Kathy Briski has a proven track record in travel procurement sourcing and category management, developing and enforcing corporate policies and procedures, overhauling ineffective methods, implementing new efficient technologies, containing costs, and utilizing champion negotiation techniques. Over her career, Kathy has worked in a variety of industries including aerospace, banking, entertainment, software, merger and acquisitions, and consulting. She has held positions such as Vice President of Corporate Purchasing & Travel for MGM Studios, Director of Travel and Purchasing for Platinum Equity, Travel Category Manager for Accenture and Senior Category Manager – Corporate Travel Programs for IBM - Global Process Services. Kathy is currently the Travel Category Leader at The Boeing Company. Kathy holds a Masters in Business Administration, C.P.M. (Certified Purchasing Manager) and CCTE (Certified Corporate Travel Manager) designations. She is an active member of GBTA (Global Business Travel Association), and Los Angeles Business Travel Association (LABTA). She currently holds the President title for LABTA (Los Angeles Business Travel Association).

Maria Chevalier is a 25 industry veteran.    She has lead several large global programs with spend in excess of $1 billion in T&E to include Global Director of Travel & Meeting Services for HP and Johnson & Johnson.    Her scope included procurement and management of agency, airline, hotel, ground and credit card.    In addition she was VP of Hotel Consulting/Relations for BCD Travel.    She is a winner of several industry awards including Travel Manager of the Year and is frequently quotes in major publications including Wall Street Journal, NY Times and BTN.

Colyer is the Manager of the Exelis Corporate Travel Department. Exelis Inc. is a diversified, top-tier global aerospace, defense and information solutions company with strong positions in global markets. The Exelis CTD supports 5,000 travelers worldwide with annual T&E spend of $100,000,000+ through the use of an online booking tool and 4 Exelis travel agents. René has global travel management responsibilities and oversees all CTD operations and technologies. Rene’s past experience, education, and work ethics elevated her through the corporate ranks into Travel Management in 2007 and were excellent preparation for the constants travel industry changes and challenges. René never forgets that in the midst of business travel there is a person who has left his or her local comfort zone for foreign destinations to conduct business at the will of the corporation and at conclusion of the business the weary traveler simply wants to return home to family. It is her duty to ensure the Exelis travelers have the highest level of security, productivity and most cost effective travel arrangements. René is a graduate of Daytona State College with a degree in computer programming and holds a CCTE and GTP designations. René is also the Treasurer of the Corporate Travel Department Association.

Tony assumed leadership of PhoCusWright in July 2013. A travel industry veteran, he is an accomplished executive with rich expertise in travel and technology and a passion for moving the industry forward. As Managing Director, he builds on the strength of PhoCusWright’s premier research and events to foster growth and expand the company’s global reach. Prior to joining PhoCusWright, D'Astolfo served as Chief Sales Officer for next-generation car service GroundLink. Previously, he fueled substantial growth as Senior Vice President, Travel Services at Rearden Commerce, where he assembled and led a team that built a distribution network of over 50 travel management companies and added 7,000 customers. His record of success in the corporate travel technology space began with B2B e-commerce leader GetThere, where he led the pre-IPO startup as Vice President of Sales during an explosive growth period that saw a tenfold increase in revenues and an increase in the customer base from five to over 2200. Prior to GetThere, he spent more than 19 years in leadership roles at United Airlines, including his last assignment as National Sales Manager for the UK and Ireland. Tony is a long time member of GBTA and ACTE, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of ACTE. A frequent speaker at travel industry conferences around the world, he is also the author of the popular travel industry blog CarryingOn.

Since his appointment as Farelogix President and CEO in January 2005, Jim Davidson has transformed the company’s vision and product offerings to focus on broader opportunities within travel distribution technology. Under his leadership, Farelogix solutions are in production on six continents and the company has transformed into a true global force in travel. A passionate thought leader on topics such as travel distribution, direct connect, merchandising and ancillary revenue, Jim was named one of the 25 Most Influential Executives in the Business Travel Industry by Business Travel News. Prior to Farelogix, Jim held a series of senior positions in supply chain and travel distribution management, including president and CEO of NTE; and president and CEO of Amadeus Global Travel, North America. He holds a BA in Business Management, a Masters of Science in Education and an MBA.

James has more than 16 years of experience in the travel industry with proven success in CEO, M&A and Business Development roles within global startups and Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining Yapta, James was CEO of EZYield.com, Inc. where he was responsible for orchestrating the sale of the company to TravelClick in November 2011. Earlier in his career, James was CEO and General Manager of Moneydirect, an international joint venture between Sabre Inc. (USA) and Amadeus IT (Spain) that processed over $2.5 billion in travel payment transactions annually. Prior to Moneydirect, he spent more than a decade at Sabre Holdings where he served as VP of New Business Ventures, among other roles within the organization. James holds an M.B.A. and BA in Accounting, both from Washington State University.

Christopher Flores is a seasoned sales and marketing professional, having worked for two INC 500 firms, a travel trade association, and a travel agency consortium. He is currently the Manager of Agency Participation Programs at the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), located in Arlington, Virginia. In this role, he is responsible for the strategy and management of ARC’s Participation, including the Ticket Reporting Agency (TRA), Verified Travel Consultant (VTC), and Corporate Travel Department (CTD) programs, in addition to overseeing key account and customer experience management. Christopher also sits on the VTC Program Advisory Board, which he assembled in 2009, and is an advisor for ARC’s agency-facing products and services, such as Helix, ARC MarketPlace and Agent’s Choice. Additionally, he is involved with strategic partnerships, along with industry relations, to expand ARC’s presence in the market. Christopher holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Auburn University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with an emphasis on organizational behavior, and a minor in communications from West Virginia University.

Dave Hilfman is Senior Vice President Sales for United, the world’s leading airline. In this role, Hilfman is responsible for directing the efforts of a team of more than 800 sales professionals who manage sales programs, relationships and revenue with corporations, travel management companies and distributors around the world. Hilfman was previously Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales for Continental Airlines from 2004 to 2010, where he oversaw a team composed of more than 600 sales professionals. Hilfman started his airline career in 1981 with Eastern Airlines as a campus sales representative at the University of South Florida. He held sales positions of increasing responsibility with Eastern throughout the southeastern United States until joining Continental Airlines in 1986 where he served as Regional Sales Manager in New York City and Director of the Western Sales Division based in Los Angeles. In 1992, Hilfman moved to the airline’s corporate headquarters in Houston, where he held the positions of Senior Director of U.S. Field Sales, Vice President of Multinational Sales and Revenue Programs and Vice President of Sales and Reservations. Hilfman graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in finance. He’s an avid golfer and has one son.

Tom Kallas is a 30 year industry veteran, and brings extensive expertise and an “insider’s view” into the TMC industry. For the past two years, Tom has served as Vice President of Global Sales for Travelocity Business (now a part of BCD Travel) Tom was responsible for new sales activity, and was a member of the TBiz executive team. In addition, he was personally responsible for pricing, profitability and contract execution for new customers. Prior to Travelocity Business, Tom held a variety of roles in the BCD Travel organization and predecessor companies (BTI Americas and IVI Travel) For the twelve years prior to Tom’s retirement from BCD at the end of 2010, Tom served in the roles of both Division President as well as General Manager for North America. Tom’s areas of expertise include online booking, account management, field finance and profitability, contract negotiation, supplier relations and revenue enhancement, mid and back office systems and sales as well as field human resources. Additionally, BCD’s Canadian operation, including account management, operations and sales reported to Tom through the end of his career with BCD Tom helped develop and led both the global sales and account management groups for Business Travel International from its inception in 1990 up through the dissolution of the partnership in 2006. Tom started his travel career in the early 80’s with Avis Rent a Car System, Inc., and held sales roles at both Thomas Cook Travel USA and Rosenbluth International in the 1980’s.

Peter Kane is the North America Marketing Communications Manager for AirPlus International. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and based in Frankfurt, Germany, AirPlus International is one of the leading global providers of solutions for daily business travel management. More than 40,000 business customers in 60 countries rely on AirPlus for their business travel payment and data analysis needs. Within AirPlus, Peter is responsible for all external communications in the United States and Canada, including marketing, public, and press relations. Prior to joining AirPlus, Peter was Director of Membership Marketing for InfoComm International®, the leading global audiovisual trade association. In this role, he was responsible for all member communication, recruitment, and retention in the United States and Canada. Before InfoComm, Peter was Manager of Global Marketing and Operations at the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), where he was responsible for all external communications, including the marketing of events in more than 50 cities and nearly 30 countries. Additionally, Peter has worked as an Account Executive for Greystone Partners – a full-service public relations and advertising agency – representing organizations including OSRAM SYLVANIA and the Jamestown 400^th Anniversary Commission, and as an Associate for business and communications consultancy, Sam Waltz & Associates. Professionally, Peter is an advocate for the business travel industry and its positive impact on the advancement of globalization and economic growth. He believes in open, honest, and personal communication between organizations, their customers, and the public. Peter is a graduate of the University of Delaware (2006), where he studied Political Science and English. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University, where his research interests include the increasingly rapid advancement of technology and its impact on industries (particularly travel) and society, both positively and negatively, as well as the relationship between high-impact entrepreneurship and economic development. A resident of Arlington, Va. and  originally from Rhinebeck, NY, Peter’s passions include travel, running and golfing, as well as the Manchester United Football Club and New York professional sports teams (Yankees, Giants, Rangers, and Knicks). He is an avid reader whose interests include public policy, history, science, and technology.

Mick joined Citigroup in October 2009 as Managing Director, Head of the Global Travel Department. Her global remit includes Airline, Hotel, Travel Technology, Ground Transportation, Corporate Card, Travel Agency Operations, and Travel Industry Vendor Relationships. In addition to her role in travel at Citi, she is the Head of Expense Efficiency for Travel & Entertainment, Meetings & Events, and Employee Benefits and the global head of Corporate Services Communications. Prior to joining Citigroup, Mick was a Managing Director for 10 years at Credit Suisse, where she managed a variety of departments, including Travel Services, Corporate Housing, Executive Aircraft, Corporate Events, Media Services, as well as Library & Archive Services. In addition to her previous roles in the Investment Banking industry, Mick has held various executive travel management positions in the fashion industry and travel agency management. Mick is a frequent speaker at industry functions, including the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and the Global Business Travel Association. Business Travel News named her the 2001 Travel Manager of the Year and a 2011 Best Practitioner. In January 2012, she was also ranked as one of the 25 Most Influential Executives of the Business Travel Industry alongside Steve Jobs, and Ray LaHood, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. She is a chair of the Women’s Leadership Council representing over 27,000 women across Operations & Technology and serves as a mentor for several women across the organization. Additionally, Mick is a member of the Citi Women Committee and serves as a Direct Member at Large on the Board of the Global Business Travel Association.

As Corporate Travel Manager for Alliance Data, Susan manages the enterprise wide CTD travel program with responsibility for daily operations of travel department and staff, travel technology/training, financial & vendor management, as well as contract negotiation/performance with an annual air spend upwards of $10MM. Susan has earned her CCTE (Certified Corporate Travel Executive) certification through GBTA/Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration as well as her GLP Designation through GBTA/The Wharton School of Business. She is an active member of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the Corporate Travel Department Association (CTDA) and the DFW Business Travel Association (DFWBTA).

Dave has been a part of Grasp since late 2005 – first as an investor in Grasp and then in the VP/CSO role. Dave has unique experience in working with over 3000 businesses in various roles in sales and sales management, most notably with Paychex, Inc. He is also an experienced entrepreneur – creating 5 other profitable ventures. He is the architect of Grasp’s sales and go-to market strategies and is responsible for the strategic growth of Grasp. He works closely with founder Erik Mueller and the Grasp teams every day to provide the best services and solutions to Grasp clients. Dave is also a best-selling author and is a contributor to Forbes online. Dave holds a BA in Business Management and Economics from Baldwin-Wallace College and lives with his wife in Columbus, Ohio.

Andrew started his career with TWA and during a 9-year period he worked in various departments in Passenger Reservations. He served as TWA’s Regional Manager of Interline Sales, and later as the first Regional Manager of Automation Sales. Menkes founded and served as CEO of Priority Travel, Inc. a New York based agency with International offices in London and Hong Kong. He also held various regional and executive positions for a number of Mega Travel Agencies. Menkes was Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Administration for A.C.T.E. (Association of Corporate Travel Executives) and a member of its Executive Committee. He has also served on the Technology Committee of the Corporate Travel Association of New York, as well as on the Board of Directors of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). He joined Republic New York Corporation in January of 1997 as its first Vice President of Global Travel Management. Menkes has received recognition as the first Travel Manager to be accredited by ARC as a Corporate Travel Department (CTD). He also pioneered the first corporate-direct (Internet-based) Electronic Ticket purchase with British Airways and initiated a similar web-based program with Jet Blue in the U.S. One year after Republic merged with HSBC, Menkes founded Partnership Travel Consulting (PTC).

GetGoing is a venture-backed San Francisco startup focused on helping travelers discover and book affordable trips. GetGoing, has developed new search and booking technologies to make travel easier and more affordable for all. These efforts have been recognized with several patents already, and continue to innovate. As an Officer of the company, Frank leverages his many years of sales leadership by working closely with the GetGoing founders and team in marketing and technology departments. Before joining GetGoing Frank was a full partner at Heidrick & Struggles. In this role he acted as a trusted advisor to many of the Global Board members and top CEO’s throughout the travel industry. He spent more than 30 years in the travel industry and held several senior managerial positions with American Airlines in sales and general management, both in the field and at headquarters. His previous management experience touches all facets of the travel industry. He also serves on the board of directors for the Texas Tourism Industry Association as the Chair-elect , Business Travel News Board as well as Chief Advisor and Board member for Seatboost and he has been a featured speaker and panelist at top aviation and travel conferences around the world.

President and CEO of Fare Audit, Inc. A Connecticut company founded in 1987. Marty started his career in the travel business with Hertz. From 1969 through the mid 80’s Marty held a variety of management positions including National Accounts manager. In 1987 Marty joined Fare Audit as VP sales and in 1989 bought the company from then owner Dick McKenna. Since then Marty has built the company to multi- national travel audit firm that does work on a global basis. Starting with airfares the company added hotel audits in early 2002.

Steven Schoen, director of mobility services in Siemens' Supply Chain Management Indirect Materials organization, is responsible for managing al indirect spend and service management for travel management, vehicle management, marketing/communications and meeting/event management in North America. Previously, as Siemens director of travel and event management services at Global Shared Services, Steven reengineered the travel management program in the United States and Canada, aligned North American strategy and processes with the global travel management team, and was responsible for building the SEMS program and end-toend platform-Siemens' first meeting and event management program. Before joining Siemens, Steven served as travel management director at The Coca-Cola Co., vice president of customer and distribution services at Amadeus, and managing partner of travel management and technology consultancy The Global Group.

Derek Sharp has global responsibility for all of Travelport’s commercial relationships with airlines, rail and rental car companies. In this role, he leads a worldwide team of sales and business development experts focused on growing Travelport’s revenue by expanding and improving upon the company’s value proposition to the supplier community. In addition to his supplier role, Mr. Sharp also manages Travelport’s airline IT solutions business, which delivers hosting and IT solutions to airlines around the world. Mr. Sharp joined Travelport in 2010 from EDS/HP where he held numerous senior roles in the US, Europe and Asia in strategic sales, corporate development and major account management. Prior to EDS/HP, Mr. Sharp worked as a management consultant with Bain & Company and as an international account executive with United Parcel Services (UPS). He holds a BA in Political Science from Texas A&M University and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Mr. Sharp lives in Flower Mound, Texas, with his wife, Missy, and their three children.

Doug Weeks is the Director, Global Sourcing and Travel with Booz & Company located in McLean, Va. With more than 3,300 staff worldwide and more than 50 offices, Booz & Company is a global management consulting firm that provides strategy, organization and change leadership, operations and information technology management services to the world's top businesses, governments and other institutions. In his current role, Doug is responsible for the sourcing and contract management of all travel categories and services throughout the Firm totaling nearly $300M USD annually. He also oversees and manages sourcing and contract management activities for other categories including IT hardware and services, HR professional services, and other professional services categories purchased throughout the Firm. Prior to joining Booz & Company in 2008, Doug worked as the senior manager of global travel for Booz Allen Hamilton from 2000-2008, where he oversaw all aspects of travel management for the company. Before joining Booz Allen, Doug served as a travel industry consultant at the Travel Management Group helping clients implement best practices in corporate travel management. Doug has served in multiple leadership roles within both ACTE and GBTA and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for GBTA. Weeks is a graduate of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.