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 holds an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Administration from Centennial College, where she actively engaged in several notable extracurricular activities. She was part of the winning team for the Global Capstone Project research competition, the multi-college SDGs Global Goals Jam innovation contest, and was selected for the prestigious Baxter Student Ambassador Program. Additionally, Simone played a key role in Centennial College's UNWTO Student League.

With over nine years of experience in customer service across both the retail industry and nonprofit, Simone brings a diverse and well-rounded skill set to her work.

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 her time between Toronto (week) and Prince Edward County (weekends) sharing her adventures with her husband and two teenage sons.

Dionne Bishop is an award winning event planner having won the 2024 Best Corporate Event 1M for her work with Canada’s largest Real Estate Conference bringing 2,500 people to the City of Toronto. She is a 2023 Smart Women in Meetings Award winner and the 2022 MPI Toronto Planner Member of the Year. As the founder of Events by Dionne Inc, Dionne brings over 20 years experience in the Events and Marketing industries and has successfully planned corporate meetings and social events across major markets in Canada and the United States. As a Founding member of the Future of Black Tourism, Dionne represents Ontario as a viable region to develop a stronger Black Tourism eco-system between Canada and the United States. She has worked alongside Tourism Innovation Lab in the development of the OSW Black Tourism “Spark” Program in the capacity of Mentor and Judge and continues to drive initiatives for Black Tourism in the Province. Dionne is Secretary of the Board for the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO) and now serves as the Co-Chair of the DEIA Committee. She was the 2023 Logistics Chair for MPI Toronto’s The EVENT, Past-President and Gala Chair of International Live Events Association (ILEA) Toronto Chapter and is an active member of Destination Toronto, National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals and MPI Toronto.

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.

They were 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.

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 has recently completed the Canadian Society of Association Executive’s (CSAE) ‘Certified Association Executive’ program, obtaining 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 Mississauga with her husband, daughter, and her dog Toby.

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.

Prior to joining Ottawa Tourism, Michael served as Senior Vice President with InterVISTAS Consulting, where he was responsible for the firm’s airline, air service development, and tourism practices in Canada. Michael has over 15 years experience at the management level with two of Canada’s major airports, the Winnipeg Airports Authority and the Ottawa International Airport Authority.

Michael is very active within the tourism industry and other business groups. He is a Board member with the Ottawa Convention Centre, the Ottawa International Hockey Festival, and the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario (TIAO), where he serves as Vice Chair of the Board. He was the inaugural 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 Destinations International, the Ottawa 2017 Bureau and Invest Ottawa. He is a volunteer member of the Advisory Council for Meeting Professionals Against Human Trafficking and the Advisory Committee for the Hospitality & Tourism Management Degree Program at Algonquin College.

Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, he is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and he is an inductee to the Order of Ottawa. Michael’s business leadership and volunteerism has been formally recognized by a broad range of stakeholders, such as Airport Business Magazine, the Ottawa Business Journal, le Regroupement des Gens d'Affaires de la Capitale Nationale, and Ottawa’s own tourism industry.

Michael has a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Manitoba, and he is a Certified Barbecue Judge.

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.

Colin Morrison is General Manager of the Embassy Hotel and Suites, an independent full service suite hotel, located adjacent to Ottawa City Hall. Mr. Morrison serves as Chair of the Tourism Development Council, a group of city stakeholders including the Ottawa Board of Trade, the Ottawa International Airport Authority, Invest Ottawa, OSEG, the Shaw Centre, the National Capital Commission, Parks Canada, Economic Development Ottawa and Mayor Sutcliffe, tasked with stewardship of the portion of Municipal Accommodations Tax dedicated to Tourism Development in Ottawa. Mr. Morrison also serves as Past Chair of both Ottawa Tourism and the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association. Colin is also a Director of the Bytown Museum which explores the stories of city and its people from the early days of Bytown to the Ottawa of today. During the pandemic, Colin was Co-Chair of the Ontario Governments COVID advisory panel for Hospitality and Tourism. In 2022 Colin received the Donald Blakeslee Award as Ottawa’s Hotelier of the Year. Colin and his wife Elena are parents to Liam, a third year Law student at UVic and Shannon, a fourth year Criminology student at Carleton University.