ASTA Names Jennifer Michels as Vice President-Communications
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has named Jennifer Michels as its new vice president of communications. ASTA had been without someone in the communications post since 2012, when Kristina Rundquist, the former vice president-communications left the association.
One of ASTA’s critical roles is to create more consumer awareness about of the value of travel agents. So Michels’ appointment comes a critical time for ASTA, which is seeking to bolster the image of travel agents nationwide.
"We know that Jennifer's breadth of knowledge of business and leisure travel make her a good fit for our team," said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby. "We look forward to Jennifer’s contribution to one of ASTA’s most important objectives: promoting the value of using an agent to the traveling public.”
Michels comes to ASTA with more than 20 years of experience in communications and journalism, including two major editorial posts with travel agent-focused publications. From 2006 to 2007, Michels served as executive editor at Performance Media Group, the predecessor company for travAllianceMedia, overseeing TravelPulse.com, and also covering airlines and the Caribbean for TravelPulse’s sister publications Agent@Home and Vacation Agent magazines.
Prior to that, Michels was Washington bureau chief for Travel Agent magazine from 1997 to 2005 covering everything from new U.S. laws and regulations related to travel to global technology issues of concern to travel agencies. She was responsible for covering all of the major global distribution systems and related associations and travel portals, and wrote about cruise lines, hotels, rental car companies and airlines as well.
Since 2011 Michels has served as director of communications, transportation trades department for the AFL-CIO. Prior to that Michels was deputy managing editor and editor-in-chief at Aviation Week in Washington, D.C., leading the commercial aviation editorial team at the McGraw Hill publication from 2007 to 2011. From 1987 to 1997 Michels also held senior editorial posts at McGraw-Hill Publishing.
"There is no industry as dynamic as the travel industry, and no group of professionals as passionate about what they do as the travel agent community," said Michels. "I look forward to working with this incredibly dedicated team at ASTA headquarters, and to renewing former and forming new partnerships to help move us forward.”
Source: Travel Pulse, http://www.travelpulse.com/news/host-agency-and-consortia/asta-names-michels-as-vice-president-communications.html
