Carroll is one of the most trusted and recognized thought leaders in travel & tourism. For nearly 20 years, she has drawn on her expertise spanning marketing strategy, consumer behavior, economics, and data analytics to generate actionable market intelligence with a distinctively holistic perspective. Before founding iolite group, Carroll headed insights and analytics at Brand USA, consumer research at Phocuswright and distribution strategy at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. She holds a BA in Economics from New York University and a MMH from Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

Berkeley Young specializes in destination research, planning and strategy. Young’s travel industry experience includes management positions at a destination marketing organization, a Chamber of Commerce, a resort and a research and planning firm. In 2004 Young formed his Charlotte, NC based company focusing on research and strategic planning for all aspects of travel destinations. Young’s firm is known for its custom-tailored approach in using research to address specific issues for DMOs. In the last twenty years Young has worked with over 150 destinations in thirty-five states and is a popular speaker at regional and national conferences and conventions.

Mary Nice is a highly sought-after international keynote and workshop speaker and a leading marketing strategist who has led digital marketing programs for prestigious international companies, including the Walt Disney Company, Unilever, Kraft Foods, and Kimberly Clark. Before starting her own successful consulting practice, Weston Smith Consulting, Mary had the coveted position of Digital Marketing Director at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, where she led a range of innovative digital initiatives, including overseeing the Parks’ digital marketing strategy, establishing the digital marketing analytics practice, and starting the first social media listening program for the Walt Disney Company

Chris Brown is the CEO of Wyoming Associations and Government Affairs Network (WAGAN) an association management, government affairs and public relations firm based in Cheyenne. WAGAN’s current client list includes the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition and Powering Up Wyoming.

Brown began his hospitality career at age 16 in Massachusetts as a dishwasher, working his way throughout the industry until coming to Ft Collins, Colorado, with Outback Steakhouse in 1995. In 2001, Chris relocated to Cheyenne to open Wyoming’s second Outback Steakhouse, which he successfully ran for 10 years as Managing Partner.

He built the Cheyenne Outback Steakhouse into one of the most successful OSI restaurants in the region, having been awarded “Partner of the Year” three times-in 2004, 2007 and 2010.

For the past 11 years Chris has successfully advocated on behalf of the hospitality, tourism, and renewable energy industries, among others.

He and his wife of 20 years, Shelby, reside in Cheyenne with their two children, Ryder and Owen.

Lauren’s reputation for asking the right questions and solving complex problems is spurred by her natural curiosity and desire to create connection between people, places, and experiences. Lauren is a seasoned experiential leader with extensive know-how in transforming brands into engagement-driven ecosystems that immerse travelers in a destination before, during and after visitation. Her award-winning work looks beyond what’s always been done and, instead, sees how the latest in consumer behavior, trends and platforms can come together to inspire action.

Sara Otte Coleman joined the North Dakota Department of Commerce as Director of the Tourism Division in 2003 and has over 35 years of destination management, marketing, and leadership experience. She focuses on elevating North Dakota through industry and tourism business development, strategic planning, statewide branding, consumer marketing and media relations. Sara also works to develop strategies to support workforce and business recruitment, leveraging the brand and marketing campaigns created for tourism to attract talent and strengthen North Dakota’s economy. Sara is the current chair of the Western States Tourism Policy Council and the National Council of State Tourism Directors. She received the Tourism Leadership award presented by the North Dakota tourism industry and the Governor’s award for Excellence in Public Service and was awarded the 2018 State Tourism Director of the Year, by the NCSTD.

Based in NYC, Dylan Scacchetti is a digital marketer specializing in crafting innovative web experiences tailored for both human users and robots. With a wealth of expertise exceeding six years in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and User Experience (UX), he collaborates with partners to enhance visibility and captivate users by providing insightful answers to their inquiries. Currently serving as the Associate MarTech Director at Madden Media, Dylan leverages technology to drive impactful marketing strategies day-to-day, and drinks enough coffee to make most baristas blush.

Myha (me-ha) Gallagher oversees Future Partner's suite of custom and syndicated research products and client services, ensuring our partners walk away with deep, actionable insights that uncover opportunities to grow market share. Myha has been with Future Partners since February 2013 having first honed her research skills through conducting years of intercept surveys with consumers which provided foundational knowledge on how to craft creative and easy-to-understand survey questions that uncover the "why" and "how" behind human behavior and decision making. When she is not synthesizing research insights for the travel industry, Myha loves traveling to new destinations to further her understanding of how humans connect with each other and the world.

Jake is the founding subject matter expert in the field of transformational travel. Jake speaks and trains on the emerging transformation economy, transformative experience strategy and design, sustainable tourism, and regenerative development. As the Conscious CEO of The Transformational Travel Council (TTC), he focuses on guiding travelers and the travel industry into the future of tourism, transcending to its very highest potential. One that transforms how we live our lives, how we live with others, and how we live on our planet. All of his work is rooted in the steadfast belief that transformative travel can incite personal and societal change by breaking down divisions within, between us, and bring us back to nature. Through his work at the TTC, he helps destinations, hospitality, and tourism embrace and implement techniques, tools, and practices that help avoid disappointing outcomes and traveler/host dissatisfaction by going beyond wellness and sustainability, and reinvigorating travelers and travel brands to their ideal states, yielding lasting positive outcomes for all. His bold vision and the conscious work being done by him and the community of members around the World has led him to be included in top tier publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, Skift, Shape, The Guardian, Vox, USAToday, NPR, and TL Talks. Jake is also the co-founder of Explorer X, ROAM Beyond, and EverGreen Escapes

Community-builder with 30+ years of sales, marketing, and communications experience that she uses to champion partners and initiatives, like transformational travel philosophy, bringing about both positive change and economic benefit. Christy moved to destination marketing in spring of 2022 earning the State of Washington Tourism’s Rising Star award. Growing up on a 7,000-acre ranch, Christy was immersed in regenerative philosophy of both the land and the cattle business. The last time Christy visited Wyoming was in 1981 for the High School Rodeo Association National Finals in Douglas, as Miss Florida High School Rodeo.

Dawnielle Tehama, Executive Director of the Willamette Valley Visitors Association and Klamath Tribal Member, is a leading advocate for sustainable tourism, stewardship and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Her background in law, business ownership, and non-profits shapes her dedication to responsible travel. Involved in founding a Southern Oregon DMO and overseeing marketing for the Grand Canyon's West Rim, she received the NTA Women of Vision Award in 2023. Chairing the DEI Advisory Committee for NTA, Dawnielle is actively engaged in ethical responsibility. Additionally, with the help of the Transformational Travel Council, she spearheaded a regenerative work group, culminating in a groundbreaking 100-year plan completed in 2022 for the Willamette Valley, solidifying her commitment to long-term sustainability in tourism.

Kyle Bernis is originally from south Louisiana and has worked in the parks and recreation industry more than 20 years across three states (Louisiana, Oklahoma and Wyoming), serving in leadership and supervisory roles in each of those states. Kyle is dedicated to public service, developing staff, and collaborating with all possible partners across boundaries and above the status quo. He enjoys the outdoors (hiking, mountain biking, and camping) as well as film and music of all kinds.

There are more than 150,000 associations and 7,000 chambers in the USA.

Bob Harris, CAE (certified association executive), works with thousands of organizations to improve performance and outcomes.

Outside the USA he works with business associations in Jordan, Japan, Egypt, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Belarus, Republic of Georgia, Albania, and Cambodia.

He believes nonprofit organizations should be as efficient and effective as any commercial business or franchise.

He’s been called the “Martha Stewart of association management” for providing tips and templates to make governance and management efficient. The tools are free at www.nonprofitcenter.com.

Simultaneous to his association work, he has worked in hospitality for Hyatt Hotels in Florida for 35 years.

Paul McLeod is Simpleview’s Director of Analytics, focusing on business intelligence and data insights. He and his team analyze traffic patterns on client websites and provide insight and recommendations on planner and consumer activity recorded in client CRM systems. Paul earned a double degree in Economics and English Writing from the University of Oklahoma, and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Arizona. He joined the Simpleview team in 2011 as an SEO Specialist. The furthest he has traveled from home so far is Tromsø, Norway.

Diane Shober, Wyoming native, is the Executive Director for the Wyoming Office of Tourism where she has led the state’s promotional efforts for 16 years. Under her strategic leadership, Diane and her team have proactively expanded Wyoming’s brand and marketing programs and continue to work to grow the tourism and hospitality industry in the Cowboy State.

As president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Geoff Freeman is the leading advocate for the $1.1 trillion U.S. travel and hospitality industry.
In this role, Freeman is charged with ensuring the industry’s full recovery from COVID-19, positioning the industry to seize emerging opportunities in a post-pandemic market environment and further establishing travel as a vital economic force in the United States.

Freeman is a seasoned association CEO with a proven track record of building successful organizations that unite member interests, grow member value, increase revenue and unlock growth opportunities. Prior to joining U.S. Travel, Freeman was president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, the trade association for America’s $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer products industry. During his tenure, Freeman launched a strategic campaign to transform the association into a powerful, modern advocacy organization aimed at driving growth and delivering sound regulatory and legislative outcomes that benefit industry leaders and consumers. During his tenure, Freeman grew membership by 35 percent and boosted total revenue by nearly 50 percent.

Freeman joined the Consumer Brands Association after serving for five years as president and CEO of the American Gaming Association (AGA). In that role, Freeman led a successful effort to reform and modernize the AGA, build public support for the gaming industry and open new pathways for industry growth. Under his leadership, the AGA spearheaded a multi-year, research-driven campaign to demonstrate gaming’s broad support across the political spectrum and promote the industry’s role in spurring economic growth, job creation and tax revenues in communities across more than 40 states where gaming is legal. That campaign created the tailwinds needed to advance AGA’s signature initiative achieved under Freeman – the legalization of sports betting in the United States. While leading AGA, Freeman drove a 200 percent increase in membership and doubled association revenue.

Freeman previously served as COO of the U.S. Travel Association from 2011 to 2013, helping to conceive and lead a campaign that resulted in the passage of the bipartisan Travel Promotion Act, which was hailed as “the industry’s biggest legislative victory in a decade.” In the aftermath of 9/11, Freeman created a blue-ribbon panel headed by former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to analyze how to improve travel security without compromising travel efficiency. This effort led directly to the creation of TSA PreCheck. Both the Travel Promotion Act and TSA PreCheck demonstrate Freeman’s ability to identify industry opportunities, craft a winning policy response and drive campaigns that succeed in gaining broad support among diverse stakeholders.

Freeman’s previous experience includes roles at APCO Worldwide, America’s Health Insurance Plans and Freddie Mac.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Freeman lives in Arlington, Va., with his wife and three children.