Teaming Up for Success

J.T. is a senior content manager, writing and editing out of our Memphis office. When he's not writing about various destinations, the die-hard Memphis Tigers fan, Stephen King buff and "Star Wars" expert can likely be found at the movies or a Tigers game with his wife Christine.

Favorite Travel Memory

My wife and I went to Europe for the first time — was the trip of a lifetime! We took a cruise around the Mediterranean to Spain, France and Italy. The food was phenomenal. We even got to explore my great-grandparents' hometown, Lucca, Italy. I cannot wait to go back.

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!

As head of research and insights, Chris is also our "head of curiosity" for understanding major trends, opportunities and challenges in travel and tourism. When not involved in research, education or other projects at Miles, Chris is an avid traveler — always off to far-flung destinations with his friends, daughters and other family.

Favorite Travel Memory

Those special moments while traveling when you round a corner or top a hill and see a special, completely different view of the world. Unique sights, sounds, smells and feel. You are in a completely new moment in a completely new place. I’ve been lucky enough to have many of these from AlUla to Zanzibar and the Amazon to Tokyo.

Lela develops and executes paid media strategies for our hospitality clients, turning data into results across search, social and beyond. Outside the office, this published fiction writer and devoted foodie is usually exploring a new restaurant or getting lost in a good book.

Favorite Travel Memory

I surprised my partner with a trip to Maui for his 40th birthday. We swam with sea turtles, hiked to a deserted waterfall and ate as much fish as possible.

Scott is a web developer who brings the web to life through a wide range of front-end technologies and accessibility in mind. When he is not at the computer, he is out hiking and exploring. He lives in Southern California with his wife and two kids.

Kristin Carlson was with Tahiti Tourisme North American for nearly 13 years and continues representing The Islands of Tahiti in her new role at Miles Partnership. Kristin draws on her decades of experience in marketing, advertising and strategic partnership building to cultivate relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders. While Southern California is her home base, travel remains a passion, as does time with friends/family, cooking and staying active.

Favorite Travel Memory

I traveled to Tahiti to celebrate my 50th birthday with a group of family and friends. We booked a day of snorkeling with rays and sharks, and enjoyed a gourmet local lunch on a private motu. 

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.

Lauren works on some of our largest DMO and hospitality accounts to traffic, optimize and report on each campaign from start to finish. When she's not digging into reporting and trafficking campaigns, you can find her behind the lens of her camera or spending time with her husband and son.

Sarah works as a video editor with Odyssey Studios, focusing on projects in the post-production phase. She enjoys reading, watching reality TV and showing off her two black cats.

Ally combines her appreciation of details and spreadsheets to ensure that partner materials are appropriately directed in their marketing campaigns. When she isn't tracking information in spreadsheets, she can be found spending time with family on their 5-acre farmstead caring for pigs, chickens and ducks, and tending the gardens or planning her next trip.

Favorite Travel Memory

I enjoy making a new core memory each time I travel, depending on who I travel with and where I am adventuring.

Ant is part of the digital products team as a UX/UI 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.

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.

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!

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.

Caitlin capitalizes on her years living in and producing content for travel destinations while working for Miles’ DMO content team. When she’s not content wrangling at her day job, you’ll find her exploring her adopted home state by skis, foot and car, preferably with her dog Odessa.

Favorite Travel Memory

It's listening to coqui frogs sing as waves crashed rhythmically on a beach while stars sparkled overhead in Puerto Rico.

Taylor is part of our account services team, supporting the execution of deliverables across all disciplines while bringing curiosity and a positive, service-oriented mindset to every client. Outside of work, Taylor enjoys exploring the Colorado mountains with her two dogs, Juniper and Willow, diving into a good book and cross-stitching projects.

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.

Chris is a designer whose work spans multiple clients and teams. He creates for print, web, html5 and logos, among many other things. When he's not head-down focused on design, you'll find him with his pug Mabel, in the kitchen, playing his bass or out frolicking in nature.

Favorite Travel Memory

I was in Norway for a celebration of my grandfather — his sculpture of Lincoln in Oslo stands as the only one by an artist other than Gustav Vigeland in Frogner Park. My best memory was a midnight row across one of the widest points of the widest fjord in Norway, the Geirangerfjord. Sunlight bathed the mountain peaks as we tried to outrace a gigantic oil tanker. We lived.

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.

Jason heads our partner-participation sales team and is known to develop strategic-monetization programs that deliver results. During his 24 years at Miles, he honed his problem-solving skills with roles in production, sales and product development. You’ll also find him leading Scouts, exploring our national parks or venturing off to exotic locales.

Favorite Travel Memory

A companion said we must "enjoy the journey" several hours before we were notified to evacuate back to the U.S. as the pandemic began. Three years later, in South Korea, I was telling Scouts to "enjoy the journey" two days before our being evacuated due to an impending typhoon. My greatest travel memories have come from learning to enjoy the journey.

As an email marketing specialist, Larisa loves coffee-fueled creativity and crafting campaigns that connect. Born in Romania and now based in sunny Florida, she brings over five years of digital marketing experience to the team. When she's not working on a new campaign, you’ll find her planning her next Europe trip, chasing around her playful toy poodle pup, Adonis or enjoying life’s little adventures with her soon-to-be husband.

Favorite Travel Memory

My favorite travel memory will always be Santorini, Greece. Not just for its breathtaking sunsets, whitewashed buildings and endless blue sea, but because it’s where my fiancé proposed. Overlooking the caldera as the sky turned shades of pink and gold, it felt like time stood still. That trip will forever be special to me.

Carson is a part of our SEM/social team where she works across many clients. A native Floridian, she loves spending time on the water and exploring the state's hidden gems. She is also an avid yogi and likes to bring her adorable miniature Bernedoodle named Winston around town.

Favorite Travel Memory

When I was 16, my dad and I went to Peru and hiked the Inca Trail. We spent three nights camping on the trail and ended our four4-day hike at the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu. It was the trip of a lifetime, not only to spend it with my dad, but to see such ancient ruins and history up close and personal.

Gray masterfully combines inventive thought and technical adeptness for top-notch global travel-marketing strategies. Exceptional at interpreting technology and data, distilling complex ideas and managing reporting platforms, he elevates clients' competitiveness by enabling keen customer-behavior insights.

As CFO, Dianne is all things financial and focused on growth and scaling the organization. When she is not working, she can be found training for a marathon or on a sailboat with her husband.

Favorite Travel Memory

Going to Vancouver, Canada, (my favorite place) with my siblings, our kids and my parents to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. My parents were both up there in years, so we rented them motorized scooters. My father, a former fighter pilot, was doing donuts on his scooter in the parking lot.

Kim is a creative director with 25-plus years of experience. She is known for both her conceptual storytelling, exceeding client requests and leading creative teams to deliver award-winning results. She is a boy mom of three, wife and huge outdoor enthusiast.

Favorite Travel Memory

Oh so many! Sea-kayaking the Kenai Fjords of Alaska, hiking the Atlas Mountains in Morocco or Mount Assiniboine in British Columbia. But hands down: traveling to Kazakhstan and Guatemala to adopt our sons.

Henry is part of the destination optimization team and helps organize and implement the education side of the programs, including leading seminars and hosting office hours. In Henry's spare time, you can find him exploring new places by land or by sea with wife and two pups.

Favorite Travel Memory

Easily the opportunity to drive up and down and across the state of Wyoming to host seminars and help promote those destinations with organic digital marketing.

With a passion for creating efficient workflows, Wenjie ensures that every project she touches runs smoothly and effectively. Outside of work, she’s an avid traveler who loves exploring new places, casting a line while fishing and tending to her garden, which gives her a sense of accomplishment. Wenjie brings enthusiasm, precision and a love for the outdoors to her role, making her a valued member of the team.

Favorite Travel Memory

One of my favorite travel memories is experiencing the breathtaking beauty of a wildlife safari on New Zealand’s West Coast. We traveled to Muriwai Beach to witness thousands of gannets gathering at sunset. The scene was unforgettable. In that moment, it felt as if the world had opened up—nothing else mattered.

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.