorite Travel Memory

Traveling to Maui was absolutely amazing and is one of my favorite places to vacation.

Andraya monitors and manages the production of print products from start to finish for Brand USA, SEE, and many DMO clients. When she is not juggling print tasks, this animal lover and cooking enthusiast can usually be found event or vacation planning, helping others, spending quality time with loved ones, or making memories with her husband, son, cat, and two dogs.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is anytime I explore this big world with my husband and son. Those adventures and experiences together being fully present are priceless.

Eddie is a Drupal developer for the client web support team. When he's not busy throwing together new websites or solving technical issues, he's a fan of animation, movies and TV. He's also got a passion for 3D printing and gaming. While he has resided in St. Louis for the past 10 years, he's originally from Robinson, Illinois, home of the Heath candy bar.

Favorite Travel Memory

Driving from St. Louis to Georgia just so he could have his "Clark Griswold" moment.

Demetria is part of our Brand USA team and works with our partners in California, Nevada and Hawai'i. Her passion outside of work is music theater, where you'll often find her singing in a local play. Visiting family and spending time with the little people in her life are at the top of her list.

Favorite Travel Memory

I follow my heart … and it usually leads me to the airport.

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.

Juan serves as an account director, supporting clients to ensure their marketing strategies resonate with travelers from all backgrounds. Personally, he thrives on learning about different cultures, meeting new people and exploring the world. An avid traveler, foodie and dog lover, in his free time he's likely exploring parks, hiking or embarking on a new adventure.

Favorite Travel Memory

One of my favorite travel memories is the time I spent two weeks in Barcelona, Spain, with my best friend. We stayed in the Catalan region, where they speak a different dialect of Spanish. Our local host showed us around the city, and we also met some other Americans who were visiting. They ended up joining us throughout the entire trip, and we made some amazing memories together.

As a director of development services, 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.

In 2025, August was selected for Destinations International’s Young Professional Leadership Development Program, recognized alongside the association’s 30 Under 30 class.

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.

David is responsible for the systems and process used to create and host our digital products. When not deep in the digital realm, he spends time with his wife and two kids (whenever they are home from college!). He combines baseball and travel as much as possible — if he's in your city and there is baseball game happening, you'll definitely find him at the park!

Favorite Travel Memory

Walking through EPCOT at closing time — an almost empty park with just our family but still all lit up for Christmas. Magical!

Victoria blends creativity and strategy to elevate Louisiana’s story on a national stage. As an account supervisor, she leads efforts for the Louisiana Office of Tourism, showcasing the state’s culture and experiences to inspire travelers. Her background spans destination marketing, social media and public relations, giving her a well-rounded perspective on connecting audiences with unforgettable places. When she isn’t crafting campaigns, you’ll likely find her traveling, enjoying the outdoors or spending time with her family and friends.

Favorite Travel Memory

Eating doughnuts on Pike's Peak!

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.

The partner-programs operations manager on the Brand USA team, Miranda works to scale and streamline processes. When she isn't online, she’s probably snowboarding, traveling for a concert or hanging out with her dogs, Stevie and Charlotte. She is also an enamel-pin collector and always open to a trade.

Favorite Travel Memory

Finally getting that big pretzel at Oktoberfest!

Laura's focus is on developing growth plans for clients and our teams. She is based in Denver and you can often find her cheering on the Denver Nuggets, reading another mystery novel or enjoying mac and cheese.

Favorite Travel Memory

I was chaperoning high-school musicians on a European music tour. Our first night in Switzerland, I stopped by one of the girls’ rooms. My knock on the door was met enthusiastically by a girl declaring their room had a “washing machine” in it and insisted I come see it. I discovered they were “washing” their clothes in the bidet! What could I say? I suggested they keep it a secret or else they would have to do everyone’s laundry on the trip.

Melissa is an art director and visitor-guide master who works with her team to develop and execute print and digital creative assets. She is a Wisconsin native who, when not shoveling snow, can be found trying out new recipes with her husband, crafting the last thing she saw on Pinterest or spending time on the water at her cabin on the lake.

Favorite Travel Memory

One of my favorite travel memories was catching freshly made hot rolls in mid-air during dinner at Lambert's Cafe in Ozark, Missouri, with my husband and his family. We all laughed out loud as the waitstaff yelled "hot rools!" and then a bun would fly through the air over our heads into an open hand!

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!

George is part of Odyssey Studios and works both on location as a videographer/photographer or back in the office in post production. He spends his free time traveling, teaching group-fitness classes and partaking in all kinds of geeky activities.

Favorite Travel Memory

Getting married in front of Mount Kirkjufell in Iceland — a mountain featured prominently in "Game of Thrones."

A native Kentuckian serving as the senior media planner for our Kentucky client, Melissa uses research, promotional skills, strong negotiation tactics and industry connections to deliver successful media campaigns. When looking to travel, you will likely find Melissa putting her planning skills to work creating itineraries for her husband, daughter and French bulldog, Bea.

Favorite Travel Memory

I could pick a favorite memory from every single trip I have ever taken. To me, travel fills my soul with memories and personal connections created from new surroundings, unique adventures and incredible experiences.

As the performance director for the hospitality division, Nancy utilizes data, research and collaboration to develop and implement owned and paid strategies and plans that drive results. When she is not diving into analytics and spreadsheets, she can be found enjoying the best of Colorado — live music, great outdoors, craft beer and making memories with friends and family.

Favorite Travel Memory

Traveling to Italy with 40 of my closest friends!

Hannah manages a content team in our DMO division, supporting content creation and strategy for more than 20 clients. When she's not digging into analytics or raiding the thesaurus for other ways to say "experience," she's listening to narrative podcasts or forcing an unwilling party to talk about the 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.

Favorite Travel Memory

After weeks in Budapest, my husband I thought we'd seen all there was to see. On our last full day, we stumbled upon a park with network of trails switchbacking up and down to city and river overlooks, monuments and statues. Each time we emerged from a forested patch, there was something new to surprise us — characteristic of the serendipitous nature of travel.

Dylan is part of the Kentucky team. He works with cooperative partners and internal teams to make sure things go off without a hitch. When he is not working, you will find him outside with his wife, his Springer Spaniels, Maya and Theo, and his bearded dragon. 

Favorite Travel Memory

Riding camels in the Sahara.