US Travel Association announces wave of senior staff talent

WASHINGTON – The US Travel Association announced the hiring of three senior leaders, adding a wave of new talent to advance association priorities. The additions arrive as the association readies a bold agenda, new membership structure and refined value proposition.

“We are excited to introduce new U.S. Travel talent that will address the industry’s evolving needs and supplement the association’s growing capabilities,” said Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the US Travel Association. “Each of our new additions will help to expand the association’s services, provide members with greater value and ensure that the industry achieves newfound success.”

New to U.S. Travel’s Senior Leadership Team

• Allison O’Connor, Senior Vice President, Strategic Communications: O’Connor brings deep experience in global communications, public relations, crisis management and brand awareness. Her travel industry experience includes previous roles as Vice President, Public Relations and Communications (Americas) at Marriott International and global communications at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. O’Connor also led communications at Frontdoor and most recently served as Vice President, Customer Experience at The Boca Raton.
• Kevin Hinton, Managing Director, Group Travel: Hinton joins U.S. Travel to lead the association’s group travel community. The association executive and meetings industry leader most recently served as Executive Vice President of Strategy at consultancy Minding Your Business. He is the former CEO of Hinton + Grusich as well as CEO of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence. He also served as an Executive Vice President at ALHI (Associated Luxury Hotels International).
• Courtney Mesmer, Vice President, Event Programming and Experience: Mesmer joins U.S. Travel to provide leadership and support to the association’s signature events and member experiences. The global event production innovator comes from WorldAtWork, where she was Vice President of Events. Mesmer has deep experience in event design at multiple trade associations, including Finseca, the American Telemedicine Association and the American College of Cardiology.