Carylann Assante, CAE

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Board Treasurer

CEO, SYTA and SYTA Youth Foundation

A seasoned tourism and association executive with more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Carylann Assante, CAE serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Student & Youth Travel Association, the international association that promotes student and youth travel worldwide.  Carylann is also the Chief Staff Officer of the SYTA Youth Foundation, the philanthropic arm that provides scholarships and education experiences for students and youth who are unable to travel due to financial and personal hardship.

Prior to joining SYTA, Carylann served as the Vice President of Member Relations and Partnerships at ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives. In this role Carylann was responsible for building relationships with associations and business partners that served the industry.  As an experienced association executive, Carylann spoke at conferences, meetings, and industry events on all aspects of association management.

Since joining SYTA in 2010, Carylann developed and implemented initiatives that contributed to membership, registration and revenue growth for SYTA and the SYTA Youth Foundation.   The SYTA Annual Conference, the premiere showcase for Student & Youth Travel experienced record growth with over 1000 attendees participating in business to business meetings.  The SYTA Youth Foundation doubled its fundraising and the number of kids impacted through travel.

Carylann also held senior level sales and marketing position at Tiffany & Co with a Washington DC sales territory of 1 million.  Prior to returning to Washington DC, Carylann served as Director of Conferences and Events at both Virginia Tech and University of Virginia.

Carylann Assante, CAE served on the Board of the U.S. Travel Association.


Video interview with
Carylann Assante