The Family Travel Association Board of Directors represents a passionate group of travel industry professionals dedicated to advancing the world of family and multigenerational travel. Together, they guide the Association’s mission, support members, and strengthen connections across the global travel community.
Board President
Ron Gulaskey, Margaritaville at Sea
SVP, Sales & Trade Relations
Ron Gulaskey is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Partner Relations at Margaritaville at Sea. In this role, he concentrates on enhancing partnerships with travel advisors. Ron returns to the cruise sector following a brief tenure as the US Vice President of Sales & Strategy at Club Med, where he oversaw trade leisure sales and corporate group business. His extensive career includes significant time at Celebrity Cruises, where he served as AVP for National/Strategic Accounts & Trade Relations in North America, in addition to leading Global Corporate Group and Charter Sales. Before entering the travel industry, Ron held various senior sales and marketing positions at Polaroid Corporation in both consumer and commercial sectors. He has received notable accolades, including the 2017 Spirit of NACTA - Supplier Liaison of the Year award, and in 2018, he became the first travel supplier to earn the prestigious ASTA Verified Travel Advisor designation. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in marketing and business logistics from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA from George Mason University. He is currently the President of the Board for the Family Travel Association and has previously served on the Board of Directors for South Florida JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and the Keiser University MBA Advisory Board.
Board Vice President
Jessica Griscavage
Director of Marketing, McCabe World Travel
Jessica founded Runway Travel in 2021 during the pandemic, building on 16 successful years and multiple promotions at McCabe World Travel. Since its launch, Runway has doubled in both size and revenue. She has a 100% recommendation rating on Virtuoso and has been on the Travel+Leisure A-List for 13 consecutive years. As a Family Travel Specialist, she’s been recognized for her expertise in planning unforgettable family getaways—earning features in notable publications including AARP, TravelAge West, and Travel + Leisure. She genuinely enjoys working with her clients, many of whom feel like family.
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
Tamara Gruber
Travel Writer and Podcaster, Your Time to Fly and Vacation Mavens
Tamara is a travel content creator, podcaster, and digital publisher specializing in family travel and travel for midlife women. She ran an award-winning family travel blog from 2013-2025 with a goal of making it easier for families to plan vacations. Today, she continues to share her travel expertise on her website YourTimetoFly.com and as co-host of the Vacation Mavens podcast. 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
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
Adam Consovoy
CEO & Founder of Luxus Travel
With over 11 years of experience in the travel industry, Adam has built a reputation for crafting unforgettable journeys and delivering exceptional service. As the founder of Luxus Travel, a bespoke personalized travel agency based in New Jersey, he leads a small, dedicated team committed to curating unique travel experiences tailored to each client’s preferences. His expertise spans travel throughout Europe and Asia, as well as organizing small ship cruises—both river and ocean—ensuring every detail is thoughtfully managed for a seamless adventure. At Luxus Travel, our passion is helping travelers discover the world with comfort, style, and confidence.
Board Member
Victoria Detz
Founder and Owner of Wishlist Travel Collective
Board Member
Justin Heckman
Head of Sales, Pleasant Holidays
Justin has been in the travel industry for over 20 years. He recently joined Pleasant Holidays, where he leads the sales team for the Pleasant brand. 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, and later returned to Club Med as Director of Sales Strategy.
Board Member
Laura Kreutzer
Travel Industry Sales Director - North America at Visit Orlando
Board Member
Lisa Leone
Director of Marketing, KHM Travel Group
Lisa Leone is the Director of Marketing at KHM Travel Group, where she leads the Digital Marketing, Production, and Communication & PR teams. In her current role she also partners closely with executive leadership to drive strategic initiatives across the organization.
In recognition of her impact, Lisa received the company’s 2022 Limelight Award, honoring her outstanding contributions to its growth and success.
Since joining KHM Travel in 2012, Lisa has also served as Membership Manager, where she oversaw the Membership and Billing teams. She holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and business administration and brings prior experience in nonprofit marketing.
Board Member
Paul Peralvo
Co-Founder & President, Amazing Ecuador DMC
Paul Peralvo is an ecologist, adventure enthusiast, and devoted father and spouse who has spent over 15 years designing and leading immersive travel experiences across Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and South America. He has lived in the Galapagos and traveled extensively throughout the region, gaining deep insight into local communities, ecosystems, and cultures. As a member of the FTA Board, Paul is committed to promoting, connecting, and strengthening family travel communities, advocating for meaningful, sustainable, and enriching experiences that bring families closer together while supporting local communities and conservation.
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 Member
Alicia Stewart
Senior Director of Sales, Carnival Cruise Line
Alicia Steuart has been with Carnival for 25 years. She began her career at Carnival Cruise Line as a Business Development Manager in Central Texas and went onto other roles at the company working with national host accounts, prior to her current position as Senior Director of Sales.
In her role, she develops sales and marketing initiatives with key account partners, creates strategies for travel partner B2B communication and education, and leads a team that provides an award-winning training and engagement platform for independent advisors. She is also a committee chair for education with PATH, Professional Association of Travel Hosts, and is proud to have been recognized as Salesperson of the Year from multiple host agencies, as well as received Carnival’s Founders Award.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Alicia resides in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband and is recently an empty nester with two grown children in college. In her spare time, she volunteers as a member of the Jewel Charity Organization, supporting Cook children’s Hospital, as well as the National Charity League, plays tennis and pickleball and loves traveling with her family as much as possible!
Board Member
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 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 Advisor
Anna Abelson
Anna Abelson is a scholar-practitioner and consultant in global travel and tourism, recognized for her work with international brands and government entities in research and strategic marketing. Her team has earned prestigious awards, including the Magellan and HSMAI Adrian awards, for initiatives with tourism boards and airlines.
Anna is a faculty member at New York University, the University of Southern California, and serves as a business coach at Columbia University’s CU Grow program. She frequently speaks at industry conferences and moderates roundtables, with research focusing on destination marketing, family travel, visitor economy, event management, sustainable tourism, and behavioral economics.
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.
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!