Ariel is a communicator, activist, and traveler based in Brooklyn, New York, who has worked, edited, and traveled across the globe. As the former Program Director and a founding team member of WITS, she has helped shape what the event is today. Ariel has served as the editorial strategy director at the Vera Institute of Justice, a national organization dedicated to ending mass incarceration in the United States, and as the digital team lead at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest LGBTQ and HIV civil rights legal advocacy organization in the world. Learn more on her website.

JoAnna Haugen is an award-winning writer, strategic consultant, international speaker, and hopeful global citizen. She is also the founder of Rooted Storytelling, an independent, solutions-oriented travel media platform sharing stories of how communities, innovators, and local leaders are responding to complex social and environmental challenges. Her expertise sits at the intersection of social impact, storytelling, and regenerative and sustainable travel-related practices. For more than 15 years, she has worked with purpose-driven brands in tourism and beyond to amplify unexpected stories, challenge extractive narratives, and redefine what meaningful impact actually looks like.

Marissa is a seasoned event management professional with over a decade of experience leading event strategy, planning, and execution. She has a passion for creating impactful events that bring people together and strengthen communities. Her career began in international education where she encouraged young people to study abroad, before transitioning to working for Wanderful where she formerly served as the Conference Director of WITS. She currently manages global events that support some of WTW’s most critical marketing and business priorities, bringing expertise in event strategy, operations, and cross-functional collaboration to create meaningful experiences.

Martinique Lewis is an award-winning diversity in travel consultant, President of the Black Travel Alliance, Director of Partnerships for the Black Travel Summit, and the host of National Geographic's Black Travel Across America. She is also the creator of The ABC Travel Greenbook and App, the number one resource connecting destinations to Black travelers and the African Diaspora globally.

Trusted among her peers as a "connector," she is always connecting the dots to ensure the travel industry is mindful of diversity—not just as a "buzzword" but as an action that produces results. As a digital disruptor and someone immensely in love with all things travel, she strives daily to change the narrative by advocating for travelers from different demographics across multiple platforms. Learn more on Martinique’s website.

Sophia Hyder Hock is the Chief Impact Officer at Destinations International, where she provides strategic oversight and thought leadership for the association’s social impact, professional development, and advocacy initiatives.

She leads the development of policy-relevant resources and leadership tools that support destination decision-makers to advance a more resilient global tourism ecosystem. Sophia serves on the boards of TravelAbility and the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) and is actively engaged in World Economic Forum tourism initiatives, contributing to global dialogue on tourism’s role in economic resilience, workforce development, placemaking, and long-term value creation.