The Travel Institute Appoints Stacey Cabell to Lead Curriculum Strategy

The Travel Institute has appointed industry veteran Stacey Cabell, CTIE, founder and former owner of Starstuff Travel, to lead the development of its curricula and to ensure the Institute’s programming remains aligned with the evolving needs of today’s travel professionals.

“Stacey brings a powerful combination of real-world agency leadership and a deep commitment to advisor education,” said Guida Botelho, CTIE, vice president for The Travel Institute. “Her experience in utilizing education to build and lead a high-performing agency gives her unique insight into what today’s advisors need. As we continue strengthening our programs and elevating professional standards across the industry, Stacey’s passion and leadership will be instrumental in shaping The Travel Institute’s next generation of content.”

Cabell founded Starstuff Travel in 2013, growing the full-service travel agency to more than 100 independent contractors and achieving multi-million-dollar annual sales over the last 10+ years before selling in 2025. Managing all backend operations, compliance, and supplier partnerships, Cabell credits her agency’s success, in part, to the comprehensive, multi-stage educational programs she created, focusing on industry knowledge, professional growth, soft skills, and modern sales practices for advisors.

The appointment of Cabell, who is experienced in education from new-to-the-industry to advanced leadership to niche specialization and more, underscores The Travel Institute’s focus on delivering high-impact, scalable learning experiences for travel professionals at all stages of their careers.

In the newly created role of senior learning & development manager reporting to Botelho, Cabell now oversees the team, including both internal staff and external contributors responsible for the end-to-end learning experience including content development, quality assurance, learning design, and student engagement.

Cabell is a graduate of both The Travel Institute’s CTA and CTIE programs; she is also a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program and New York University’s Tisch Hospitality & Industry Essentials. A recognized industry speaker and writer for major platforms such as Travel Pulse, Cabell has also served as a mentor for The Travel Institute’s Professional Educators Program, PEP.