TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Advisory Board

TravelAbility Taps Former BrandUSA CMO, Staci Mellman as Strategic Advisor to Advisory Board

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TravelAbility, a leading organization dedicated to enhancing travel experiences for individuals with disabilities, is proud to announce the appointment of Staci Mellman as a strategic advisor and Advisory Board member focusing on expanding the organization’s reach across the USA and enhancing its brand visibility among destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and travel professionals.

With an impressive career spanning nearly two decades, Staci previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at both Brand USA and VISIT FLORIDA, where she led groundbreaking initiatives to make travel marketing more inclusive, authentic, and accessible. She spearheaded efforts to expand accessibility across Florida, creating inclusive content series and advertising campaigns—one of which was recognized by AdWeek as a Top 10 Accessible Brand Campaign of 2020.

Key Areas of Staci Mellman’s Focus:

  • Raising Awareness: Increasing TravelAbility’s recognition among DMOs, travel brands, and industry leaders.
  • Industry Education: Providing resources and best practices to help destinations attract and serve travelers of all abilities.
  • Advancing Inclusive Marketing: Helping travel brands communicate accessibility efforts in an authentic, engaging, and impactful way.

“I have always believed that travel is a fundamental experience that should be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability,” said Mellman. “By working with TravelAbility, I hope to help travel brands and destinations create more inclusive experiences that connect with and serve travelers of all abilities. Travel is not just about seeing new places—it’s about feeling welcome, represented, and empowered to explore the world.”

Strengthening the Future of Accessible Travel

TravelAbility remains dedicated to bridging the gap between the travel industry and the disability community. With the appointment of Staci Mellman, the organization is poised to make even greater strides in creating a more inclusive, accessible future for travelers everywhere.

“Staci is genuinely one of the most inspiring and creative individuals I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past six years. Her passion for data was matched only by her commitment to positive activism. As the leader of Visit Florida, she spearheaded numerous campaigns that highlight the diverse experiences of individuals with disabilities and her goal was clear: she wanted to make Florida the most accessible state in the country. We’re honored to have her as part of our advisory board.”

Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbilityFor more information on TravelAbility’s initiatives, visit https://travelability.net/

TravelAbility Welcomes Eight New Advisory Board Members

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As evident from this jam-packed newsletter, TravelAbility is growing. In addition to launching new partnerships and initiatives, we are broadening and deepening our leadership by expanding our advisory board with a stellar group of executives, advocates, and industry insiders:

Suzanne Edwards, Head of Accessibility Standards, Airbnb. She is a wheelchair user and a surfer/para-athlete who will help Airbnb prepare for hosting Paralympians in 2024. Read more about Suzanne.

Curt Cottle, Senior Policy Advisor, National Tour and Travel Office (NTTO) . He represents the travel industry’s voice within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Read more about Curt.

Lesly Simmons,  Head of Community Innovation, Amazon. She is a pioneer in the event industry who created and curated impactful experiences for Amazon’s events division. Read more about Lesly.

Chris Collinson, Entrepreneur and Investor. He founded Connect and grew it into a strong leader in the meetings and events industry over 20 years, before retiring.  Read more about Chris.

Sophia Hyder Hoch, Chief Diversity Officer, Destinations International. She is our main contact as we work with DI to make accessibility available to all their 700+ destinations. Read more about Sophia.

Jason Holic, Sr. VP, Operations and Community Involvement/former politician, Experience Kissimmee. He has shown his ability to provide TravelAbility with insights on how to use data and creativity to motivate partners to adopt accessibility. Read more about Jason.

Alexander Hauerslev Jensen, Accessible Partnerships, Google, who helps create pathways to Google products that enhance the experiences of users with disabilities. Read more about Alexander

Rebcca Stair Gill,  VP Business Development, TravelAbility and publisher of Accessible Journeys.  She is a skilled marketer and builder of strategic, branded, social content partnerships. Read more about Rebecca.

View the full advisory board here.

New on TravelAbility.net

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InnovateABLE:  We carefully curated selection of technology, innovations and services that can reduce barriers for people with disabilities, several of which will be part of our annual pitchfest on July 26th. https://travelability.net/summit/innovateable/

Airport Accessibility page with links in all 50 states.

New Members of Our Advisory Board:

David O’Hara, Director of Accessibility, American Express Global Business Travel 

Houston Vandergrift, Founder, Downs and Towns.

Alan Fyall, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Lorraine Woodward, Founder, Becoming Rentable

Six of the most prominent Disability Holidays in 2023.

We welcome Lansing Michigan as the newest member of our “Destination A11Y Club.”

Kudos to Visit Tampa Bay for creating the Accessible Riverwalk Pass, the first discount pass designed specifically for visitors and local residents with a disability.

Department of Commerce Appoints 3 TravelAbility presenters to U.S. Tour and Travel Advisory Board

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White House icon on blue background.with texgt saying White House, Washington
White House, Washjngton DC logo

Congratulations to Advisory Board members Eric Lipp, founder of Open Doors Organization and emeritus member, John Sage, founder of Accessible Travel Solutions, both wheelchair users and legends in the accessible travel industry, who along with Andrew Leary, Director of Sustainable Travel and Partnerships for Leave No Trace were appointed by Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. They join other industry leaders such as the CEO’s of Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Expedia. See the full list of members here.

TravelAbility Insider Insight: Having two legends who’ve been deeply involved in accessible travel for over twenty years with a seat at the table contributing to future travel policy is a big win for the future of accessible travel and an acknowledgement that travelers with disabilities are an important segment for the future of the industry. 

TravelAbility Advisory Board Members In the News:

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John Morris Meets the Pope

Photo of John Morris in wheelchair wearing a blue ski jacket shaking hands with the Pope who is in a wheelchair and dressed in a white cassock

Blessings to John Morris, founder of Wheelchairtravel.org, who paid a visit to Vatican City in Rome this past November that included a face-to-face audience with Pope Francis, a fellow wheelchair user. Learn How He Did it

Wheel the World Recognized By Fast Company

Photo of Camilo Navarro with beard wearing black fleece jacket

Kudos to Wheel the World co-founder and advisory board member Camilo Navarro on being selected as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Travel Companies of 2022 as well as being invited to make a presentation from the main stage at CES in Las Vegas.

Goodmaps Wins CTA Pitch Competition

Headshot of Mike May wearing blue collared polo shirt

Hats off to Advisory Board member Mike May, chief evangelist, Goodmaps, which won the 2023 Consumer Technology Association (CTA) pitch competition at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas.

Josh Loebner in Adweek

photo of Josh Loebner in glasses wearing white shirt, purple cross hatched tie and a vest

Cheers to Advisory Board member, Josh Loebner, PhD, Global Director of Accessibility, Wunderman Thompson, who reviewed Seven of the most Accessible Brand campaigns and Actions of 2022 in an interview with Adweek.

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