The Travel Institute Appoints Travefy Founder David Chait as Board Vice Chair

The Travel Institute (TTI) has appointed David Chait, CEO and founder of Travefy, to vice chair of the board of directors.  

Chait has been a TTI board member since spring 2024 and will now lead the 12-person board of travel trade professionals alongside Gary Pollard, president and CEO of Ambassador Tours, who was just re-appointed as board chair for a second term. 

“Serving on TTI’s Board during a period in which our industry has seen enormous growth with an inflow of new advisors, I’m more bullish than ever on the transformational power of education and certification in elevating business outcomes,” Chait said. “My passion for this industry, dominated by small businesses and solopreneurs, runs deep. It’s why Travefy builds software to help businesses grow, why I’m so passionate about TTI’s mission, and why I’m honored now to serve as vice chair.”  

TTI made the two appointments during a recent multi-day meeting, which covered topics from the organization’s new Education Hub to its first-ever Alumni Week that wrapped up last week. The board also includes:

• Evan McElligott, president of Longer Vacations

• Rick Baron, former managing director of Global Sales, Tauck, Inc. 

• Laurie Bohn-Isaure, senior director of national accounts at Silversea 

• Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager at WTH/Dream Vacations 

• Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group 

• Angela Hughes, CEO of Trips & Ships Luxury Travel 

• Rick Meadows, former president of Seabourn Cruise Line 

• Alex Pinelo, chief sales officer at AmaWaterways 

• Jill Romano, owner of Dimensions in Travel 

• Horst Schulze, founder of Ritz-Carlton (Honorary Board Member Emeritus) 

TTI also continues to search for a new president, after Diane Petras announced her retirement. An announcement about her successor is anticipated by the end of the year.