ASTA Welcomes the Newly Elected Members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee

Dallas, TX, May 29, 2024 – The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is pleased to announce its Board of Directors' newly-elected Directors-at-Large, who will officially begin their two-year terms at the close of ASTA’s Travel Advisor Conference in Dallas, TX. There were five candidates vying for two open at-large seats on the Board. The following are the newly elected national Directors-at-Large, in alphabetical order: Anne MacIntyre , Owner/Partner, On the Map Travel and Cynthia Tyo, Owner, Travel Travel Fargo - Moorhead, Inc.

The ASTA Board of Directors also welcomes Alex Sharpe, President & CEO, Signature Travel Network as the Consortium Member Director. Returning to the ASTA Board of Directors is Shelly Phillips, Agency Owner and Senior Advisor of Travel By That Girl who was elected to a second term as one of the Regional Director Representatives.

The Directors returning to the Board for the 2024-2025 term are as follows: 

Kathy Bedell, BCD Travel
Debra Belchak, Lazy Dayz Travel LLC
Kelly Bergin, Duglin Travel Group
Jackie Friedman, Nexion Travel Group 
Kareem George, Culture Traveler, LLC
Robert Hale, Travel N Relax Inc
Pamela Irwin, Mansour Travel
Amanda Klimak, Largay Travel
Anita Pagliasso, KHM Travel Group
Rhonda Shumway, TerraMar Travel, Inc
Lee Thomas, Nous Travel

The ASTA Board of Directors has an Executive Committee comprised of 5 members: Chair, Vice Chair/Secretary, Treasurer, CAC Chair and President & CEO of ASTA, as an ex officio, non-voting member. The ASTA Board annually elects to the Executive Committee the Chair, Vice Chair/Secretary and Treasurer. The CAC Chair of the Executive Committee is elected by the voting members of the Corporate Advisory Council.

There were two open positions on ASTA’s Executive Committee, the Vice Chair/Secretary and Treasurer positions. After voting by the newly elected Board of Directors, the Executive Committee is as follows:

Jackie Friedman, Chair
Lee Thomas, Vice Chair / Secretary
Rhonda Shumway, Treasurer
Kathy Bedell, Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) Chair

ASTA would like to thank all the membership that participated in the voting and election process. We appreciate your commitment to ASTA’s leadership.

###

ABOUT ASTA
Rebranded in 2018 as the American Society of Travel Advisors, ASTA is the leading global advocate for travel advisors, the travel industry and the traveling public. Its members represent 80 percent of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel. Together with hundreds of internationally-based members, ASTA’s history of industry advocacy traces back to its founding in 1931 when it launched with the mission to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. For more information about the Society, visit our mission statement.

RETURN TO PRESS RELEASE LISTING

PRESS RELEASES

ASTA Welcomes the Newly Elected Members of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee