Board President
Kenneth Shapiro
Vice President
As Editorial Director, Ken Shapiro is responsible for the growth of notable trade brands TravelAge West and TravelPulse, two of the major travel media organizations in the U.S. As Editor-in-Chief of TravelAge West, he successfully launched Family Getaways, covering family and multigenerational travel, and Explorer, focused on adventure and experiential travel. Under his guidance, these brands have received numerous national and international editorial, design and online awards. TravelAge West and TravelPulse also present the annual WAVE (Western Agents Votes of Excellence) Awards for travel suppliers; the Travvy Awards for industry leaders; the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat for the next generation of travel advisors; and Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) West, one of the top face-to-face marketplace events for advisors. In addition to his position on the FTA board, he is a board member of the travel industry non-profit Tourism Cares.
Board Vice President
Ben Perlo
President and CEO, G Adventures
G Adventures’ Managing Director for the United States and Mexico, Ben Perlo, describes himself first and foremost as a family man who loves travel; then, as a builder of highly competitive and purpose-driven teams intent on changing people’s lives. Perlo joined G Adventures’ leadership group in September 2014, when he was tasked with the challenge of scaling the business at breakneck speed in market where it was young and largely unknown. Since that time, he has overseen a quadrupling of G Adventures’ U.S. workforce and sales, negotiated a number of successful partnerships including with National Geographic Expeditions, and helped the brand earn first-time accolades for innovation from Fast Company, the Inc. 5000, and the Edison Awards.
Board Treasurer
Carylann Assante, CAE
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.
Board Secretary
Ron Gulaskey
Vice President, US Sales & Strategy, Club Med
Ron Gulaskey joins Club Med with more than 20 years of executive experience in the travel industry, most recently serving as Associate Vice President of Global Sales at Celebrity Cruises. His diverse background includes leadership in both the leisure and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE) segments, making him well-suited to drive sales strategy for Club Med's US operations. In his previous role, Ron managed corporate, incentive, gift card, and charter sales, while also leading North America National/Strategic Account Sales & Trade Relations for Celebrity Cruises. His career in travel sales and marketing includes senior roles at Royal Caribbean Group and a strong track record of strategic partnerships with key industry associations like ASTA, ACTA, and CLIA. Prior to entering the travel sector, Ron held significant leadership roles at Polaroid Corporation, focusing on both consumer and commercial markets. Ron's leadership in sales strategy will be pivotal as he oversees travel agency partnerships and MICE sales, further enhancing Club Med's footprint in the US market.
Board Member
Jessica Griscavage
Director of Marketing for McCabe World Travel
Jessica joined McCabe World Travel in 2004 as a travel advisor and has never looked back. Jessica has thrived in the industry, from serving family and friends, to developing several million dollars in annual sales. In 2016, she took on the additional role of Director of Marketing for McCabe World Travel.
Jessica was recognized with Virtuoso’s first Rising Star award in 2009. For the past seven years, Jessica has been named to the Travel+Leisure magazine A-List of top travel advisors. Travel Agent Magazine highlighted her among their Top 25 Agents in 2014, and she has been a Star Performer for Classic Vacations for the last ten years.
Board Member
Angie Wheeler
Angie Wheeler - The Unique Traveler
Angie Wheeler, an ASTA verified Travel Advisor, has been a Travel Advisor since 2014. Her Agency, The Unique Traveler, is part of the Oasis Travel Network and a member of the Signature Travel Network Consortia. She is a Family Travel Specialist, and spends her days helping individual and multi-generational families plan special, memorable vacations to celebrate life achievements. She believes that some of the best memories families can make are while they are on a vacation, enjoying being together, as a family.
Board Member
Tamara Gruber
Founder and Managing Editor, We3Travel and Your Time to Fly
Tamara is a travel content creator, podcaster, and digital publisher specializing in family travel, soft adventure, cultural exploration, and culinary travel. She launched her family travel blog, We3Travel.com in 2013 to make it easier for families to plan their own vacations by offering detailed itineraries, destination guides, and travel tips. As a passionate advocate for the benefits of family travel, Tamara’s goal is to encourage families to travel to new destinations and learn local history and culture in order to make lifelong memories, build resiliency, and raise global citizens.
Board Member
Claire Zlobin
Founder and CEO, Life With A Baby
Claire is the founder and CEO of www.lifewithababy.com. Life With A Baby is Canada's largest peer to peer network of mothers with over 77,000 users. In addition to her parenting network, she owns www.dropofgoldensun.ca; a site focused on sharing fun things to do with kids and family travel.
Claire is a media member of the Family Travel Association and The Society of American Travel Writers. In addition to her sites, she also writes for many freelance publications with a focus on family travel.
Board Member
Karelene Angus-Smith
Associate Director of Industry Affairs for Unique Vacations Inc., Beaches Resort
Karlene is the Associate Director of Industry Affairs for Unique Vacations Inc., an affiliate of the worldwide representative of Beaches Resorts. Karlene works very closely with the ministers and tourism boards representing the beautiful Caribbean islands where Beaches Resorts operates to help build and maintain meaningful and impactful relationships between these destinations and travel associations throughout the United States, like the Family Tourism Association.
Board Member
Melissa DaSilva
President of TTC Tour Brands for North America
Melissa DaSilva is President of the TTC Tour Brands for North America with an industry career spanning 30 years and has worked in both the US and the UK. She has been recognized for an ability to rapidly adjust in a changing business environment, resulting in enhanced business practices, increased productivity, and profits. She has a proven success record of recruiting and developing strong, collaborative teams and delivering consistency in multi-channel organizations.
Board Member
Justin Heckman
National Director of Sales Strategy, USA - Club Med
Justin Heckman, CTA, National Director of Sales Strategy, USA - Club Med - has been in the travel industry for over 15 years. Justin has a strong background in training and development, but he started his career in travel with Club Med, working as a reservation agent in the Paris call center. Returning to the US, he managed the Midwest territory for Club Med as a BDM and then was recruited by Classic Vacations, where he worked for almost 7 years in various roles.
Board Member
Jenn Lee, Vacation Planners International
President
Jenn Lee, President of Vacation Planners, the sister franchise company to Travel Planners International, isn’t shy about her obsession for guiding and leading today’s entrepreneurial-minded travel advisor community. According to Lee, the travel industry is amid a generational change. With veteran advisors and agency owners ready to pass the torch to the next generation, it is imperative that the industry attracts, coaches, and retains the best talent to craft and fulfill the next rendition of the travel advisor role. She believes that those who find success are the ones going beyond boosting their bank account; they’re building a business.
Drawing from her business consulting days, Lee consistently designs sales, marketing, and business building curriculam, serving the advisor community through webinars, in-person sessions, and speaking on the industry’s biggest stages. Proudly serving the travel industry, Lee holds positions on the Carnival Executive Advisory, Travel Age West Advisory, and Collette Advisory Board.
Board Member
Stephanie Lee
Founder, Host Agency Review
Steph Lee is the founder of Host Agency Reviews (HAR), a website that connects over 70k visitors a month to travel industry resources. HAR helps people looking to join the travel industry the roadmap to successfully start and grow their travel agencies. The site also provides resources for experienced advisors' toolkit and heads up an annual survey critical to understanding the hosted advisor community.
Board Member
Ashish Sanghrajka
President, Big Five Tours & Expeditions
With decades of experience in the travel industry, Ashish Sanghrajka serves as President of Big Five Tours & Expeditions, a luxury North American tour operator specializing in bespoke/tailor-made private journeys in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific. Beyond superior service and amazing private fully customized adventures, Big Five honors the best practices of sustainable and socially responsible luxury travel, promoting cultural preservation, community integrity, and conservation of natural resources.
Board Advisor
Peter Bopp
Research Advisor
Peter Bopp serves on the Board of Directors of the Family Travel Association, and works on our strategy, marketing, consumer research and insights. He has managed our family travel research partnership with NYU’s Tisch School of Tourism and Hospitality, and is building the FTA Consumer Panel for ongoing research and feedback benefitting the industry and our member organizations.
PR Advisor
Laura Davidson
CEO & Founder, Laura Davidson Public Relations
Laura Davidson is the creative force behind LDPR, a leading New York-based public relations agency that specializes in travel and lifestyle clients. For more than 25 years it has been in the vanguard of its industry, constantly stretching the traditional boundaries of PR, embracing new digital solutions and adding services for its roster of top international clients. Today LDPR’s client list includes destinations like Scotland, Portland, Oregon and Melbourne/Victoria, Australia; global hospitality brands like Aman Resorts and Abercrombie & Kent; luxury properties like the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in Colorado, the Resort at Paws Up in Montana, Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod, The Boca Raton in Florida, and the new Raffles Hotel in Boston; and a host of domestic hotels and resorts perfect for family travel.
Legal Advisor
Jeff Ment
Ment Law
For more than 20 years, Jeff Ment has represented companies and individuals in the travel industry. His experiences range from helping form new companies to defending companies in litigation. Jeff’s focus is on helping ensure that his clients are always ahead of the curve – following the best practices of our industry. This includes risk management, documentation, vendor selection, tour director training and insurance coverage. Jeff relies on his experience as a travel agent, sales manager for two airlines and work as a tour guide to understand what his clients need most.
Founder of the Family Travel Association
Rainer Jenss
Having traveled to over 60 countries and counting, Rainer is an authority on the subject of family travel and how it can be used as a learning tool. During his family’s around-the-world journey, Rainer reported for National Geographic Traveler’s award-winning Intelligent Travel Blog, recognized as one of the Top 25 Family Travel Blogs by Babble.com in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, Rainer founded Smart Family Travel, Inc., an interactive media and marketing company dedicated to helping families enrich their children’s lives through travel. In 2012, he joined forces with Scholastic to direct a new family travel initiative and content development for the “Smart Family Travel” feature in Parent & Child magazine. On August 29, 2024, Rainer lost his long and brave battle with glioblastoma. HIs spirit and legacy will forever be a part of the FTA and inspire the work we do each and every day!