Sessions    Speakers     Travefy Academy

Adam Duckworth founded Travelmation in 2012 with a dream, much like Walt Disney when he set his heart on creating “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” 

That dream came true. Today, Travelmation is a national, innovative travel agency that creates unforgettable and personalized travel experiences for clients around the world.

After selling travel for three years in Ohio, Duckworth saw an opportunity to reinvent the traditional travel agency by focusing on digital systems and reducing overhead to create an ideal environment for experienced and aspiring agents to sell travel. Travelmation keeps costs to the agent low while offering onboarding, client support, continuing education and access to its growing book of more than 700 vendors.

Alongside his leadership team, he has also built a strong brand that agents leverage to build thriving businesses. Its 2022 campaign, “Get out there,” encouraged travelers to start exploring again after the Covid-19 pandemic—a time when the agency doubled in size, welcoming its 1,000th agent. 

Travelmation is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and an Earmarked Diamond Producer; a U-Preferred agency for Universal Orlando; a Preferred Partner of Royal Caribbean International; and a verified Sandals and Beaches agency. The company is part of the Travel Leaders Network President’s Circle and Cruise Lines International Association.

Keisha Adriano is the CEO of Travelwise International, a boutique luxury travel company focused on unique experiences centered around authenticity, transformation, and connection.

Keisha understands the importance of community, she shares her time as a mentor by developing and coaching upcoming starts up and aspiring travel advisors with focus on leadership, business acumen, and digital marketing.

As travel enthusiast, Keisha has visited many rare and exotic countries such as Cuba, China, and Philippines. She holds the designations of The Verified Travel Advisor Program (ASTA), serves as Chapter Secretary for the ASTA Central Atlantic, a member of the Travel Leaders Network, and is an ASTA Premium Member. Keisha has been selected as a 2022 Ambassador for GTM and recognized as a Future Leader in Travel by Travel Weekly.

I love notebooks, Nespresso, and brand-new Sharpie pens. I’m a first-born Enneagram 1 (intense, right?). I love building things, systems, efficiency, organization, and to-do lists. 

I’m a self-critic (hello, Enneagram 1). A wife. An aunt. A foster mom. A ferocious traveler. 

I hold a lot of boxes (AKA wear a lot of hats) as the Founder of bookitbox TRAVEL. I am personally involved in designing each client’s travel experience, every social media post, and crafting our Inside the Box Club emails.  

Kimberly’s passion for Italy began nearly three decades ago when she first visited Italy during her studies in Siena and Florence. Since then, she has traveled extensively throughout Italy amassing local contacts in most regions. During her numerous visits, she experienced an authentic side of Italy which was not being offered by group tour companies so she started Luxury Italian Tours nearly a decade ago.

The Company’s growth also led to the launches of Luxury Italian Honeymoons, Luxury Italian Wine Tours and Luxury Italian Villas. Kimberly is also passionate about Italian wine and was named an Italian Wine Ambassador by Vinitaly University in Verona where she completed her coursework. 

For over 30 years, Kathy’s journey has taken her from corporate travel management to host agency owner, hotel industry sales and marketing executive, and consultant for hotel contract procurement and negotiations for groups and conventions. Kathy recently moved to California to be closer to her family where she joined the Napa Valley Wine Train as the Area Group Sales Manager. You may also recognize her as a previous member of the Travefy Sales Team.

Ron is one of the world's leading experts on email marketing, social media marketing and other online platforms/tools. He is an incredibly entertaining, knowledgeable and engaging presenter who is truely passionate about helping small busineses and nonprofit organizations. 

Amber Zakem is an experienced Marketing Manager with a demonstrated history of working with small businesses to create digital marketing business plans. As a marketing professional, who focuses on content creation and brand recognition, Amber has a passion for instituting and executing digital marketing services for businesses throughout many industries. From planning, creating, producing, and consulting, Amber focuses on the unique needs of the individual business. 

Amber Zakem received her Bachelor’s of Science (BS) from Central Michigan University with a degree in History and English in 2014. She also received her Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Marketing in 2020 from Central Michigan University. 

Amber has worked in digital marketing since 2014 and opened Haus Social in 2021

Vanessa McGovern, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Gifted Travel Network, is a fierce advocate for travel advisors, an award-winning industry educator, and a sought-after speaker at various industry events. Vanessa co-founded a host agency that has attracted attention throughout the industry for its innovative approach to supporting, educating, and grooming successful travel entrepreneurs. Gifted Travel Network has quickly grown to be a leading agency within Virtuoso and leads the way in attracting new-to-industry professionals to enter the industry. Vanessa is a well-known business coach helping hundreds of travel entrepreneurs to increase profitability and satisfaction with their businesses. 

Vanessa is a master at modern selling techniques and teaches advisors how to build profitable businesses. She serves on the ASTA Board of Directors Executive Committee and sits on the Government Affairs and Political Action Committee. Vanessa also spearheads ASTA Advocacy Awareness Day and recently co-hosted ASTA’s Advocacy Dinner, which broke the ASTA record in single-night fundraising. Three months ago, Vanessa was named Godmother to the Scenic & Emerald Cruises Emerald Luna. She is a huge cheerleader for all travel advisors and is known for her positive outlook and infectious personality. Vanessa lives in Mooresville, NC, with her husband Don and two kids, Ethan and Ella, along with their new King Charles Spaniel puppy, Reyna Elizabeth. 

For Angela Hughes, coaching and creating marketing strategies for travel professionals and travel companies has always been her passion. For 35+ years, she has been actively selling and operating Trips & Ships Luxury Travel, a full service travel agency. As a Certified Travel Consultant since 1993, Angela has made it her mission to create premium bespoke experiences through her luxury consultation business all while privately consulting agencies to build their luxury travel market space through her Luxury Travel University. She is considered a true professional among her industry colleagues.

She has been featured in Luxury Travel Advisor magazine, appeared on Fox35 TV as a regular travel contributor, and often guest speaks around the country and on social media. Hughes lectures as an adjunct professor at BYU in Geography and Travel & Tourism. She has travelled to over 87 countries and previously lived in Osaka, Japan.

Angela also gives back through travel via their non-profit Color My World creating humanitarian trips meeting sustainable development goals around the world.

Scott Rutz is a part of the founding team at Travefy and leads Travefy’s marketing and sales efforts. Scott has a background in marketing and advertising, but has found a new home helping connect great technology with leading travel and tourism brands.

Travefy’s expanded platform for itineraries, proposals, client management, and websites is trusted by thousands of travel brands worldwide. Learn more at Travefy.com.

Ragan began her career at Brownell Travel before making a brief shift to corporate travel management, where she found that her true passion is in the luxury market. Appearing in publications such as BRIDES, the WSJ, Washington Post, VERANDA Magazine and Travel Weekly, Ragan has positioned herself as leading the way in the luxury market. She is ardent in selecting each piece of her client's trip, listening to her client's passions and understanding the nuances in each of their interests, seeking to create the ideal journey each time. 

In addition to her travel business, Ragan owns and operates The Travel Studio, a jewel-box retail store located in Mountain Brook, Alabama featuring travel-centric luxury goods and a co-working space for independent travel advisors offering community, unparalleled industry resourced and endless advisor inspiration. When Ragan is not working, she enjoys traveling with her husband and young son. At home, you can find her out walking her two golden retrievers, Scout and Ranger, or enjoying one of the many great restaurants in Birmingham.

Stephanie Gries joined the Travefy team in 2015 and has been having a blast meeting with travel professionals and creating webinar content ever since! In 2018, Stephanie helped launch Travefy Academy, a free and educational resource for travel advisors, which produces webinars, a podcast, and article content. 

Since Travefy Academy's launch, Travefy has been able to produce multiple virtual events like Sales Workshop to help travel professionals build their businesses and connect further within the travel community. 

Ted Blank didn't choose travel as a career - travel chose him! A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Ted graduated from St. Olaf College and received an MBA from the University of St. Thomas before spending fifteen years in sales and marketing leadership roles in the health care industry. Travel has always been Ted's passion, and it's been his great joy to combine his passion with his profession since changing careers ten years ago.  

Ted loves opening new doors for travelers, helping them to chart their own paths to discover the world. He has visited all fifty states as well as over three dozen foreign countries on five continents. Ted is the host of The Travel Show, heard weekly on KDWA Radio and online, and owns Ted Blank Luxury Travel & Adventure, a River Falls-based travel agency specializing in river cruising, European travel, and luxury cruises. 

Joy Crutchfield is the 2020 Recipient of the National Leadership in Travel award from Travel Age West and the Globus Family of Brands.