2025 Speakers, Moderators and Guests
 

Chris Adams is Head of Research & Insights at Miles Partnership, a global tourism marketing and management agency. Chris has worldwide experience working over 30+ years in senior tourism, marketing, and sustainability roles across the US, the South Pacific, and the UK. This includes almost 20 years at Miles Partnership, the last 12+ as its Head of Research & Insights in charge of the company’s extensive research programs and partnerships. Recent initiatives include research and education on community and resident engagement, sustainability and stewardship and the latest trends in Outdoor Enthusiasts Travel. Chris has a Master of Business Administration (focused on tourism) from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado and a Bachelor of Management Studies with Honors from the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Amongst a range of tourism and sustainability volunteer roles, Chris is on the US Travel’s Research Advisory Board and is co-founder and a project lead of ‘Travel with Care’ – a major not-for-profit on responsible traveler education. Chris also has a lifetime passion to outdoor adventure including time guiding in New Zealand, the US and Antarctica. More Information & Blogs: https://www.milespartnership.com/who-we-are/meet-miles/chris-adams

Rachel Ferrante joined the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor (Maine MILL) with more than a decade of museum experience and ties to the Lewiston community. She has been executive director since September 2021. She oversees all aspects of the museum, including exhibitions and programming, fundraising, finance, human resources, visitor services, communications and board development. Rachel directed the institution’s rebranding from Museum L-A to Maine MILL, along with an expanded digital presence. Prior to this role, she spent eleven years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York rising from an assistant in the director’s office, to the marketing manager, and finally launching and overseeing the touring exhibition program as an exhibition project manager. Rachel is a graduate of Bates College with a B.A. in art and visual culture and minor in rhetoric. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She and her husband have two young sons.

Amy has dedicated her career to solving community problems through creativity and partnerships. Trained in both engineering and community development, she has the ability to see across disciplines and boundaries to create holistic solutions. As a professional facilitator, Amy helps groups move through change. Her work includes community level impact, organizational strategy and restructuring, and how we inspire and create opportunities for change in one another. Most recently, Amy has served as the Executive Director of Westbrooks Main Street Organization, Discover Downtown Westbrook. During her time here, she has focused on organizational systems and process, building sustainable partnerships, grant funding to increase capacity, strategic alignment of activities with priorities, growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting Westbrook’s World Markets, and launching a community tourism project. Throughout her career Amy has chosen work that continues to have a positive impact on people and in local communities.

Matthew is a citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik with comprehensive expertise in non-profit sectors and community development financial institutions. He is the Executive Director at Four Directions Development Corporation. In this role, Matthew champions the preservation of Wabanaki culture and traditions through economic development efforts. Matthew has over a decade of experience working alongside Municipal, State, Tribal, and Federal Governments, administering revolving loan funds and executing community development projects. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys crafting intricate Excel formulas, tinkering with electronics to automate household tasks, and exploring the scenic Maine woods with his wife and daughter.

Jill Sawyer is the Deputy Director of the Abbe Museum, a position she has held since 2022 after joining the team in 2015. Jill earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wells College and went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Anthropology, concentrating on Museum Studies, at the University of Denver. As a Filipino-American, her research primarily focused on Southeast Asia, which included a work-study program in Manila, Philippines. During this time, she evaluated the Mobile Library Program at Museo Pambata. This experience formed the basis for her master’s thesis, which highlighted the importance of advocacy and community outreach in museums—an approach that aligns with the Abbe Museum's mission. In her role as Deputy Director, Jill is responsible for overseeing the development, direction, and efficient implementation of business operations in alignment with the museum’s strategic goals and objectives.

Cary Weston is a marketing consultant, coach, and host of The ChatGPT Experiment podcast, with over 25 years of experience helping businesses achieve better results. A former partner at Sutherland Weston, Cary now coaches and consults under CM Weston, bringing his expertise to business leaders who want to improve efficiency and drive meaningful outcomes. As a certified They Ask, You Answer coach, Cary teaches businesses how to earn trust and win more customers by focusing on what their audience truly cares about. He also uses ChatGPT as a core part of his work, helping clients streamline content creation, sharpen their messaging, and improve marketing strategies—all while saving time and resources. Through The ChatGPT Experiment, Cary explores how tools like ChatGPT can transform the way businesses operate, offering insights and real-world stories from leaders navigating this new era of AI-powered marketing. Connect With Cary: • Website: www.cmweston.com • LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/caryweston

Anne became Program Director of MDF's Maine Downtown Center in 2016. She originally joined the Foundation in 2012 as a consultant to coordinate Healthy Maine Streets, a three-year CDC Community Transformation Grant and Grants to Green Maine, a partnership with Maine Community Foundation and Efficiency Maine. Previously Anne was the Cultural and Heritage Tourism Coordinator for DECD and has consulted for many organizations including: Maine Preservation, Maine Humanities Council, Maine State Museum, and private architecture firms and communities. Anne has a BS from St. Lawrence University and an MA in Historic Preservation from Boston University.

Amy Welch Olson and Kristin Fuhrmann-Simmons are creative partners in media development for Maine-based tourism and Hospitality businesses. Our beliefs: Inclusivity: Our itineraries are an open invitation to all, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, body size, economic status, or ability, exemplifying Maine's welcoming spirit. Deepened Partnerships: We're collaborating with a variety of locally-owned small businesses to support growth throughout each region. Development: By showcasing the variety of unique experiences and hidden gems throughout the region, we seek to highlight community involvement and growth throughout the region. Sustainability: Investing in smaller communities and preserving the pristine natural resources that define Maine through crafting experiences that encourage visitors to cherish and sustain our environment. Authentic Curation: We create a specially curated journey, thoughtfully crafted to introduce travelers to our region. Find out more at https://www.capshorephotography.com/itineraryservices

Author, Instructor, and 40-year travel industry veteran, Hargrove is best known as the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s first Director of Heritage Tourism. During her tenure with the organization, Hargrove developed the key steps and principles for sustainable tourism, focusing on history and culture. She recently worked with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Tourism Division, as Director of Industry & Partner Relations. Hargrove also served as Associate Director of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations, assisting destinations in developing and marketing their place-based experiences. Previous work experience includes tenure with Travel South USA as Director of Public Relations at the organization’s headquarters and as Director of the UK office. Hargrove authored Cultural Heritage Tourism: Five Steps for Success and Sustainability (Rowman & Littlefield, May 2017) as part of the American Association for State & Local History book series. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide (by the National Association of Interpretation) and an emeritus member of the Society of American Travel Writers. Hargrove serves on the Coastal Georgia Historical Society Board of Directors and the Georgia Sea Grant Advisory Council. She holds a Master of Tourism Administration from The George Washington University and a Certificate for Tourism & International Cooperation for Development from the UNWTO Themis Foundation/ The George Washington University. She is also a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism. She is currently under contract with Rowman & Littlefield to author two additional books: Authentic America: 250 Unique Places that Tell the U.S. Story (working title for publication Fall 2025) and Preserving and Promoting Personality of Place: Utilizing Cultural and Historic Assets to Enhance Authentic Experiences (for publication in Spring 2026). Her consultancy currently focuses on cultural heritage tourism assessment, planning, development and management, and nonprofit/tourism sustainability. In the past decade, her firm has assisted more than 150 destinations, government agencies, and businesses, including work in every state in the U.S. and in 15 countries. Through USAID and the U.S. Department of State, she participated in international tourism leadership and training programs for cultural heritage tourism in Kosovo, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia. She also consulted for over a decade with the US-China Arts Exchange, where she helped preserve, protect, and promote indigenous culture in Yunnan Province. Hargrove is frequently asked to speak at conferences, including the World Heritage Forum in Copenhagen, the Canadian Museum Association, the China Leadership Summit, the Educational Travel Conference, the National Tourism Association Exchange, the APEC Tourism Policy Forum, and numerous state and regional conferences. She taught Cultural Tourism as part of the University of British Columbia’s Continuing Education Certificate and Sustainable Tourism Development at The George Washington University. She lives on St. Simons Island with her husband, John Bauser, and six-year-old beagle, Tanner.

Giovanna joined the Frances Perkins Center in 2023. She led the efforts to designate the Frances Perkins National Monument, signed into law by President Biden on December 16, 2024. A leading advocate for gender equity, Lockhart was a leader on the federal paid family leave movement, has published op-eds in various national publications, and served as Washington editor of Glamour. Her career spans work in government from an advisor to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York to national nonprofit leadership. She sits on the boards of StoryCorps and Waynflete.

Joseph St. Germain, Ph.D.: Joseph received his doctorate from Florida State University and is the President of Downs & St. Germain Research – a full-service market research firm specializing in tourism research.

Captain Tyler Waterson runs A Morning in Maine Sailing Tours in Rockland, a 21-passenger tour experience on a classic wooden sailboat. Tyler was born in Vermont, but spent his childhood summers sailing the coast of Maine, where he first got his captain's license in 2003. After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in biology and environmental studies, Tyler travelled around the country, sailing the East and West coasts, fishing in Alaska, guiding eco sails and whale-watching tours, leading kayaking trips on the Na Pali Coast of Kaua'i and most recently, running a dinner, bed and breakfast in an historic lighthouse on San Francisco Bay with his wife Tiffany. Tyler and Tiffany returned home to New England in 2020, and now live in Rockland with their son Oakley. Tyler loves to craft meaningful, immersive experiences to share the beauty of the Maine Coast with locals and visitors alike. Tyler also serves on the board of directors of Rockland Main Street and enjoys giving back to his community.

Joe Diaz is the co-founder of Afar, the leading media brand for travelers who care. Founded by Diaz and Greg Sullivan in 2009, Afar believes in the power of travel to make the world a better place through experiences that enrich the traveler personally, directly support communities visited, and are sensitive to the effects on our planet. Joe frequently lends his expertise on a variety of topics and has been featured in the NYTimes, Fast Company, CNN, The Today Show, CBS This Morning, as well as numerous speaking engagements around the world. He resides in Kennebunkport, Maine with his wife and 5yr old daughter.

Charles Galemmo has spent his working career in the hospitality industry. Starting in the dish room Charles has worked his way through the industry to line cook, Chef and general manager. He went on to do extensive consultant working assisting in the opening of over a dozen restaurants. As part of this consulting work, he spent 8 years with a national franchisor as a business consultant to franchisees at 48 locations in New England. His past 12 years were spent as a Culinary Arts instructor and department chair at York County Community College. Charles continues with the Maine Community College System in his current role as the Hospitality Workforce Coordinator with the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce.

Chadley is passionate about the inclusion of rural communities, and farms, in building a sustainable tourism system. Chadley’s leadership and expertise has been a source of inspiration for agritourism operators throughout the US, and his expertise is recognized globally. Chadley is a co-founder of the Global Agritourism Network and was recently a featured speaker at the 25th General Assembly of UN Tourism and the World Agritourism Congress. Chadley leans on over a decade of experience in tourism, hospitality, and agriculture to develop and share resources for agritourism operators and service providers. Chadley has provided strategic support on projects funded by the USDA and the NSF.

Jeff McCabe is director of the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation. He has worked for more than 20 years in Maine’s outdoor economy and is a registered Maine Recreational Guide and Whitewater Guide. His experience also includes working as Outreach Coordinator for the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Director of Lake George Regional Park, and Executive Director of the Somerset County Soil and Water Conservation District. Before joining the Office of Outdoor Recreation in 2023 his most recent role was as Director of Politics and Legislation with the Maine Service Employees Association. McCabe also served in the Maine House of Representatives from 2008 to 2016, including one term as Majority Leader (2014-2016). A graduate of Unity College, he resides in Skowhegan with his wife and their three children.

Steve Tatko, Vice President for Land, Research and Trails, Appalachian Mountain Club Since joining AMC in 2012, Steve has overseen AMC’s conservation acquisition, management planning, and implementation strategy for the Maine Woods Initiative, which has now grown to 114,000 acres in the 100 Mile Wilderness Region of Maine. In addition to his work in Maine, Steve oversees AMC’s Conservation programing across the organization’s 12 state footprint including its landholdings in five states, its Research Department, Trails Department, and Policy Department. A native of Willimantic, Maine where he still resides, Steve is a Licensed Maine Forester with over 20 years of experience in the forestry field.

Charlene Williams is President of Marshall Communications, a Maine-based boutique marketing and public relations agency that handles PR and media relations for the Maine Office of Tourism and several other clients. Charlene has been a part of the Office of Maine Tourism account team since she joined Marshall Communications in 1997. She is passionate about the tourism industry in Maine, the diversity of experiences Maine provides and the stories that can be told from them. Throughout her career, Charlene has worked with hundreds of travel media and influencers worldwide in telling Maine’s story. Since joining Marshall Communications, she has worked with the Maine Office of Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Film, Discover New England, Cruise Maine, The Maine Highlands, Maine Office of Business Development, Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, The Frances Perkins Center, and Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry.

Erin Dinkel, M.S.: Erin has an educational background in Tourism, Recreation & Event Management as well as Economics. Erin is the Director of Research at Downs & St. Germain Research and manages the statewide Visitor Tracking & Economic Impact Study for Maine.

Combining her passion for marketing and expertise in leveraging data strategies to drive destination economic development, Andria leads data-driven initiatives and guides implementation of future-focused analytics at Miles Partnership. Prior to joining Miles, Andria led the Travel and Tourism product team at Epsilon, and spearheaded global enterprise development at ADARA, developing advertising and data management platforms to support the travel brands and destinations. Throughout her career Andria has focused on developing data solutions and bringing them to the global industry to promote travel and economic development across destinations. Andria has held research roles at both Travel Texas and the Georgia Economic Development office. In addition to her role at Miles, she is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California where she teaches applied research and finance. She has a Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas A&M University.

Rob is a seasoned marketer working with hospitality businesses in Maine for nearly a decade. As the owner of Strategic Digital Marketing, Rob has helped many businesses drive a strong return on investment with digital advertising. SDM helps hospitality businesses create customized marketing plans and builds highly converting websites to maximize their advertising. Currently SDM works with multiple tourism partners in Maine and across the Northeast. Rob has worked to help hotels increase room bookings, weddings, events and overall revenue for businesses. Many websites today are simply unable to track their marketing efforts to know where they should be investing their advertising budget. SDM can help you spend your money wisely and bring in more business. Rob grew up in Dover-Foxcroft ME and now lives outside of Augusta with his wife and daughter. Rob received his MBA from Husson University and enjoys helping Maine people improve their businesses.

Grant MacDonald is a Partner with Cimarron Global Solutions and has been one of Canada’s leading sport tourism and major event professionals for over three decades of experience working with host cities, host organizations and host venues. Former Chief Operating Officer and Head of Consulting for Sport Tourism Canada, past Board Chair of the organization. Grant has led event attraction organizations for both Halifax and Nova Scotia and has worked on several major sport events in Canada including multiple World Junior and Women’s World Hockey Championships, the only World Hockey Championship ever hosted in Canada, FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015, and a professional golf event on the Korn Ferry Tour. Grant began his career in university and amateur sport while also working as a Scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, including the World Series year of 1993.

Tripp has nearly 20 years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry and brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to her role. Her most recent position was the tourism and hospitality marketing director for Sutherland Weston Marketing Communications in Bangor, Maine, where she worked to grow a division dedicated to the tourism industry. Previously, she was the executive director for the Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau for 15 years where she managed partnerships with programs in Maine and Atlantic Canada, and represented Greater Bangor, The Maine Highlands, and New England at various trade and industry events.

Sarah Woog is the Director of Resource Development at Four Directions Development Corporation. Four Directions’ mission is to improve the social and economic conditions of the Native American tribes in Maine- the Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot- through education and investment in affordable housing, tribal business ventures, and Native entrepreneurship. Sarah came to Four Directions from a career in education, serving primarily in Wabanaki communities in Maine. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and American Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Maine at Orono. She is certified by the Maine Department of Education as a Math Teacher (7-12) and Building Administrator (K-12). Sarah lives in Bangor, Maine, with her 13-year-old daughter Madisyn and their dog Sherman. Madisyn, Sherman and enjoy walks around Bangor, the beach in the summer, and sharing their home with family and friends.