Mike Bowers
People to People Ambassador Programs
2010 Active Member Candidate for SYTA Board of Directors

1.    Briefly describe your experience in the student travel industry, including any volunteer or leadership positions which you have held.

I joined People to People Ambassador Programs two years ago after 35 years in the hospitality and travel industry.  My early experience was in hotel operations, convention planning, food and beverage, and sales and marketing.  I then spent 29 years in senior level management roles in the airlines industry working for Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Mesaba Airlines, a holly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines.  I have been transporting and servicing the public my entire career.


2.    Why do you want to serve on the SYTA Board of Directors?

I got involved with SYTA shortly after I joined People to People Ambassador Programs two years ago. I spent the first year learning how the organization was organized and what its purpose was. Over the past year I increased my participation in SYTA by volunteering for the Professional Development Committee and the 2011 Summit committee. In addition, I been a guest speaker on a SYTA training conference on lessons learned from the H1N1 Pandemic and delivered a presentation last January at the annual summit on emergency response planning.  

I believe now is the time to increase my involvement in the organization and learn more about how I, as a board member, can help all SYTA members. I think I bring a unique perspective to the team as I am not a sales person yet I have experience in Sales and marketing.  My responsibility is to care and serve others, not to make sales or achieve market share growth. I believe I will be able to make a difference and add value to all members of SYTA.

    
3.    How will SYTA benefit if you are elected to the Board of Directors?

I will learn what is currently on the board’s task list and slowly induct myself into the process.  After I have gained this local knowledge I will be able to draw on the many years of experience and be able to add the right suggestions or idea, to help other projects be just a little better.  I have a lot of energy and a large network of contacts that I believe the association can draw on. I know the travel industry and the executives at most all airlines.  I think these contacts will prove to be beneficial when we need advice, speakers, or access to information that would otherwise be hard to obtain.



4.    What do you see as the challenges facing the student travel industry? What can SYTA do to meet those challenges?

The same challenges that all travel and hospitality organization see, reduced demand.  The downturn in the economy has hurt many businesses and it isn’t over yet.  There are some positive trends that suggest we may be heading out of the worst of it.  What smart organizations do during times like these are to keep doing the things you know you need to do so that when the tide changes, your organization and business flourishes. SYTA needs to help its members prepare for that upswing and provide resources and support to help make sure we are all ready.  

I also believe we can do a better job of taking steps to ensure our clients safety. I think I can help in this area by collecting and sharing best practices from the industry so that all members embrace safety and see the results in fewer incidents.

From my chair today I do not have all the answers. What I do have is the desire to seek them out, the experience to recognize the solution when I see it, and the ability to implement that solution.  I do not profess to fully understand all the services SYTA currently provides to its members, but I am a service oriented leader.  I have a tendency to act as an advocate for the customer when dealing with executives in an.  I believe I will view the membership as a customer and will serve to lookout for their interest in all I do with SYTA.

5.    In addition, please prepare a statement of no more than 150 words describing yourself and your reasons for running.

I believe I would make an effective board member because I care about our members and I care about all student travelers. I will continue to learn how to serve both groups to the best of my ability while acting as a board member if elected. I believe I will be able to add value to each SYTA membership by recognizing what is important to members and utilizing the skills I have collected over the course of my career to implement those ideas and projects to meet that objective. I will work to cultivate an environment that fosters the gathering and sharing of best practices in order to help each member organization reach its full potential while striving to travel every single student and leader safely.

Andy Davidson
Masterpiece Tours
Active Candidate for 2010 SYTA Board of Directors

1. Briefly describe your experience in the student travel industry, including any volunteer or leadership positions which you have held.

Following a successful 18 year career as a high school band director in Texas, I've been a student travel planner with Masterpiece Tours for the past twenty years- planning travel for groups ranging in size from 25 -1500. I'm fortunate to have many loyal clients that use my services year in and year out. Since joining SYTA in 2005, I've served as a volunteer and/or mentor at every conference and summit attended. I was vice chair of the 2010 Summit Committee and am currently serving as chair of the 2011 Summit Committee.
 
2. Why do you want to serve on the SYTA Board of Directors?

Everything about my experience in SYTA has been a tremendous benefit to me. Having been involved on the advisory committee level for the past year I've developed a desire to serve, give back and be a part of insuring that SYTA continues to be a relevant and beneficial association for both our Active and Associate membership.

3. How will SYTA benefit if you are elected to the Board of Directors?

If elected, I pledge be an active participant in all meetings and conference calls, sharing
my thoughts, ideas and opinions- formed over 20 years of experience - on the issues
and challenges the board takes on. My ongoing agenda will be promoting decisions that
are for the betterment of our association and to the benefit of our individual members.

4. What do you see as the challenges facing the student travel industry? What can SYTA do to meet those challenges?

I think the challenge we face in the student travel industry is that we never know what the next big challenge will be. Issues such as terrorist attacks, health pandemics (swine flu), declining economy, Secure Flight Passenger Data and TSA Security/Identification requirements, baggage fees, etc. can pop up or change unexpectedly at any time. I think SYTA can help us to meet these challenges by providing relevant education at our conference and summit events-and by responding with timely strategies and suggestions to help members deal with unexpected travel issues when they arise.

5. In addition, please prepare a statement of no more than 150 words describing yourself and your reasons for running.

I have been a student travel planner for 20 years with Masterpiece Tours -a small, 2-person business with a respectable and loyal client base. I wear many hats in our business- CFO/accountant, risk manager, operations, customer service provider, and tour escort. I am running for the board because membership in SYTA has been hugely beneficial to me and my business. Personally, I've developed many wonderful friendships that I would not have otherwise. Professionally, the business contacts made, the education received, and the shared experiences with my peers, have made me a better servant to my clients, and have improved the success and quality of their travel programs. My vision for SYTA is that every current and future member of the organization could benefit as I have - with a renewed affection and passion for our profession, and armed with the tools to make sound decisions for their business.

Tish Losure
Lead USA
2010 Active Candidate for SYTA Board of Directors

1. Briefly describe your experience in the student travel industry, including any volunteer or leadership positions which you have held.

I have been a member of SYTA for 10 years and have my CSTP certificate. I have volunteered at many conferences. I was on the educational committee for almost 6 years and served on the Board of Trustees for SYF for 4 years. I have been both a student tour operator and an associate member of SYTA.

2. Why do you want to serve on the SYTA Board of Directors? 

I want to help the organization grow and flourish. With over 25 years experience in tour and travel, I have many creative ideas. I am known to “get things done’ and have a wonderful relationship with many of the SYTA members. I believe that sitting on the Board of Directors will give me an opportunity to not only learn but to help in the guiding process of the long term success of the organization.

3. How will SYTA benefit if you are elected to the Board of Directors?

I believe I bring a unique quality to the Board. Being both an active and associate member, I believe that my relationships on both sides will benefit the organization with involving more associates members to help strengthen SYTA. I also believe I have some interesting ideas and that I have a strong work ethic and always get things I am assigned completed.

4. What do you see as the challenges facing the student travel industry?  

What can SYTA do to meet those challenges?
One of the top challenges right now within the industry is the economy. Schools budgets are being cut and parents have less money for their kids to travel. SYTA needs to get the word out about using SYTA operators down to the teacher level. SYTA member operators have many benefits to offer, one being buying power with vendors which translate into cost savings for students.

5. In addition, please prepare a statement of no more than 150 words describing yourself and your reasons for running.

Being a good standing SYTA member for 10 years, I have put endless hours of my time into helping in many capacities both SYTA and SYF and enjoyed every minute of it, from serving on the Educational Committee to the SYF Board of Trustees. I have a unique perspective as having been both an active member and an associate member and I feel that brings a whole new level of experience to the SYTA Board of Directors. I have been in the tour and travel industry for 20 years and have an excellent reputation as being honest and hard working. I have years of experience with marketing and branding and feel that is a huge plus to my experience. Running for an active position on the Board will allow me to use my experience and knowledge and allowing me to learn and grow on a professional and personal level.

Tasha Shields
Ellison Travel & Tours
Active Candidate for 2010 SYTA Board of Directors

1. Briefly describe your experience in the student travel industry, including any volunteer or leadership positions which you have held.

As a Business Development Manager with Ellison Tours, I have the pleasure of working with our clients and staff in developing tours across North America and internationally, exposing them to new cultures and enriching travel experiences! I have had the incredible challenge of growing our company’s client base in the French speaking province of Quebec and Eastern Canada. I am grateful to have served on the SYTA Board of Directors for the past 2 years, acting as Secretary this past year. As Ellison Tours participates in SYF’s National Youth Day Out Program this fall, I am thrilled to be working with various associate members in providing a travel experience for a group of deserving youths. 

2. Why do you want to serve on the SYTA Board of Directors?

As the Membership Committee Board Liaison for the past 2 years, I understand the importance of member value and growing our association’s membership. As a Director, I would work towards increasing member value through outreach within the education community, tracking, member to member benefits, inbound and outbound international travel initiatives and educational opportunities for our members.

3. How will SYTA benefit if you are elected to the Board of Directors?

I offer a unique blend of experience, having faced the challenges of a company in an established market, while also understanding the hurdles for companies venturing into new markets. Knowing the complexities of both domestic and inbound/outbound international travel allows me to provide insight that encompasses all of our member businesses needs.

4. What do you see as the challenges facing the student travel industry? What can SYTA do to meet those challenges?

Group leaders arranging their own travel, increased restrictions and costs within the airline industry, the recovering economy as well as providing safe travel are just a few of the challenges within our industry. SYTA needs to persevere and turn these challenges into opportunities by forging relationships with school boards and districts while increasing our visibility through outreach in the education community, by increasing interaction with the airline industry to communicate our member’s needs, by providing a tool for members to offer mutual benefits that encourages student travel in difficult financial times and lastly, by continuing to evolve our Crisis management plan and so members can utilize the plan within their own company, when needed.

5. In addition, please prepare a statement of no more than 150 words describing yourself and your reasons for running.

I am continually amazed at the impact domestic and international travel has on students and youths, year after year. It is my passion for providing this experience that drives me to run for a 2nd term on the Board of Directors. In our quickly changing and evolving world, we continue to face new challenges within our industry. I feel that SYTA is a vehicle that can address many of the issues that are faced in the student travel industry. These challenges have a direct correlation to member value which is a strong initiative for me as a SYTA member and board director. My desire is to address these challenges in a manner that increases member value for both associates and actives, from the United States, Canada and internationally.  I look forward to being your voice on the SYTA Board of Directors!

Bob Hofmann
Broadway Inbound
2010 Associate Candidate for SYTA Board of Directors

1. Briefly describe your experience in the student travel industry, including any volunteer or leadership positions which you have held.

 I have been involved with group travel for Broadway since 1991. Student  travel  is essential for Broadway and has always been a major if not the major focus  of my work on behalf of shows. In fact I was instrumental in forming the first fully  integrated workshop program for Broadway designed with the help of student  tour operators.

 I joined SYTA in its second year and have been very active for the past 7  years.  I've volunteered in a number of capacities and spent the last 4 years as a  Trustee of the SYTA Youth Foundation. I chaired the Foundation in 2008-2009.

2. Why do you want to serve on the SYTA Board of Directors?

 I am very impressed with SYTA and always have been. Some areas of the group  travel industry have suffered over recent years, but over that same time the  student travel industry and SYTA have thrived. We have come to a crossroads:  the association is maturing, it's growing, and continues negotiating a major  transition into new management, all coming together to create new challenges. I  want to help guide the association through that transition and help us meet those  challenges and cross over into a stronger more dynamic association.

3. How will SYTA benefit if you are elected to the Board of Directors?

SYTA will benefit from my long experience with SYTA and throughout the travel  industry. As an Executive Board Member of SYF, I have been an integral part of  the selection process and early transition phase into a new management  company - from Treeline to AMG. When we made that move we also went from  two management contracts (one for SYTA and one for SYF) to one. The  transition is not complete, and I feel my knowledge of the process and my  experience from the SYF side of the house will positively inform and impact the  continuing process for SYTA and the decisions the SYTA board needs to make  on behalf of both SYTA and SYF.

 In addition to my experience with SYTA, I have served on the board of NYC and  Company and I was on the Board and Executive Committee of both NTA and   RSA. I have run a small business, started my own business, was involved in  selling that business to a larger concern, managed the company through its  transition and now run a medium sized business. My experience in the travel  industry is wide and deep and I will bring that experience to the SYTA Board.

4. What do you see as the challenges facing the student travel industry? What can SYTA do to meet those challenges?

 As my answers so far demonstrate, I believe our largest challenges are still  internal and continuing to get our house in order is critical to future success. That  said, I know there are multiple external concerns as well. To me the largest  remains creating awareness of and promoting travel with SYTA members. SYTA  membership needs to be the educators' litmus test when it comes to choosing  travel companies to run programs for their schools.  

Professionalism, accreditation and promoting best business practices are all  methods SYTA employs against that challenge. It's also ultimately a press,  marketing, and communications concern. We have the tools we need to market  the association more fully and I believe we'll get there. In my estimation SYF is a  big part of that effort. SYF is the heart of the association and needs to be at the   center of the PR efforts and inform how we interact with educators and students.  We need to leverage SYF more for the benefit of SYTA. Doing so takes careful
 coordination and management.

5. In addition, please prepare a statement of no more than 150 words describing yourself and your reasons for running.

 The necessity of student travel is near and dear to my heart. As a student I was  deeply affected by the experiences that travel provided me. From my elementary  and middle school days with small class trips into Washington, Baltimore, and  NYC, to my high school spring break to Orlando and Daytona, to my college  sponsored travel from North Carolina back to NYC and my first experiences with  Broadway - travel has influenced my life. Now as a father of two young children  who knows the value of quality travel programs, I want to be intimately involved  in assuring that as many children as possible have the opportunity to expand  their world through travel. I am a dedicated and experienced professional with a  great love of travel and respect for student travel. I want to be part of the SYTA  leadership to help move forward and positively affect more kids.

Carl Prince
Broadway.com/Theatre Direct
2010 Associate Candidate for SYTA Board of Directors

1. Briefly describe your experience in the student travel industry, including any volunteer or leadership positions which you have held.

Leadership positions within SYTA include:
-chair of the professional development committee (current)
-chair of the sponsorship task force (2007/08)
-associate director on the SYTA Board (2003-06, re-appointed in 2007 to fill vacancy). 
-Montreal conference chair (2003)
-Trustee of the SYTA Youth Foundation (2002-2004)

I’ve also served on the Travel Industry Marketing Committee (now Membership Development), the conference committee, Destination SYTA, and have been a conference volunteer since 2000.

In addition to SYTA, we are also members and active participants in the British Educational Travel Association.

2. Why do you want to serve on the SYTA Board of Directors?

Since I personally became involved in SYTA in 1999, I’ve devoted a great deal of my professional career to the growth and prosperity of this association -– from the moment we “arrived” on the scene to the moment we became the great travel industry success story and the standard by which other, more established travel trade associations have measured themselves.  But as we have matured, our growth has naturally leveled off.  It’s time to revitalize and re-energize our growth with bold, new thinking and initiatives.

I also believe that to be considered relevant, SYTA must take major steps to become a trusted brand within the education community, not just the travel industry.  We’ve made major strides in this area recently, but, again, bold, new thinking is needed.

3. How will SYTA benefit if you are elected to the Board of Directors?

My experience, leadership, and the ability to see the big picture will be beneficial. And, as I’ve demonstrated in the past, I will always cast my vote in the best interest of the association and my fellow associate members, even if it is not in the best interests of my company.

4. What do you see as the challenges facing the student travel industry? What can SYTA do to meet those challenges?

In the short-term, the economy; in the long-term, safety and security.  The world looks much different today than when I started in this business and as it continues to change, new and unforeseen threats, challenges, and temptations – things that we can’t even imagine now – are assured.  SYTA must be a rock in this uncertain world: we can earn the trust of the education community by demonstrating our expertise in student travel, commitments to financial soundness and safety, and continuing education and professional development for all members. 

5. In addition, please prepare a statement of no more than 150 words describing yourself and your reasons for running.

In addition to SYTA leadership positions already described, I’ve also served on the NTA board and leadership teams, various ABA committees including Attraction Representative on the current MAC committee, and committees for IMG, RSAA, and HSMAI. 

My career in travel and tourism began as a hotel desk clerk while attending the University of Texas in Austin.  After graduating in 1989, I moved to California and ultimately to New York City, where I’ve had the great fortune of working for the biggest attraction of them all: Broadway.  Along the way, I’ve worked for hotels, restaurants, and even a student tour operator.  I am currently vice president at Theatre Direct and Broadway.com/Groups – my “home” since 1999.  

As your board member, I will leverage my industry leadership and my experience working in all areas of the travel and tourism industry to keep SYTA an excellent investment for you.