managerS

The Millennials in Travel Managers are a team of travel industry leaders that serve under the Board of Directors and focus on specific programs for the organization on a global level. A description of the Manager roles can be viewed here as well as our organizational chart viewed here.

 Industry Relations & Advocacy Manager
Elizabeth Pickering

Operations Manager
Star Lasam

Events Manager
Position Available

Social Media & Media Relations Manager
Natalie Savarino

Philanthropy & Sustainability Manager
Caroline Chang

Technology Manager
Position Available

Industry Relations & advocacy Manager

Elizabeth Pickering - Belmond

Elizabeth has been passionate about hospitality from an early age, joining one of the world's top luxury hotels in operations at just 17 years old. She has seen success in the travel industry in operations, public relations, digital marketing and sales. Her journey with Belmond began in 2013 and has included being a member of the pre-opening sales and marketing team in Santa Barbara and now cultivating key global accounts and strategically developing universal partnership agreements. Having traveled to 28 states and 13 countries so far, she looks forward to continuing her travel journey with more exploring on the horizon.

Email Elizabeth at elizabeth.usa@millennialsintravel.com.

operations manager

star lasam - Plaza Travel

Coming from a military family, Star has spent much of her life traveling. Then while working on her BA in Psychology at UC Santa Barbara, she studied abroad in London which only deepened her love for travel and inspired her to pursue a career in it. Her first job in the industry was on the sales team at the Hotel Angeleno. Then in 2016, she was a part of the first ALTOUR University program in which she learned the skills to become a travel agent. She went on to specialize in music and touring and is now an Entertainment Travel Specialist at Plaza Travel. Outside of work, you can usually find her at a concert or show and of course - traveling!

Email Star at operations@millennialsintravel.com.

social Media & media Relations Manager

Natalie Savarino - Montage International

Natalie started her career in 2017 after graduating from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She went on to join the public relations team at The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air where she successfully created and implemented a strong social media presence for both hotels while also overseeing multiple public relations initiatives. After working there for four years, Natalie made the transition to Crowe PR where she helped oversee the agency’s hospitality clients. Unable to let go of her love for hotels, Natalie has moved back in-house to work with Montage International as their Corporate Communications and Social Media Manager. When not at work, she enjoys hiking, long days spent at the beach and eating her way through her endless LA restaurant list.

Email Natalie at media@millennialsintravel.com.

Philanthropy & Sustainability Manager

Caroline Chang - Beyond Traveled

Caroline was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She attended Wellesley College and graduated with a degree in International Relations. While she initially thought she would pursue a career in politics, her year abroad in London changed her mind. She discovered how transformative travel could be and wanted to bring the same bespoke experience to others. Caroline joined the industry in 2016 and most recently became an Advisor with Beyond Traveled, an independent affiliate of Cadence Travel. Caroline's passion is purposeful, experiential travel that helps make the places and people we visit better. She has partnered with One Tree Planted to plant trees around the world for each trip she plans for her clients. Caroline also ensures that the partners she works with have the same ethos as well- whether it's supporting a local business, employing the community or funding a sustainable project. Caroline currently resides in Los Angeles, but travels often, always learning about different destinations. When she's home, you can find her at the boxing gym or with her dog, Tango.

Email Caroline at philanthropy@millennialsintravel.com.

EXCLUSIVE FAMS co-Managers

KIM BARBER - GLOBETROTTER TRAVEL

Kim has always enjoyed traveling domestically, but really caught the travel bug when she was 17 during a trip through 7 European countries. After that trip, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the Travel Industry and earned her BA in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management from Central Michigan University. Kim's professional life in tourism started as a Campus Manager with EF College Break and since then she's gained valuable experience working for a tour company in the North Island of New Zealand, a tourism and economic development corporation in Queensland Australia, and a storefront travel agency in Michigan. Kim started working in travel in 2009 and has become increasingly passionate about the industry since then. In 2015 she launched Globetrotter Travel - an independent agency focusing on once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trips and group travel and she's loved seeing the growth over the past 6 years. In addition to her current role as Travel Consultant, she also represents Delta and United Airlines part-time in her local airport. Some of Kim's favorite trips in recent years include Zimbabwe, Brazil, Greece, Kenya, Spain, Uganda, Australia, Italy, and South Africa. When she's not traveling or planning her next trip, Kim enjoys volunteering, crafting, kayaking, and baking.

Abby Barrett - abby away travel

Abby's journey into the travel industry was a little different, as she worked in nursing for almost 10 years before making a career change to pursue travel full time. She always loved planning special getaways for her and her husband and realized she wanted to do the same for others. She opened her luxury travel agency in early 2021. She designs luxury vacations and one-of-a-kind escapes for couples. Abby loves discovering islands all over the world. Some of her favorite destinations are Hawaii, Greece, and the Maldives. When she's not playing castaway, you'll find her hanging by the beach at her home in Charleston and spending time with her husband and Goldendoodle, Sailor.

Email Kim and Abby at fams@millennialsintravel.com.

professional development Manager

amanda coppola - mann travels

Amanda started her career as a Travel Advisor in 2009 after earning a degree in Travel & Tourism from Johnson & Wales University.  She worked with two storefront agencies and found her home at Mann Travels in Charlotte, NC where she has been for six years.  Amanda has continued to develop her career through her travels which include Spain, Ireland, Turkey, Portugal, Switzerland, France and cruised throughout the Caribbean. Amanda was selected for the Young Advisors Community (YAC) with Signature Travel Network in 2017 where she focused on the growth and development of travel professionals entering the industry. She continues to learn and attend conferences to expand her knowledge. She is excited to help others on their journey in the travel industry. When she is not designing client’s trips, Amanda enjoys travelling with her friends, cycling, watching sports, and meeting new people.

Email Amanda at jobs@millennialsintravel.com.

digital content Manager

Kellie Benz - Travel Writer

Kellie Walton Benz is a Tennessee-based travel, food and beverage writer eating and adventuring her way around the world. A former hospitality PR pro working with hotels and restaurants, Kellie now tells stories related to all things travel - including city guides, hotel and restaurant recommendations, travel hacks and tales of her own adventures (and misadventures). Follow along at www.benzvoyage.com.

Email us at digital@millennialsintravel.com.

GEN Z Advisor

Derek Fine - The travel corporation

Derek was born and raised in southern California. After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of San Diego, Derek entered the travel industry in September of 2019. What he didn’t know, at the time, was in six short months, the industry that he recently called home would be uprooted to unprecedented proportions. Fast forward to today, Derek is extremely grateful to be working as a Partnerships Coordinator at The Travel Corporation and does not regret his decision in 2019 because he sees the travel industry as an essential foundation of our planet’s past, present and future. Derek’s role within Millennials in Travel will be to provide guidance to the organization and help in the future transition of young professionals in the industry from millennials to the next generation, Z.

Email Derek at derek@millennialsintravel.com.