With extensive years of leadership and management experience in the hospitality sectors, Carol epitomizes the power of rapport and relationship building.  Carol has represented many hospitality brands throughout North America, in addition to her consulting firm, G.A.P Solutions.  Carol has assembled teams, opened hotels, provided training for sales professionals, and management training for leaders in the hospitality network. conducted business audits, rebuilding teams through hiring, coaching & success focused development.  Carol’s focus within the tourism industry, Carol is grounded in listening to the operators and building critical key relationships to allow for a stronger collaboration to support TIAO's advocacy message

Simone achieved her Advanced Diploma from Centennial College’s Hospitality and Tourism Administration program. During her time at the College, she has participated in many extra-curricular activities such as winning the research competition Global Capstone Project, the multi-college innovation contest - SDGs Global Goals Jam, and the nationwide Baxter Student Ambassador Program. She was also a leading member of Centennial College's UNWTO Student League.  

Simone has 8 years of customer service experience in the retail industry and the nonprofit sector.

Mark is currently the Workforce Development Coordinator for Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. He leads two specific projects: A Three Fires Collaborative Quest and the Discover Ability Network program that promote growth and inclusion in the tourism industry. A former student for the Tourism Travel Services Management program at Humber College, he learned the vital skills and knowledge it takes and implemented that in his career. He has a passion for travel and is an aspiring wellness travel entrepreneur. 

With over 20 years in hospitality, food, events and tourism in the GTA and Ontario, Leni’s focus is on making a positive impact on people and communities. She brings a wealth of experience across different organization types, strong collaboration and relationship-building skills, and a bold vision for a more inclusive and values-driven tourism industry. She's passionate about connecting purpose-driven organizations with people, resources, and solutions that combine values and productivity. Through her company, Brem Consulting Inc., she has worked with multiple non-profit associations on province-wide projects with major impact. 

Leni is currently the Secretary for the York Region Arts Council Board of Directors and sits on the Board of Directors for RTO 6 (Central Counties Tourism) and the Culinary Tourism Alliance’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.  

Jessica is a public policy professional with over five years of experience in policy research, analysis, and development. In addition to PhD training in social policy (London School of Economics), she brings experience working with political parties and administrations to influence decision makers in Canada and the UK. Previously, she taught global public policy seminars at the London School of Economics and the LSE-Peking University Summer School in Beijing.

Kevin is an Anishnabek and is a member of the M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.
Kevin has been a key player in the development of Indigenous cultural tourism in Ontario since 2003. Kevin was an integral part of the development and growth of the Great Sprit Circle Trail (GSCT) on Manitoulin Island, one of the country’s most renowned Indigenous tourism organizations that provides culturally authentic Indigenous experiences to visitors along with marketing support to Indigenous operators.

He has provided leadership to GSCT for over 15 years and has imparted his guidance to countless individuals throughout Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada, and beyond.
Kevin works tirelessly to unite Indigenous tourism providers, grow market reach and bring meaningful employment opportunities to the region.
Kevin is a mentor and visionary who works closely with his community to ensure sustainable and organic growth within the Indigenous tourism industry.
In 2015, Kevin was named the Tourism Champion of the Year by the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. He has also been recognized by numerous media outlets for his accomplishments within the industry.

Kevin sits on a variety of boards including the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO).
He has also helped establish ITO, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), Northeastern Ontario Tourism, Destination Northern Ontario, the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre, and many other tourism organizations and businesses. He also sits on the Destination Ontario Sector Advisory Committee, Tourism Skillsnet Ontario Council, and the Trans Canada Trail Indigenous Advisory Committee.

Passionate about the interconnection between food, agriculture, tourism, arts, and culture, Rebecca has been instrumental in developing tourism products including Prince Edward County’s award-winning Taste Trail & Arts Trail and the Culinary Tourism Alliance’s Feast On® certification program.

In her role at the Culinary Tourism Alliance (CTA), Rebecca manages highly participatory and asset-based community development projects at the local, regional, provincial, and national levels. Rebecca oversees programming, partnership development, and develop comprehensive marketing partnerships to increase awareness of Canada’s food tourism experiences.

Rebecca has contributed her expertise to a variety of industry boards including the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Sustainable Development Goals Working Group. She has written curriculum for Centennial Colleges Food Tourism Post Graduate Program, contributed chapters to the 2nd UNWTO Global Report on Gastronomic Tourism, produced a chapter on Transforming the Terroir into a Tourist Destination to the Routledge Handbook of Gastronomic Tourism (release date of fall 2019). Rebecca completed a Master of Arts in Global Leadership at Royal Roads University in 2021 with a specific interest in sustainable tourism and is a part-time professor at George Brown College in their Food Tourism Entrepreneurship program.

Born and raised in Toronto, Rebecca spent her summers in rural Prince Edward County. In grade 12 year, she sailed with West Island Colleges Class Afloat on a 156-foot-tall ship to 20 countries in Europe and Africa – an experience that rooted her passion for travel, adventure, and taste of place! She continues to split my time between Toronto (week) and Prince Edward County (weekends) sharing her adventures with her husband and two teenage sons.

Dionne Bishop is the founder of Events by Dionne Inc. With 15 years experience in the event and marketing industries, Dionne has planned and overseen corporate and social events across major markets in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. Dionne is known for her ability to strategically plan creative and results driven events that help her clients increase brand engagement and authentically connect them to diverse audiences.  

As an active member of the International Live Events Association (ILEA) Toronto Chapter, Dionne served as its President in 2015 - 2016.  She became Gala Chair in 2017 and now sits on the MPI Toronto DEI Task Force and as a Board Member of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO).

Originally from Turkiye, Şimal moved to Canada in 2017. A seasoned professional in the tourism and hospitality industry for over several years, Şimal has worked in several fields and industries, in areas related to communications, learning and development, event-planning. 

Şimal holds an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Administration from Centennial College. During her time at Centennial, Şimal was a collaborator for the conception of the “Food for Unity” business model, a financially sustainable social venture with the objective of reducing carbon footprint whilst brining communities together; the “Food for Unity” pitch earned second prize in the 2020 Global Goals Jam.

She was also a part of Centennial’s School of Tourism Applied Research Abroad Project (ARAP) in Morocco. In this ARAP, Şimal worked with women’s collectives, associations, and tourism operators to create multidisciplinary “Train-the-Trainer” programs and strategies for sustainable tourism and community development.

Currently, Şimal works as a Communications & Multimedia Specialist at the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Her multifaceted talents in digital marketing, graphic design, photography, and UX research contribute to TIAO’s vision of connecting the tourism industry through a unified voice.

Şimal’s goal in the tourism industry is to be a part of the positive change in the industry’s workforce, and advocate for the future of purposeful travel that benefits communities.

As TIAO’s Vice President of Public Affairs, Madison Simmons brings over a decade of experience in public affairs, government relations, and association management, including 4 years spent working closely with the tourism sector. 

From 2021 to 2023, Madison served as Director of Government Affairs with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) in Ottawa, Ontario, representing over 600 tourism businesses nationwide. Madison effectively advocated for member businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing and fostering relationships with tourism stakeholders, department officials and Parliamentarians. Madison worked on the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses campaign from inception, which successfully advocated for creating and passing Bill C-2 in December 2021, ensuring sector-specific support continued for the tourism and hospitality industries.

Before TIAC, Madison worked as a Consultant Lobbyist with Impact Public Affairs for three years. Madison worked with a broad spectrum of teams and stakeholders in the tourism, hospitality, healthcare and automotive industries in the development and advocacy of strategic policy initiatives, including leading government relations and public relations activities. Before Impact, Madison held various positions with communications and branding agencies in Toronto and Vancouver.

Madison is currently in level 5 of the Canadian Society of Association Executive’s (CSAE) ‘Certified Association Executive’ program, working to obtain certification as a CAE.

Madison has a strong track record of quality work, maintaining relationships and delivering positive outcomes on critical organizational priorities.

Madison lives in Toronto with her husband Mike, her dog Toby, and is expecting her first child in July 2023.

Claudia leads a broad range of policy initiatives to support Ontario’s business community. Claudia founded and co-chairs the OCC’s Energy Policy Council, oversees the Ontario Economic Report, and leads work around environment, energy, data, regional economic development, procurement, housing, diversity and inclusion, and more. She also serves on the Toronto Region Conservation Authority’s Partners in Project Green Executive Management Committee and the Advisory Board for Innovate Cities. In previous roles, Claudia researched mortgage markets for National Bank Financial and measured social impact for Charity Intelligence. She has a Master’s degree from the University of Oxford and a BA from the University of Toronto.  

Michael is a recognized leader in travel and tourism in Canada. In his current role, he leads Ottawa’s official destination organization, which spearheads sales and marketing initiatives for attracting visitors to Canada’s capital, while also making investments in the long-term stewardship and development of the destination. He is a Board member with Destinations International, the Shaw Centre, the Ottawa International Hockey Festival, and he is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Hospitality & Tourism Management Degree Program at Algonquin College. He is the Co-Chair of the Canadian Destination Leadership Council with Destinations International; he has been the Board Chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and the Ottawa Board of Trade; and he has also served on the boards of the Ottawa 2017 Bureau and Invest Ottawa. Michael has a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Manitoba, he is a Certified Barbecue Judge, and a Manitoba Marriage Commissioner. 

Neil Pakey is the President & CEO at Nieuport Aviation, winners of the Most Spectacular Business Recovery award in Ontario in 2022. He has served as the CEO of the Shannon Airport Group on Ireland, the CEO of Peel Airports Group in the U.K., as Managing Director of Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the Senior VP Network Marketing at the Vantage Airports Group. Neil holds a Master of Science in Transport Planning and Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Neil was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire for services to Tourism, was Chair of the Mersey Tourism Board in Liverpool and was named the IOD Director of the Year for Merseyside in 2007.  

Paul Di Ianni is the Town of Lincoln’s first Director of Economic Development and Communications. After spending close to a decade working in Toronto at Queen’s Park and in the private sector, both focusing on economic development and stakeholder relations, Paul is now devoted to assisting businesses in Lincoln, driving retention and expansion, innovation, and entrepreneurship activities. Following his time at Queen’s Park, Paul worked in public affairs for Edelman Public Relations, the world’s largest PR firm. While at Edelman, Paul led the team that successfully advocated for foreign direct investment in Ontario for both the Ontario Ministries of Economic Development and Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, among other clients. Paul holds both a combined Honours Degree in History and Political Science and a Master of Arts in in Political Science from McMaster University.  

Andrew Siegwart brings a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set to his role at TIAO. In his eight years as President and CEO of the Blue Mountain Village Association (BMVA), Andrew delivered exceptional advocacy results by building stakeholder coalitions, strengthening government relationships, and raising the organization's public profile. Under his leadership, BMVA achieved significant milestones, including increased member engagement, award-winning destination marketing programs, financial sustainability, and regional economic development. Previously, as Senior Vice-President at the Retail Council of Canada (RCC), he successfully led critical business units and specialized teams, including events, education, sponsorship, communications, membership, research, and program development. His advocacy efforts, particularly in addressing key issues such as labor supply and workforce development, demonstrated his ability to work with a diverse membership base, tackle emerging challenges, and build strong coalitions and partnerships. Mr. Siegwart's passion for community development is evident in his volunteer experiences, where he has contributed to initiatives aimed at increasing workforce and community housing development as a Director of the Town of The Blue Mountain's Attainable Housing Corporation. He also co-founded The LGBTQIA Rainbow Club of South Georgian Bay, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within the community and economy. Andrew Siegwart brings a strong commitment to aligning with and championing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action and applying them to the tourism industry. His experience with BMVA has provided valuable insights in the area of reconciliation, and he is eager to learn and work with Indigenous communities and organizations in support of this important goal.

Connie Hinricksen, originally from Chile, ventured across borders to pursue her passion for the tourism industry and she's currently interning as a Special Project Coordinator at the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. 

With a background deeply rooted in customer service, Connie has spent several years honing her skills in providing exceptional service to clients.  

Fueling her professional journey is a profound love for travel. Connie has a penchant for exploring diverse cultures and delving into the rich histories of the places she visits. This passion has not only broadened her horizons but has also instilled in her a deep appreciation for the positive impact the tourism sector can have on a country's economy and culture.