2026 Annual Conference Speaker Bios
Speakers are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Anna Abelson
Anna Abelson is a seasoned scholar-practitioner, consultant, and Adjunct Assistant Professor with 25 years of experience shaping the global visitor economy through high-impact research, strategic consulting, and university teaching. Serving on the faculties of NYU's Tisch Center of Hospitality and USC, as well as on the board of the Family Travel Association, she specializes in destination marketing, sustainable tourism, and travel behavioral economics. A frequent industry speaker, she actively bridges academic rigor with practical strategy to guide international brands and educate future hospitality leaders.
Mia Blom
Mia Blom serves as Senior Director of Government & Community Affairs for Visit Baltimore and Executive Director of the Visit Baltimore Education and Training Foundation, leading the development of workforce credentials like Charm City Certified, which grew to nearly 2,000 enrollments in its first year, with participant confidence nearly doubling. She teaches at Morgan State University and in Tulane University's John Lewis Public Administration Program, and she is particularly interested in how destinations can measure the return on workforce investment with the same rigor applied to marketing and visitation.
Peter Bopp
Peter Bopp serves as the Advisor for Research for the Family Travel Association. He oversees the family travel research partnership with NYU’s Tisch Center of Hospitality. This annual study on the family travel market has now been published for over 10 years, and is one of the longest and most comprehensive surveys of consumer family travel behavior, preferences and attitudes in the market. He was a founding member of the Family Travel Association and a long term Board Member.
Joe Heller
Joe Heller is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), the official tourism promotion agency for the City of Philadelphia, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Since joining in 2019, he has shaped Philadelphia’s positioning as a top U.S. destination for meetings, conventions, sporting events, and international leisure travel. Heller leads a team of 18 spanning marketing, communications, digital content, and partnerships–the PHLCVB’s official membership program that engages more than 500 partners. Before joining the PHLCVB, Heller served as VP of Brand Strategy and Creative Content for the Philadelphia Flyers and also held the position of VP of Marketing & Communications during his nine seasons with the NHL club.
Neylla Joseph
Neylla is a sophomore at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in Finance and Hospitality Management, with a minor in Hospitality Data Analytics. She completed this research project over the summer as an undergraduate research project supported by ESU’s SURE grant under the guidance of professor, Dr. Yongwook Ju. Neylla’s career goal is to own and operate her own resort. She is especially interested in the operational side of the hospitality industry and wants to gain as much first-hand experience as possible to help her achieve her goals.
Dr. Tanner C. Knorr
Tanner C. Knorr, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of tourism and event management and the Director of the Tourism Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Tanner has been on the NETTRA board since 2022 and his work explores the intersection between tourism studies, Indigenous studies, decoloniality, and community development.
Dr. Jada Lindblom
Jada Lindblom, Ph.D., is an Economic Development State Specialist with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and an Associate Extension Professor of Recreation Management and Policy. She currently serves as the NETTRA Chapter President. She has studied how large, international events may contribute to transformative social impacts upon host communities.
Cinthia Martínez-Cerna
Cinthia Martínez-Cerna is a Research Analyst at MMGY Global, where she conducts custom research for the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry. As a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, she brings a storyteller's lens to data. Her presentation examines how a major event like the 2026 FIFA World Cup shaped resident sentiment in Kansas City and how destinations can apply those insights.
Sean McLaughlin
Sean McLaughlin, MS, is a Lecturer in UNH's Department of Recreation Management and Policy (RMP). Specializing in outdoor recreation, event management, and tourism, Sean focuses on teaching, experiential learning, student mentorship, and developing industry partnerships to prepare students for leadership roles in recreation and resort settings.
Jason Meredith
Jason Meredith is the Manager of Research and Insights at New York City Tourism + Conventions. With his extensive knowledge of the travel industry and New York City performance, he has become a key player in the company’s stakeholder and member reporting efforts. Jason is responsible for monitoring trends in the travel industry, visitor segments and behavior, and generating actionable insights for internal and external constituents. Over his time in Research, he has helped build new models, develop new reports and formats, and supervise the creation of analytic dashboards. This research involves combining quantitative and qualitative data to understand the visitor market and support marketing strategy and planning. Jason has a BS in Economics from St. Lawrence University. He is a native New Yorker with a passion for culture and history.
Sathvika Reddy
Sathvika is Director of Data Insights & Analytics for Meet Boston. Her name means calm and saint-like, though her parents joke they may have picked the wrong one. Sathvika's favorite question has always been "why?", a curiosity that led her to a career in analytics. Today she's a marketing insights leader with over eight years of experience turning consumer, media, and brand data into strategies that drive business impact. She loves collaborating with people who think differently, and she's always REDDY for a challenge (yes, she's heard that one before).
Tina Valdecanas
Tina Valdecanas, CDME, serves as Principal of Visitor Economy Optimization & Community Vitality Architect with Clarity of Place, a Longwoods company. Tina shapes the systems that reveal how the visitor economy can advance a community’s long-term health and prosperity. She architects the analytical frameworks, decision tools, and measures of success that help destination leaders see a more holistic picture of destination competitiveness, weigh tradeoffs, and choose strategies that create durable community vitality rather than short-term wins.
Roni Weiss
Roni Weiss is the Executive Director of Travel Unity, a nonprofit advancing inclusion and belonging across the travel industry. He helps organizations translate values into practical, welcoming experiences.
Carlee Wolfe
Carlee Wolfe leads Integrated Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, shaping global talent and culture strategies across talent acquisition, leadership development, performance management, and colleague insights—all focused on helping colleagues grow, thrive, and bring Hyatt’s purpose of care to life. She is particularly interested in the future of work and the human impact of AI, and extends her passion for creating opportunity through board service with the City of Baltimore Workforce Development Board, Per Scholas, and The Complete Player Charity, as well as volunteering in adaptive sports.
Anna Abelson
Anna Abelson is a seasoned scholar-practitioner, consultant, and Adjunct Assistant Professor with 25 years of experience shaping the global visitor economy through high-impact research, strategic consulting, and university teaching. Serving on the faculties of NYU's Tisch Center of Hospitality and USC, as well as on the board of the Family Travel Association, she specializes in destination marketing, sustainable tourism, and travel behavioral economics. A frequent industry speaker, she actively bridges academic rigor with practical strategy to guide international brands and educate future hospitality leaders.
Mia Blom
Mia Blom serves as Senior Director of Government & Community Affairs for Visit Baltimore and Executive Director of the Visit Baltimore Education and Training Foundation, leading the development of workforce credentials like Charm City Certified, which grew to nearly 2,000 enrollments in its first year, with participant confidence nearly doubling. She teaches at Morgan State University and in Tulane University's John Lewis Public Administration Program, and she is particularly interested in how destinations can measure the return on workforce investment with the same rigor applied to marketing and visitation.
Peter Bopp
Peter Bopp serves as the Advisor for Research for the Family Travel Association. He oversees the family travel research partnership with NYU’s Tisch Center of Hospitality. This annual study on the family travel market has now been published for over 10 years, and is one of the longest and most comprehensive surveys of consumer family travel behavior, preferences and attitudes in the market. He was a founding member of the Family Travel Association and a long term Board Member.
Joe Heller
Joe Heller is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), the official tourism promotion agency for the City of Philadelphia, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Since joining in 2019, he has shaped Philadelphia’s positioning as a top U.S. destination for meetings, conventions, sporting events, and international leisure travel. Heller leads a team of 18 spanning marketing, communications, digital content, and partnerships–the PHLCVB’s official membership program that engages more than 500 partners. Before joining the PHLCVB, Heller served as VP of Brand Strategy and Creative Content for the Philadelphia Flyers and also held the position of VP of Marketing & Communications during his nine seasons with the NHL club.
Neylla Joseph
Neylla is a sophomore at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, double majoring in Finance and Hospitality Management, with a minor in Hospitality Data Analytics. She completed this research project over the summer as an undergraduate research project supported by ESU’s SURE grant under the guidance of professor, Dr. Yongwook Ju. Neylla’s career goal is to own and operate her own resort. She is especially interested in the operational side of the hospitality industry and wants to gain as much first-hand experience as possible to help her achieve her goals.
Dr. Tanner C. Knorr
Tanner C. Knorr, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of tourism and event management and the Director of the Tourism Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Tanner has been on the NETTRA board since 2022 and his work explores the intersection between tourism studies, Indigenous studies, decoloniality, and community development.
Dr. Jada Lindblom
Jada Lindblom, Ph.D., is an Economic Development State Specialist with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension and an Associate Extension Professor of Recreation Management and Policy. She currently serves as the NETTRA Chapter President. She has studied how large, international events may contribute to transformative social impacts upon host communities.
Cinthia Martínez-Cerna
Cinthia Martínez-Cerna is a Research Analyst at MMGY Global, where she conducts custom research for the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry. As a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, she brings a storyteller's lens to data. Her presentation examines how a major event like the 2026 FIFA World Cup shaped resident sentiment in Kansas City and how destinations can apply those insights.
Sean McLaughlin
Sean McLaughlin, MS, is a Lecturer in UNH's Department of Recreation Management and Policy (RMP). Specializing in outdoor recreation, event management, and tourism, Sean focuses on teaching, experiential learning, student mentorship, and developing industry partnerships to prepare students for leadership roles in recreation and resort settings.
Jason Meredith
Jason Meredith is the Manager of Research and Insights at New York City Tourism + Conventions. With his extensive knowledge of the travel industry and New York City performance, he has become a key player in the company’s stakeholder and member reporting efforts. Jason is responsible for monitoring trends in the travel industry, visitor segments and behavior, and generating actionable insights for internal and external constituents. Over his time in Research, he has helped build new models, develop new reports and formats, and supervise the creation of analytic dashboards. This research involves combining quantitative and qualitative data to understand the visitor market and support marketing strategy and planning. Jason has a BS in Economics from St. Lawrence University. He is a native New Yorker with a passion for culture and history.
Sathvika Reddy
Sathvika is Director of Data Insights & Analytics for Meet Boston. Her name means calm and saint-like, though her parents joke they may have picked the wrong one. Sathvika's favorite question has always been "why?", a curiosity that led her to a career in analytics. Today she's a marketing insights leader with over eight years of experience turning consumer, media, and brand data into strategies that drive business impact. She loves collaborating with people who think differently, and she's always REDDY for a challenge (yes, she's heard that one before).
Tina Valdecanas
Tina Valdecanas, CDME, serves as Principal of Visitor Economy Optimization & Community Vitality Architect with Clarity of Place, a Longwoods company. Tina shapes the systems that reveal how the visitor economy can advance a community’s long-term health and prosperity. She architects the analytical frameworks, decision tools, and measures of success that help destination leaders see a more holistic picture of destination competitiveness, weigh tradeoffs, and choose strategies that create durable community vitality rather than short-term wins.
Roni Weiss
Roni Weiss is the Executive Director of Travel Unity, a nonprofit advancing inclusion and belonging across the travel industry. He helps organizations translate values into practical, welcoming experiences.
Carlee Wolfe
Carlee Wolfe leads Integrated Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness at Hyatt Hotels Corporation, shaping global talent and culture strategies across talent acquisition, leadership development, performance management, and colleague insights—all focused on helping colleagues grow, thrive, and bring Hyatt’s purpose of care to life. She is particularly interested in the future of work and the human impact of AI, and extends her passion for creating opportunity through board service with the City of Baltimore Workforce Development Board, Per Scholas, and The Complete Player Charity, as well as volunteering in adaptive sports.