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# ASTA announces results of recent elections
- URL: https://hospitality.pro/asta-announces-results-of-recent-elections/
- Published: 2013-08-13T08:32:40.000Z
- Updated: 2013-08-13T08:32:40.000Z
- Author: H L
- Tags: #wordpress, #Import 2026-04-16 12:15

ALEXANDRIA, VA ? The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), the global advocates for travel, has announced the results of its recent elections. The two-year terms of the newly elected directors will begin at the close of ASTA?s Global Convention in Miami this coming September.

The following are the newly elected national directors-at-large, in alphabetical order:

Jay Ellenby – Safe Harbors Business Travel Group

Caitlin Gomez – Hickory Global Partners, LLC

John I. Lovell, CTC – Breton Village Travel Services, Inc.

Laura Rodriguez-Verbera – Marina Tours And Travel Arizona LLC

Leo Zabinski, CTC, MCC, DS – Classic Travel

National Directors serving the second year of their two-year terms include:

Roger Block, CTC – Travel Leaders Franchise Group

Jason Coleman, CTC, ECCS, LCS, CLS, DS – Jason Coleman, Inc.

Jackie Friedman – Nexion

John Lovell, CTC – Vacation.com

The incumbent Board of Directors convenes in September to elect the new Executive Committee from the above nine directors-at-large. The Executive Committee is composed of the Chairman, Vice President and Secretary, Treasurer, and ASTA?s CEO & President as an ex-officio and non-voting member. The new Board will come together for the first time in September at the ASTA Global Convention.

ASTA?s governance structure calls for a Board of Directors that consists of nine national directors elected at-large for two-year, staggered terms, three chapter presidents, the chair of the International Chapter Presidents Council (ICPC), two Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) members and one NACTA member director. At its recent meeting, the Chapter Presidents Council elected the following chapter presidents to sit on the Board: Ryan McGredy (YPS Chapter and CPC Chair), Marilyn Bell Zelaya (Northern California Chapter and Vice-Chair), and Jorge Sanchez (Midwest Chapter and ASTAPAC Chair).

For those chapters that held officer elections this year, the results are as follows:

Carolinas

President – James Buckley  
Vice President ? Joan Papst, CTC, MCC  
Secretary ? Russell Pickett, ECC, MBA  
Treasurer ? Juliet Deseo

Central Atlantic

President ? Richard Schwartz, CTC, DS, ACC  
Vice President ? Heather Dolstra, CTC  
Secretary ? Mary Peters, CTC  
Treasurer ? Jay Ellenby

Central & North Florida

President ? Jesse Mackey  
Vice President ? Gail Miller, CTC, MCC  
Treasurer ? Allyn Ryan, CTC  
Secretary ? Cecilia Meacham

Delaware Valley

President ? Jason Holland, CTA  
Secretary – Kari Thomas, CTC, CNS

Great Lakes

President ? JoAnne Verboom  
Michigan Vice President ? Chris Wommer, CTIE, DS  
Wisconsin Vice President ? Dianne Moore, CTC  
Treasurer ? Caroline Kowalik  
Secretary ? Donna Cooper

Hawaii

President ? Patricia Tervola  
Vice President/Secretary ? Rachel Shimamoto, CTC  
Treasurer ? Charmaine Chan

Long Island

President ? Carol McParland, ACC, CTC  
Vice President ? Gerald Mack  
Treasurer ? Debra Kalsmith-Sternberg  
Secretary ? Gretchen Stalb

MidAmerica

President ? Claudia Darling, CTC, MCC  
1st Vice President ? Dan Lanser, CTC  
2nd Vice President ? Barbara Mazzola, CTC, MCC  
Treasurer ? Robert Elking  
Secretary ? Pamela Faust, CTC

Northern California

President ? Marilyn Bell Zelaya  
1st Vice President ? Ryan McGredy  
2nd Vice President ? Paul Demers  
Treasurer ? Annette Weber

New England

President ? Gabriel Garavanian  
Secretary/Membership Chair ? Theresa Strauss  
Treasurer ? Michael Taylor, ACC, CTC  
Immediate Past President/ASTAPAC Chair ? Mike Spinelli, Jr.

New York City

President ? Ralph Vasami  
Immediate Past President ? Alice Tillem  
Vice President ? Barbara Colombo, CTC  
Secretary ? Jack Tillem  
Treasurer ? Lucy Penna  
Boro VP Queens/Brooklyn/Staten Island ? Joann Costagliola  
Boro VP Manhattan ? Bill McCue, ACC, CTC, DS, MCC  
Boro VP Bronx/Westchester ? Barbara Jathas, DS

Orange County

President ? Betsy Geiser  
1st Vice President ? Betty Cox, CTIE,CTC,DS  
2nd Vice President ? Karl Rosen  
Secretary ? Paula Singleton  
Treasurer ? Dick De Rose

###### Source eTurboNews