SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Lisa Curtin

Lisa Curtin has 20-plus years of experience in the tourism industry, holding senior management roles in operations and sales. In her tenure with ET- Educational Tours, Inc. and Brightspark Travel US, Lisa and her team were responsible for the operation of all tours, including contracting with suppliers. She managed client communication and business operations through 9/11 and other geo-political incidents as they affected the tourism industry. In 2016, Lisa changed the course of her career, joining Caldwell CPAs as chief operations officer. There, Lisa combined her knowledge of the tour industry with the firm’s knowledge of taxation to serve the tourism industry as a consultant and as a presenter at industry conferences.

Heather Davis

Heather is a board-certified art therapist and licensed mental health counselor based in Indianapolis. In addition to her small private practice and teaching at IUPUI, she serves as the workplace culture consultant for Music Travel Consultants. In this role, she is leveraging her years of mental health and leadership expertise to support MTC’s vision of bringing mental health awareness and work/life balance into both the workplace and student travel.

Kristy Durso

Kristy Durso is an accessibility expert and consultant as well as a professional speaker. Military veteran, Air Force wife, wheelchair user, and mother to three children with varying disabilities, Kristy understands how difficult life can be for a family with disabilities. Kristy’s goal is to help travel professionals understand the prevalence of disabilities in travel as well as equip them with the tools and knowledge they need to not only accommodate travelers with disabilities but to welcome them in with experiences that are equitable to the average guest. A member of the Travelability advisory board and the creator of the Spectrum of Accessibility training program, Kristy brings a unique perspective to accessible travel, including mobility, hearing, visual, cognitive/intellectual, and hidden disabilities as well as neurodivergences and dietary accessibility.

Eileen Gutierrez

Eileen Gutierrez is an experienced account executive with WeTravel. Prior to her current role, Eileen spent more than 20 years in tourism development, working with organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development and Conservation International. Eileen’s work took her to amazing destinations in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America while working on tourism planning, product development, and marketing. She is passionate about supporting travel businesses and their growth.

Mathias Jung

Mathias is the owner and CEO of RMI, a destination marketing company founded in 1990. Hailing from Torrington, Wyoming, he’s a true entrepreneur and jack-of-all-trades. With more than 17 years of experience within the travel industry, Mathias is well-versed in working with state governments and tourism suppliers and understands the ins and outs of global markets and travelers. He now administers more than 25 client programs across 18 countries, honing expertise in cooperative partnerships, tourism research, sales, and international inbound travel marketing.

Frances Manzitto

Frances is a veteran sales director with more than 30 years in the tourism industry, 23 of which have been with Visit Clarksville. (And she’s only 39!) She loves creating unique and fun experiences for travelers. Having visited 44 of the 50 states, Frances has a wealth of personal travel experiences to pull from. In fact, she was in an airplane, in the air, when planes were flying into buildings on 9/11. Frances attended Trevecca Nazarene University and has served on the National Tour Association board of directors. She’s had lots of adventures with group tours. She went from being an only child to the oldest of six overnight! (It’s a story!) She never met a paintbrush she didn’t like. Nearest and dearest to her heart is that she’s a mom of three fabulous girls and married to an Italian stud.

Jeff Ment

Jeff is the founder of The Ment Law Group, an NTA Corporate Partner. With 30 years of experience representing travel companies, he is able to best represent the many facets of the travel industry, including tour operators, vendors, DMCs, travel agents, transportation companies, and trade associations. Jeff counsels clients on our industry’s best practices, including contract terms, compliance with government regulations, risk assessment, crisis response, and employment issues. Jeff also represents travel companies in litigation throughout the country. His background in the travel industry includes working as a travel agent, a tour guide, and a sales manager for two airlines.

John Sutherland

John Sutherland (he/him) is the director of community impact at Tourism Cares. He started his career in the travel industry 10 years ago working for tour operators and has spent the last five years working on impact and social responsibility.

Amy Larsen

Amy is the industry relations manager with the Wyoming Office of Tourism. She serves as the main point of contact for the Wyoming tourism industry outreach, works extensively with the domestic travel trade, and is the main contact for Team Wyoming. Amy is the fourth generation in her family to call Wyoming home and the third generation to graduate from the University of Wyoming, where she obtained a degree in recreation and park management. She also holds a master’s degree in tourism management and a graduate certificate in adventure travel from Colorado State University (Wyoming’s biggest rival). Amy serves on the NTA Board of Directors and is part of the Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality Initiative with the University of Wyoming. Amy spends her time volunteering on the Cheyenne Frontiers Day PR Committee and on the Wyoming Brewers Festival Committee. She embraces the opportunity to experience and share with others all that Wyoming has to offer and can often be found hiking, kayaking, taking road trips, cheering on the Wyoming Cowboys, capturing pictures, and just enjoying life.

Amy Colón

Amy is the creator of Big Story Living, a heart project that focuses on making world travel affordable while inspiring wonder and faith as partners in the journey. Amy curates a space on social media and guides groups of women through the experience of planning an affordable adventure to Europe. This curated journey pairs adventure and bravery with personal faith as groups travel with one eye on the world and the other eye on what is deep within. Amy is a wife and mom of four daughters and lives in Superior, Colorado.