Teaming Up for Success

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!

Lisa's secret sauce is whipping up strategies that give businesses the best bang for their buck without skimping on impact. Plus, juggling ad budgets and performance metrics to ensure every penny works hard — it's totally her thing! When she isn't working, she's most likely planning her next dog-friendly vacation, enjoying concerts or attempting to golf.

Favorite Travel Memory

I got lost in an airport when I was 6. My mom told me earlier that day that if she would have named me, I would been Amanda — Mandy for short (my dad named me Lisa). A security guard found me crying and asked my name. I told him my name was Amanda, Mandy for short. It didn't take my parents long to figure out it was me, but by that time, I was happily eating an ice cream.

A native New Mexican with a stereotypical love of green chile, Haley finally crossed the border for good into Colorado to make it her home. She has found a passion for business and billing, despite her background in biology. When she’s not sifting through vendor invoices, she can be found coaching dance for the local high school, hiking and mountain biking.

Favorite Travel Memory

My absolute favorite memory is going to Ireland for my birthday in 2019 right before the last season of "Game of Thrones" came out. We went to filming sites for Winterfell and met a couple of the dire wolves used for the show.

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!

Meet Cara, an adept paid media analyst on our hospitality team, infusing her work with a touch of fun. She expertly guides clients to vital metrics, shapes media campaigns and devises strategic tactics. Off duty, Cara unwinds with reality TV and plotting her next adventure.

Favorite Travel Memory

Embarking on a Croatian adventure with my besties was pure magic. From Dubrovnik's ancient charm to Split's lively streets, and the island gems in between — we laughed, wandered and created memories to last a lifetime.

Andy is a part of the new business team. He was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida, and enjoys watching films and television, exploring the world through photography and spending time with his wife and dog, Reyna.

Favorite Travel Memory

I visited Cuba with my father and older brother. It was amazing to experience the place where my dad was born and raised before he left for the United States.

Juliana Contreras is a multilingual senior art director, guitar strummer, culinary maestro and garden enthusiast. Her art bridges cultures, while her heart embraces family and pets. She's a sailing aficionada with an aquatic irony: can't swim, yet conquers the sea.

Favorite Travel Memory

Costa Rica: Being awakened by waves and a serenade of birds was such an amazing experience. I can't wait to go back.

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.

Julie is part of the Brand USA team and helps partners from Kentucky to Maine strategize and market themselves internationally. Outside of work, she loves to be on, near or in the water with her husband, whether it’s at the beach, lake, or river and of course, she’s always planning another trip.

Favorite Travel Memory

We recently went to South Africa, and one perfect evening, while on a safari game drive, we followed brother and sister lion cubs playing “hide and stalk” as they trotted along after mom for about 30 minutes. It was a magical moment.

Working directly for both president and CEO David Burgess and chairman Roger Miles, we all know it’s Lisa Hill who really runs things around here. When she's not keeping upper management in line, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family, shopping and, now that she (finally!) has her passport, traveling the world.

Favorite Travel Memory

Seeing the Eiffel Tower all lit up at night!

Ashlyn is part of our VISIT FLORIDA team. As a Jacksonville native, she loves to travel anywhere there is a beach. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends and family, trying new restaurants or exploring the outdoors in south Georgia where she currently lives.

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.

Nicole is part of the content team, where she collaborates across teams to shape stories that inspire travel. A proud USC graduate, she’s always mapping out her next trip or wandering somewhere new. Outside of work, you’ll find Nicole at whatever beach she can get to, diving for a volleyball or paddling out on the water.

Favorite Travel Memory

Traveling to Tokyo with no itinerary or reservations meant three days of wandering until we ducked under the train tracks into a tiny izakaya, squeezed in between locals and spent hours ordering until we’d tried everything on the menu.

With a decade of marketing and project management experience, Jesi is a key member of the digital product team. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, exploring the latest foodie spots and going on adventures with her wife and son.

Favorite Travel Memory

When I was 14, my family traveled to Italy and we met my brother's "Italian family" from his exchange year. One evening, despite the language barrier, his Italian sister and I danced ballet together on the roof of our villa under the stars, sharing the universal language of dance.

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.

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.

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.

Dana’s work combines creative and data-driven thinking to implement well-rounded media plans for our clients. When she's not cooking up the next best campaign strategy, you'll likely find her enjoying all that her hometown of Denver has to offer with her husband and two dogs, Kermit and Cookie.

As a media planner at Miles, Jada creates, optimizes and analyzes campaigns for Savannah, Tybee Island, Memphis and others, using data-driven strategies to inspire travel and drive measurable results. In her time off, she enjoys hiking, shopping, trying out new recipes and playing with her dogs, Crew and Kai.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory is exploring Italy; visiting Rome, Siena, Florence, Cinque Terre, Tuscany and Milan. Experiencing the rich culture and vibrant way of life there was truly inspiring and made me excited to see more of the world.

When Summer isn’t busy tracking and reporting on the performance of media campaigns for the hospitality performance team, she’s hunting down the latest trends and opportunities for improvement. A passionate traveler, she loves to explore new places, spend time with her German shepherd, Gunner, and spend time outdoors.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory was visiting Asia with my family. We saw the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, and rode an elephant in Thailand. It was an unforgettable experience to be surrounded by so much history and culture and to share it with my family.

A content manager on the hospitality team, Tessa serves up strategic, thoughtful content for our clients. When she’s not putting together a content strategy or crafting an email or ad, she loves spending time with her family, dreaming up her next slow-travel trip or simply staying in and binging "Star Wars" with a giant bowl of pasta.

Nadja is part of our Operations team, where she serves as an internal strategist, consultant and implementer on a variety of initiatives. She lives in Miami and loves to spend her free time trying new restaurants, exploring the local arts scene and taking her rescue pup Ziba on adventures. When she's not doing that, she's eagerly planning new trips here and abroad for her and her boyfriend.

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.

As part of the hospitality division, Susi is a master orchestrator who seamlessly brings together creative directors, designers, copywriters and clients. When she is not overseeing the production workflow from concept to delivery, she's planning a trip with her husband Peter to a music festival or winery, or to visit their three daughters who live in three different states.

Favorite Travel Memory

My daughter Meagan took me on an epic adventure searching for Tom Jones in Cardiff, Wales. Too much fun. (Never found Tom.)

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.

Karin is a Senior Vice President at Miles and has been with the company for almost 17 years. She started as an Account Director, handling marketing within the western United States and has moved all the way up into a global role focused in the areas of Tourism and Hospitality for the last 6 years. Off hours, she’s planning her family’s next adventure traveling the world or at home cooking up some homemade pizza.

In 2024, Karin Mast was named one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds, recognizing her leadership in driving innovative, data-informed marketing strategies that deliver measurable impact for destinations and hospitality organizations.

Favorite Travel Memory

Every beach trip with my girls, building sandcastles, finding shell treasures, soaking in the sun and playing in the ocean waves. With both kids on each side holding tight while the waves come towards us, we jump together. Hearing them giggling is absolutely the best.

As part of the digital product team, Amy combines her eye for detail with technical knowhow to produce stunning websites. When she’s not wrangling pixels into place, she enjoys reading, dabbling in fiber arts and spending time with her husband and two children.

Favorite Travel Memory

Hiking in Haleakala National Park on Maui is not something I will soon forget. The scenery — including a bamboo forest — was amazing and the hike ended at a huge waterfall, Waimoku Falls. It felt like a completely different world.

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.